3 Tips to Start Your Decorating Journey With an E-designer
Photo: 3D project by Suite Minded
Thinking of restyling your interior but not sure how to go about it? Here are 3 steps you can follow to help you start your interior decorating journey the best way possible.
Redecorating or renovating an interior can sometimes become overwhelming, especially if you are on a tight budget. There are a lot of details to think about and a series of decisions to take.
Hiring an online interior designer or decorator can relieve you from some of these decisions and create a smoother experience. Especially if you are busy and have a small budget, working with an e-designer can help you take some stress off your mind. If you are not sure what e-design is or if it’s right for you, make sure to read my other post to give you more in-depth knowledge on e-design.
At Suite Minded, our mission is to make interior decorating an affordable, positive and stress-free experience. We want to create serene spaces where people can unwind and feel at home. As your e-designer, I will make sure to listen to your needs and provide you with a brand-new interior ideally suited for you.
Follow these steps in order to start this experience the best way possible.
Establish your interior decorating needs
Before starting any interior decorating project, you need to have a clear idea of what your objective is with your new space. It’s important to have a defined goal from the beginning so that you can start picturing what you want your interior to look like.
Take some time to reflect on what you want and need
By knowing in advance what your goal is, many mistakes can be avoided throughout the design process and you will be able to take decisions more easily.
I recommend sitting down and taking some time to look at your current interior and list the features you love and the ones you are not happy with.
For example, having a room filled with natural light can have an impact on the paint colour selection for the walls and ceilings, as well as on the type of lighting or the fabrics you choose.
Do you need more storage or sitting options?
The advantage of knowing what you need at the beginning of the redecorating process is that it will allow you to save time and take decisions faster, and overall be less stressed.
If you have kids and you are thinking of redecorating your living room, you might want to include some storage space for any toys or games.
Same thing if you have pets, you might wish to create a dedicated space for your favourite animal.
If you have a big family or simply enjoy often having friends over, you might consider adding some sitting options in your living room. This could be done by either having a bigger couch, or adding armchairs, ottomans or poufs to your décor.
Are you renting or do you own your home?
When working with an e-designer, it’s essential that you provide a list of your needs and requirements in terms of interior design. This will help your online decorator assess the most suitable design options for you and deliver the perfect final project.
Whether you are currently renting your home or you own can have a big impact on your interior project.
If you are a homeowner and you are thinking of restyling your interior, the decisions regarding home décor and renovation are all yours.
If you are renting your home, you might not be able to paint your walls a different colour, or even simply nail art or décor items. This is a point that you need to discuss with your landlord or property manager.
However, it is still possible to completely transform a room without necessarily repaint the walls. Simply with new furniture style and home décor artefacts, you can change the feel of a space entirely.
Set up your budget
Setting up your budget is an essential decision you have to take regarding your redecorating project. During this step, it is important that you clearly assess how much money you can spend on this project, taking into account your everyday lifestyle, bills and expenses. You don’t want to overspend and have to cut back on some parts of your design plan.
When hiring an e-designer, you have to keep in mind that any labour or renovation costs such as painting, plumbing or electrical work will not be included in the budget. As it is an online service, your online decorator is not responsible for this type of labour.
While working with Suite Minded, the budget you set will be for furniture and home décor items. I will be in charge of putting together the best suitable design for you, within your budget.
However, even just for furniture, your budget should be realistic. For example, it will be complicated to entirely restyle your bedroom with a budget of $400. If I think your budget is unrealistic, I will discuss it with you.
Do you want new furniture?
Now that you know what type of redecorating you can do in your interior and you have set a budget, you can decide whether you would like to purchase new furniture or keep your existing furniture.
This decision will also depend on your budget. Some spaces are more expensive to restyle than others. If you have a rather tight budget and you enjoy DIY, an option could be to sand, repaint and customize your existing furniture to give it a brand-new look.
Make a list
In order to better visualize what your needs and requirements are, we recommend you to sit down, take some time and make a list that you can send to your e-designer.
If some of these decisions are hard to take or you are unsure, your virtual decorator will be able to go through your needs with you and guide you towards the best suitable solution.
At Suite Minded, we accompany our clients every step of the way to create a smooth and stress-free experience.
Measure your room
Photo: Pexels
After completing the first step, you should be able to determine your goals for your new interior decoration project. You now have a list of what you want and need in your new space, as well as a set budget for any new furniture or home décor items needed.
This next step is also essential in your interior redecorating project as it will help your virtual decorator assess your space and determine how to position your furniture.
Accurately take measurements of your room
After communicating with your online interior decorator about your interior needs and your requirements, he or she will ask you to send measurements of your room.
As e-design is a service provided exclusively online, this is a task you will have to undertake on your own. However, here is a guide on how to accurately measure your room to make it easier for you.
First of all, in order to measure your room, you will need a tape measure, a pencil and paper. If your room is big, it might be easier if you someone else to help you.
Draw a sketch of your room layout and include the location of windows, doors, heaters, closets, any built-in features such as ceiling fans or lights. You may also include the location of any power outlets and switches. You can mark these with a cross on your sketch for example.
Measure your floor from each corner and report your measurements on your sketch. Also measure your room’s ceiling height and report it somewhere on your drawing.
Measure windows, doors, and any other feature you have reported on your sketch during step 1. During this step, you mainly want to measure and report the width of your doors and windows.
For this fourth step, I recommend drawing a sketch of each wall elevation on a separate piece of paper. For each wall in your room, draw a sketch that includes the measurements for each door, from floor to top of the door, width and trim. For windows, make sure to measure the space from the floor to the bottom of the window, and from the bottom to the top of the window as well.
Don't forget to include any baseboards and mouldings in your sketches.
If you are planning on keeping some of your current furniture, I recommend to measure them and report the measurements on a separate piece of paper as well. This will help your virtual decorator to assess where to place the furniture you wish to keep and how to style any new furniture or décor items.
Send photos along with measurements
When you are working with an e-designer, it is best to send photos of your room along with your sketches. I suggest to take photos from each corner. It is best to open any blinds or curtains and turn your lights on before taking photos.
Taking photos of the furniture you would like to keep is also recommended. It will allow your online decorator to have a better idea of what your furniture look like and how to place them and style them in your new design.
By following these steps, you will be able to measure your room accurately and start your interior decorating project the best way possible. You will have a clear image of your room and how you can style your space.
Photo: Open floor plan by Suite Minded
Establish your interior design style
After establishing your interior decorating goals and measuring your space, the next step is to find your interior design style. This will give the e-designer you are working with a better idea of the type of furniture to select, as well as the paint colours and fabrics or materials to choose.
With today’s technology, there are plenty of ways to find inspiration. You can visit Instagram and search specific accounts or hashtags.
Look on Pinterest for inspiration
I also recommend going through Pinterest and look for inspirational photos thanks to keywords. Pinterest has an extremely large database with millions of pictures. You are sure to find some photos matching your dream interior. You can search different interior design styles in order to find your favourite one, “minimalist living room” or “bohemian bedroom” for example.
You can never run out of inspiration photos while using Pinterest, and it’s very easy to use.
Create Pinterest Boards
Once you have found photos of a design style you like, you can create a Pinterest Board in order to gather all your inspiration pictures in one place. I also suggest to share your Pinterest Board with your e-designer so that you can both have access to it, work on your design and make suggestions if needed.
Send inspiration pictures to your e-designer
If you don’t want to use Pinterest, you can also look for inspiration photos on other websites and send them by email to your virtual decorator.
Sharing your inspiration photos with your e-designer is an important step to make sure that he or she understands your interior design style, and that you are both going in the same direction regarding your design project.
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To start your virtual interior decorating project the best way possible you need to:
Make a list of your needs and your requirements in terms of interior decorating. Do you want more storage? More sitting options? Do you wish to restyle entirely or just add new furniture?
Set a budget for your project.
Take photos of your room and take accurate measurements.
Find your interior design style by looking for inspiration photos on Pinterest of other websites.
When working with Suite Minded, I will make sure that your virtual decorating experience goes as smoothly as possible. I firmly believe that this should be a stress free and positive experience that you enjoy from start to finish. If you have any trouble following these steps, I will go through them with you and try to make this process easier.
If you are unsure whether e-design is the right option for you, read my blog post on e-design and who it is best suited for.
In the meantime, I hope you enjoyed the read and if you have any issues with this process, contact me. :)