When it comes to interior design, it’s very much a matter of personal taste. The way a person’s home is decorated and designed is more often than not a reflection of that person in some way, whether they’re a home bird, a professional, or simply a fan of unique and interesting designs. Naturally, this leads to the question of how to go about designing your home; do you hire a professional interior designer to do the work for you, or will you choose instead to do it yourself? While the idea of hiring a professional to decorate your home is an attractive one, it’s also one that most average homeowners can’t afford, leaving DIY as the only choice. However, DIY offers its own set of pros and cons that aspiring designers could benefit from knowing.
First, let’s look at the positives. One the more attractive things about DIY is that it leaves you in complete control over how things turn out, and this is probably the main reason people choose it over hiring a professional. You can select the materials, paints, colour schemes, everything; the house is your blank canvas. In theory, DIY is also cheaper than hiring a designer, though it will require some careful financial planning and consideration before you go through with it. That said, there are more opportunities for clever money-saving tricks when you’re the one in charge. While interior designers will probably insist on the highest quality materials at the behest of your wallet, you can shop around, compare and contrast prices and find equally appealing materials and accessories. Sites like Linens Direct, for example, have a wide range of household items that would be great for decorating and at affordable prices.
However, having complete control isn’t always a good thing. After all, professional interior designers are professionals for a reason; they know what works and what doesn’t and, what’s more important, they’ve done it several times before. People often don’t realise that planning to decorate takes a lot of work; there’s budgeting, considering any hidden costs, trying to ensure that everything goes smoothly, it can be overwhelming if you’re not experienced. People also often fail to realise that what sounds like a good idea on paper doesn’t necessarily work in practice, and this can lead to wasted money, delays in the project and, naturally, feelings of frustration. In DIY you can rarely afford to make mistakes, so it’s only a project worth undertaking if you plan everything out carefully and are prepared to face the consequences if you do make a mistake.
Ultimately, it comes down to what you want for your house and how exactly you want it done. If you want to have total creative control and think you have the capabilities to pull it off on your own, then DIY is definitely the right thing to do. However, if you feel less confident in your abilities but have an idea of what you want (and the cash to boot), then you might be better off placing the project in the hands of an interior designer.
