CALLING ALL INNOVATORS: GET YOUR RENOVATION PROJECT DONE RIGHT (THE FIRST TIME!) + USE INTERIOR DESIGN TO SET YOURSELF APART FROM THE COMPETITION— Hadar Interiors

3 WAYS TO ENSURE YOU HIRE THE RIGHT Design TEAM

(PLUS! BONUS TIPS FOR A FLAWLESS COMMERCIAL SPACE)

It’s FINALLY spring! Spring is a time of renewal, “cleaning out the closet” (aka a time to take stock and refresh) both in our personal lives and the physical environment around us.

If you’re a CEO, like me, you’re probably competitive — always running at 120mph to improve your business and everything around you. And quite possibly this new season has got you inspired to also improve that drab look and feel of your space as well. Great design evokes those same feelings of spring — renewal, endless possibility, and positive change!

“You’re in it to win it!”

“You’re in it to win it!” So, where do you start? Hiring the right professional design team has huge benefits. The right design firm can turn your wants into a cohesive vision, save you time on picking out each individual piece, save you money thanks to their systematic and timely methodology as well as access to huge trade discounts, and ensure that your space is both aesthetic and functional.

Yet, to have your vision realized and completely transform your space, you must ensure to pick the right design firm (the first time). Below are three key factors to determine which design firm is best for you.

Here are some recent “in progress” photos of the transformation we did for a commercial space (Before- A, After Rendering- B)

BEFORE- A

AFTER- B

Pricing

Before you start hunting for designers, it is helpful to determine your goals and budget beforehand. Some designers charge hourly while others offer packages (a fixed fee).

If you have a smaller project in mind or want to hire a professional for guidance only (without a solid, well thought-out plan) on a particular space, then hourly may be your best bet.

Packages are more appropriate for clients who want to tackle a larger project that incorporates elements like:

• Spacial plans for proper flow of traffic
• Elevation drawings for proper positioning (i.e. furniture, artwork, and architectural details like molding style, window heights)
• Mood boards
• Color schemes
• Budget worksheets
• 3D renderings
• Demolition plans
• Design project management during construction etc.

If that’s got you nodding your head in agreement, then you will want to hire a designer who offers a systematic plan that will equip you with as many visual aids as possible to make the right choices for the best possible outcome. Not only will these tools help you get your project done right the first time, they will also serve as proper communication tools for smoother construction and architectural implementation.*

*IMPORTANT: Please NOTE that it is extremely important to hire a design firm BEFORE you hire an architect and contractor so that everyone working on the project are working in tandem towards your aesthetic and branding goals.

The psychology of the designer/client relationship shifts with package offerings because the focus of the project becomes more rooted in providing a plan with results rather than a “let’s see how this goes” attitude. If you’re a “results driven person”, you’ll want to hire a design firm with the same mindset.

Professional designers will help you create an appropriate budget for your project, but it is helpful to have an idea of how much you would like to invest in the project. Designers are resourceful, but they are not magicians. As a general rule, your expectations for the project should be equivalent with the size of your budget (don’t expect the “wow factor” to come out of a shoestring budget). Setting an initial budget and identifying your ideal pricing structure will help you narrow the list of choices from the beginning.

Style and Relationship

To find the right team, it is important to take the time to get clear on your personal style and what you want to achieve. At Hadar Interiors, we believe that everyone has a personal style. Perhaps your goal is to make your space inspire a certain emotion or you need it to accomplish a particular function like in a restaurant, spa, or hotel. Every style has a personality.

“Every style has a personality”

Identify some elements of the style and emotion you want your space to represent and look for a designer who can help you draw out and embody your vision.

Many times people will say to us, “can’t you just make it look amazing?”. You might be thinking the same thing. “Why do I have to know my style? Isn’t it your job to pull it together?”

Great questions!

The right design team…

… must be able to capture the essence of who you are so that the space around you is inspiring and customized to your unique preferences, lifestyle, and tastes. Also, it’s best that you and your design team jive on your philosophies and communication styles over the lifetime of the project.

Before starting projects we go through our “AEQ Revenue Growth Planning Session” to ensure our clients “jive” with us and that we jive with them too. A good working relationship with the right strategic goals and aligned expectations make for a really fun project (for both client and designer). We call it a “Growth Planning Session” because we specifically focus on how the strategic design of your space can affect the growth of your company. This is where we pinpoint your brand persona, discuss key benchmarks for your business, as well as score the cohesiveness that your brand plays in the consumer market and how we’re going to use interior design to bring it all together.

Strategic design means creating a space that is unique to your needs and the needs of your business. It sets the very foundation for a successful project.

Without reflecting on your personal or business goals, pinpointing the style of your brand, and finding the right person to work with, you’re really just shooting in the dark on whether you’ll be happy with the outcome.

Hence, our emphasis on GET IT DONE RIGHT, THE FIRST TIME. The last thing you want is to walk into your space every day and HATE it, only having to re-do it, start all over again, paying DOUBLE. Not cool!

“you’re really just shooting in the dark on whether you’ll be happy with the outcome. ”

It’s also important to know if you prefer to be very involved with the project and want someone who you will work with you one-on-one, or maybe you would rather give a general outline and let the designer run with it. Getting to know what type of work relationship you have in mind will help you identify which design firm would be best for you.

Connection

Lastly, but most importantly, you need to have good chemistry with your designer or design team. For a design firm to properly make your vision come alive, they need to be able to connect with you and you with them.

It’s important to have design firm that can properly communicate their offerings, work ethic, and methodologies so that there are proper expectations set from the outset of your project.

Managing expectations on both sides is of utmost importance. There will ALWAYS be mistakes, miscommunications, and misunderstandings (hey, no one is perfect) but it’s vital to have a plan in place for mitigating and moving past them.

“It’s vital to have a plan in place for mitigating and moving past [mistakes]”

You need a professional that listens and understands your goals. The right designer will be able to pull together the desired functions and aesthetics to create a space that not only feels like you, but was made for you.

The way a person lives dictates their design.

Find a designer that you enjoy working with. Life can already be challenging, this doesn’t need to be as well!

A great designer will get to know your habits to create the best space uniquely for you. They will ask you questions unique to your project like:

For a residential Project

• “Would you like to watch tv in your bedroom or the living room (or just your laptop, hey Netflix!)?”
• “Would you enjoy curling up by the fireplace with a cozy blanket? ”
• “Would you spend most of your time reading in your office?”

OR for a commercial project (like a restaurant)

• “What do your customers want most from your space?”
• “What are the logistical challenges of your space, and how would you like to see them improved?”
• “What are your company’s core values and how do you communicate them to your customers?”

Find a designer that you connect with and will create a space to match the way you live, work, and love.

NOTE: A good design firm will know where their unique talents lie and will only want to work with clients that can best benefit.

There are many factors to consider when choosing a designer, but know you are on your way to success when you choose someone who can work within your budget, embody your style, and connect with you and your vision.

BONUS!

For business owners looking to do a refresh for their space:

There are many incredibly talented commercial designers out there. Hopefully the above information gave you some insights into what kind of solo designer or design team would be the best fit for you based on: pricing, style, and connection.

Not every designer is going to be right for every client and not every client is going to be right for every designer.

Finding the right people to work with takes a little bit of self discovery and self-awareness.

If you’re a business owner looking to give their space a refresh, take the above exercise one step further. Take out a piece of paper and write down the answers to these questions:

“What am I accomplishing by creating a nicer and more functional space?”
“Who does this affect?”
“Why does it matter?”
“Will it bring a Return On Investment (ROI)?”

These are questions that your design team should be aware of when they design your space. If you’re the type of business owner that cares about maximizing the return on your investments, these questions are of paramount importance and it is vital that your design team feels the same way.

Hey! I hope you enjoyed the article. Here’s a little about me and my design firm. I’m Liat Siegel, Lead Designer + Creative Director of Hadar Interiors. We help businesses in the hospitality industry make an unforgettable first impression from online through their offline customer experience. We meet both esthetic, branding and business needs for bigger and faster return on your investments. Our Hotelier Lounge podcast is dedicated to innovating and increasing CLTV in the Hotel industry. Do you have questions or comments? We’d love to hear from you! Feel free to reach out to me personally on LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook, or via email at liat@hadarinteriors.com. I always love hearing feedback on how our unique design perspective resonates with other like-minded and innovative professionals.

Curious if our services are right for you? Find out by applying for our “2018 AEQ Revenue Growth Planning Session” we help you to gain clarity regarding the next steps necessary to attain:

>>>Personal or brand style, Function, Timeline and budgetary goals, Key, Performance Indicators for our AEQ Program (Business), Revenue Accelerator Planning Tools with Your Branded Interiors<<<

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