Kolkata is a modern city with a rich history and heritage. Your home must fit in with the general vibe of the area and yet have a unique identity of its own. Thus, whether you’re living in an apartment tower or a bungalow, you’ll need the help of an interior designer to design the space with a reflection of your favourite elements of Kolkata. There are a few things you need to know before hiring a designer to start working on a Kolkata house design project. Let’s take a look at some of them.
Find a Designer with Sufficient and Relevant Experience
Kolkata has a number of interior designers. When you talk of interior designers, you should note that most designers have their own niche of specialization. Of course, the first type of categorization is between designers who focus on residential and commercial projects. A designer who is great at making office spaces look good may not be best suited for your home… Since you’re designing a home, you need a designer who has completed a few residential projects. Within residential projects, specialities could further be categorized on the basis of their budget, the average project size or the project scope.
If you have a modest budget, there isn’t much sense in looking at a luxury home designer. Similarly, if you think you’re going to need to break down a few walls, working with a designer who has only dealt with choosing the right type of furniture for a project may not be suitable.
Talk Through Your Vision for The Home
So, you’ve shortlisted a few designers who you think would be ideal for the project. You will now need to sit down with the shortlisted designers and talk them through your design ideas. You would have had quite a few design inspiration points by now. Talk your prospective project partners through the design inspiration you have. Tell them how you picture the space – do you want a room that’s bright and well lit? Do you want to prioritize storage? Who will be using the space – is it going to be just you or will it be shared by you and your family? How many people are in your family? Do you have pets?
These questions may seem unrelated but they play a big role in creating the ideal design. For example, if you have young kids at home, you will need to choose upholstery materials that can be cleaned easily. Similarly, if the home will also function as your office, you may want two separate entrances – one for the family and one for your clients.
The designer you shortlist after this process should be able to understand your vision.
Get to Know the Team
It takes more than one person to complete a Kolkata house design project. So, when you choose a designer, you need to know that they are backed by a good team. They’ll need help with drafting plans, choosing the right furniture and accessories, making site visits, etc. There may be times the designer is unable to take your call – who do you reach out to in their place and how? An interior designer will also need to have connections to people who can handle executing their design vision.
You need to ensure that the designer you choose to work with has a team of on site overseers, carpenters, painters, electricians, etc as well as connections with furniture, light and accessory vendors. These people should have a reputation as reliable as the designer. If you have a particular carpenter or electrician you trust to work on your project, you could introduce him to the designer but there is no guarantee that the designer will agree to work with him.
Keep the Budget as Your Last Criteria
Last but not the least, you need to consider your budget. If you make budget your first criteria, there’s a chance you’ll settle for someone less than the best. For example, you may assume that a designer who is just starting out with his career is the best choice for your project but this isn’t necessarily the case. It may work if you’re only renovating a room but if you’re doing up your entire home, you need someone with a little more experience. Remember, it’s always better to pay a little more at the beginning of a project rather than have someone less experienced work on the project and then have to pay extra to hire a professional to redo the project.
Once your home is ready, you’ll spend a majority of your time there. This is where you will wake up and go back to sleep. So, make sure you choose the right professionals for your Kolkata house design. It’s a once in a lifetime project so make sure you do it right from the beginning.
