This blog might be a little bit too real for some folks out there. Maybe they’ll see themselves reflected in it, but man, we have to talk about this.
There is a big misconception in the design industry that can be described as “I don’t want something too nice because it’s going to be too expensive”.
This statement alone kills every little bit of a project’s creativity before it really happens. As a matter of fact, the biggest mistake that designers often do is delivering something above the client’s expectations, because almost immediately the client’s financial police department jumps and says, "Hey! Don’t take that road, you might fall in love with an idea you won’t be able to afford!" When this happens you need to really understand what the design process is and how it behaves in the presence of tight financial situations.
The ideal scene is what dictates the project and the budget is what regulates it, not the other way around.
This means that you always need to aim very high in design, understand the benefit of the proposed elements and then bring them down to reality. These elements need to align with the available resources and project’s goal. There’s always a way to create the desired effect within a set budget, so much that this is how design styles were born. Maybe you didn’t know that, but it’s true and it will remain true.
Did you know that minimalist trends usually appear after wars? Society responds to the current state of the world and starts asking for a change that immediately reflects in the places where people live in. For example, in the case of Minimalism this was less belongings, less things to clean and maintain, less decoration, and more attention to the basic needed elements of the room. After this social phenomenon happens it is the responsibility of designers to create something beautiful with it, and this has happened over and over again throughout the history of the world. Same thing with Mid-Century Modern and Modern Farm House, these styles originally responded to the society’s needs at large and therefore their success. With your project this is no different, so it is vital that you communicate your current scene to your designer and then let him or her shoot for the beautiful ideal scene that potentially lies in there.
Now let’s talk about how a design get expensive.
Here’s a list of things that could make your project go south in finances:
Copying. If your designer has no understanding of how to create a project he’ll be forced to copy, and this will increase the cost of your project because everything will have to be changed to match the copied mockup.
Not planning. If your designer lacks the correct tools for planning and visualizing the design, unforeseen problems will arise and add unnecessary expenses to the project will happen.
Trying to save money instead of trying to arrive to the goal within the budget.
Adding time. This one is a hidden threat to any project. People in the design and building industry are selling a service, so adding time will increase your fees wether you know it or not.
The solution? Aim high and push the designer’s creativity to reach the same level of aesthetics and functionality within your budget. You’ll be surprised with how this brings about the most creative solutions and you’ll see the value of hiring an experienced and knowledgeable designer.
