The idea of hiring an interior designer is intimidating for someone who doesn't have a large budget for decorating. I can understand this. The average homeowner looks at a luxury designer's portfolio, and can immediately see the dollar signs for every item in the well designed rooms. And they are right, a luxurious, well-designed room requires a healthy budget.
For years, there were only two options for a homeowner who wants high-style in their home: Spend the big bucks on hiring an interior designer, or go it alone with magazines, blogs, and Pinterest as the inspiration.
But what if there was a third option? Many homeowners aren't aware that some luxury design firms like Casa Vilora Interiors, has options that are budget friendly and DIY-friendly, that allows them to be their own decorator, with some guidance and/or a solid plan from a professional interior designer.
At Casa Vilora Interiors we actually enjoy working with clients who have a very limited budget to decorate. This is because we truly believe that everyone deserves to have a beautiful, functional and comfortable home, and if we can help facilitate that, why not? All we ask is that our clients trust what we tell them, have reasonable expectations of what their budget will allow, and be willing to possibly work in phases.
The messaging they are getting on the open market through reality shows and online design companies popping up all day long, is that they can get easy, cheap, fast, and luxurious design all at the same time. This just isn't true, unless you plan to make decorating your home a full time job, constantly scouring the internet for markdowns and sales. And even then, you still need the know-how to pull off a well designed space. It's more than just the furnishings.
So how is it that we bring high-level, budget friendly and DIY-friendly options to clients?
Well first let's define what these terms mean:
High-Level means that you will get the benefit of working with an award-winning design team who will produce a well thought out design that is custom and unique to you. The design is backed up with a strategy for implementing it so that you are not overwhelmed, and the details are actionable for you.
Budget-Friendly does not mean cheap. It means that we will help you plan a reasonable budget for your project, keeping in mind what you have to spend now, and the quality you desire, a long range plan for procuring items and where to spend for the best outcome, where you are in your stage of life, and of course your lifestyle needs.
DIY-Friendly means that realistically you will have to do some, or a lot of the work yourself, but you will have direction and resources to make it easier.
So what are these options that we bring?
Our typical full-service projects are billed hourly with a minimum number of hours estimated upfront (at the proposal stage). This covers every detail of managing the project from start to finish, where it is turn-key and concierge level - our full-service clients don't have to lift a finger. The initial estimated hours can dramatically increase by the end of the project since we track the time we invest into these projects.
We realized that this method would not work for clients on a budget, so instead we bill at a flat fee for a defined scope of work.
This scope can vary from just a two hour in home session where we provide advice, tips, directions for layouts etc, to a comprehensive design plan with floor plans, elevations, clickable custom shopping list, and detailed instructions for executing the plan. These services start at as little as $447 for a two hour consultation in your home to over $2000 for an eDesign
It is a win win for us and our clients. They get what they need to take action, and we are paid for the time that we spend helping them. We treat these projects with the same great care that we do with our full service projects that we manage. The only difference is that we source from online and local retailers so that our clients can make their purchases on their own. We look for the best quality they can afford.
If you have been on the fence about whether or not to work with a designer, or think that you cannot afford to hire one, the reality is that you cannot afford to make mistakes with the tight budget you do have. Hire a design firm for at least a consultation to help you figure things out before you do anything. In my 11 years, I have been called in more times than I can count to undo what should not have been done in the first place. Naturally it costs more to undo and then doing it the right way.
We are one of Houston's top interior design firms and we know a thing or two about working with clients who have a limited budget, and at a high level. Take a look at our menu of DIY-Friendly services, including our eDesign service, our Styling services, and our Room Packages, which are curated rooms with all the key pieces created for a flat rate.
Book a FREE 30 minute discovery call if you have questions about whether these services are right for you, or how to get started.
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