Home Design Reveal

Working with our interior designer had countless benefits but I will go through the top five takeaways for those deciding if they want to read on.

Benefits:

1. Exclusive Discounts shared by your Designer
2. Handling of the returns process in case of damaged pieces
3. Previews of Artist’s collection launches to shop
4. Prioritized family function & toddler proof style
5. Creating a space that inspires

I will go through in detail all of these exceptional perks as well as my initial awkwardness of working with an interior designer for the first time. All that you want to know is just a scroll away.

Home, it’s where everything happens. Especially when you are living in a global pandemic.  Inspiring wasn’t really on my list of musts for the home until I spent a year looking at the same blank walls in quarantine.

I wanted to be strategic about our space in preparing for baby no. 2.  I wanted a space that invites inspiration and tranquility. I think we are all craving it after last year.

Moving to a new home was the perfect window of opportunity to refresh our space. Our style had changed so much in a few years and I knew that our French Farmhouse look would not be how I wanted to set up our suburbia sanctuary with two children. The furniture and decor was to go through an entire metamorphosis, and I wanted help with all of the decisions to make sure the end result was what we wanted.

Remodeling a house we had done and it worked out beautifully. However, in construction we had one dog and no children. This go around we had a dog, a toddler, and were to be welcoming a newborn baby in the middle of the process. I was wise in asking for help on this journey, but it wasn’t easy. When sending out the initial request via email to the interior designer I was nervous. Would I have the stylistic input I wanted? Would they listen to my needs in making our home family friendly in addition to stylish? Would I actually like the end result? Maybe I should just do it myself.

I love control, or at least the idea of it. When entertaining the idea of bringing an interior designer on board I was hesitant at best. However, being 7 months pregnant and juggling a toddler I happily asked for help in every area possible (Covid permitting). Hiring an interior designer was a go!

House Sprucing responded with enthusiasm at the invitation to our project. I had already seen the work House Sprucing had done, knowing owner and principal designer Heather Fujikawa personally, and knew they were who I wanted to work with on our home. Heather has a rare gift that I’d call the Midas touch. Everything Heather invests in becomes a fabulous success. Anything from sourcing authentic textured pillows overseas to her own design show on UPTV, Heather is inspiration’s favorite host. It is no surprise that her creative path led her straight to interior design full time with her abundant talent. Her journey naturally resulted in a plea of the masses to help with their design needs.

I happily sent House Sprucing our budget and design goals to work with. To my surprise they didn’t need our budget to take on the project because, unlike many designers, they don’t have a minimum design budget. I love the accessibility this brings to each and every client.

We scheduled a sit down appointment with our  House Sprucing designer. She made the process so simple even though I had no idea what I was doing. I had many questions but wasn’t sure what to ask or how. I didn’t want to come off unpracticed or assuming in any way. That is when I decided I would write about the process. Don’t we all have questions? I mean anyone who works with an interior designer does so for the first time at least once. Right?

Your questions were mainly about how pricing works, is it worth it, and what are the benefits. I can answer all of these with the same run-on answer. You pay for interior design hours but the discounts and time-saving-know-how you have access to during that time cancels out any out of pocket you feel which makes it oh so worth hiring a team to help you.

But to be more specific on these questions…

Pricing? The interior designer bills you per hour using a prearranged price. What you get for these contracted hours is a lot more than just style advice or curated shopping boards. The price you are paying gets you their exclusive negotiated discounts with retailers, insight into upcoming style trends, two minds working on budget spread out over varied purchases from high designer to low budget items to even it all out financially without sacrificing aesthetic.

How Long Does it Take?

This was a real learning curve for me. I started the process with our interior designer before officially moving into our home hoping it would all be ready and complete before our baby arrived three months later. That was a sore misunderstanding on my part. The entire process from start to finish took 6-7 months and was well worth the wait. knowing this up front might have been helpful to my impatient self which is why I include it here.

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The process starts with ideas, style navigation, and lots of communication. When going in I had a variety of photos on my Pinterest board for inspiration. After sitting down with our designer I realized some of these photos were more coastal themed and other more natural and bohemian. Only after our second design meeting was I able to trim down my design board to recognize the look I truly wanted. With an open concept living area every piece needed to compliment another.

After lining up the design we wanted and the feel of the space we were going for our designer got to work including the pieces that were already important to us like our Proud Lady art by R.C. Gorman featured in the entryway. House Sprucing designed for our furniture needs, existing pieces we were working with, and the family needs of the home. Not once did I need to say “Oh and no sharp edges.” or “Well that wouldn’t be childproof.”. Instead what happened was I sent barstools to our designer via email and she caught that the cushions were white and mentioned that it might not fit our family lifestyle during messy mealtimes. I was impressed by her attention to detail with no children of her own to base this off of. The  thoughtfulness of our day to day needs made working with the team beneficial on many levels.

Looking at all of these photos, I am amazed at how good my house looks CLEAN. lol!

This floorpan takes you into each space with no separation and I love how it feels with our kids when I am cooking dinner and Jake is watering plants, Luke is doing tummy time, and Jo is reading a book near the fire. It has such a homey feel here and it is just what we wanted.

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In maybe our third design meeting I was given 3-7 options for each piece we were planning to purchase at a range of price points to make sure we had the ability to stay within our desired budget. Having options for pendant lights or rugs made it so much easier to make a decision rather than use all of my time scouring the internet for what I think I want and then having to deal with a nasty return process when I change my mind.

House Sprucing made sure I had samples, swatches, and a visual of the product so I knew what I was ordering and how it would blend with what we had. The House Sprucing team worked to include pieces that were pre-existing in our home important to us. Their selections were top quality and well thought through for an aesthetic that carries through every room in our home.

During the process of ordering furniture I got notice of an artist having a launch of new work mid-October. Lauren Williams is local in North Texas and creates the most thought provoking art. I wanted one of her pieces that historically sell out in record time. I contacted my design team member with what felt like an impossible task to secure one of her pieces the morning of her collection launch.

Our designer said she would talk to the team and reach out to the artist before launch to see if they could preview and select a piece for purchase. I had no idea this was even an option but the creative professionals know how to move product. A few calls were made and before the launch went live I had already picked from four beautiful tapestries and paid for our latest art edition. Our designers did a beautiful job guiding the design and securing a piece that brings me endless joy. Art truly awakens the soul and when changing my fifth diaper of the morning I look up at this tapestry and feel waves of strength returned to my tired heart. Art and travel are the best ways to spend money.

Furniture began to be ordered and House Sprucing set everything up through their trade accounts. This serves you in a few ways. Designers negotiate discounts with retail companies, moving more product making sales to clients. Therefore, you are able to receive a fraction of this discount as their customer by using them for design hours and feel you are shopping a fabulous fourth of July sale to furnish your space. It is well worth paying the design hour fee to have access to a continuous sale on its own.

The second benefit we appreciated from ordering furniture through the designers trade account was handling returns. If you have a piece delivered that is damaged, like we did, or an inconsistent finish you aren’t the one contacting the company for a return. The Designer will handle the return process for you from start to finish. An Interior Designer making a return is like a doctor calling in your prescription rather than you on hold trying to call in the same prescription. The process moves much faster when the professionals are the ones communicating.

Last but not least, the accessorizing day. All the furniture has been delivered. The house has been cleaned and prepped for their magic. The house looks great with rug in place and furniture set but it does feel sort of like a s’mores that hasn’t had a marshmallow thrown inside it yet. Clean but not warm and toasty.

The Designers were in our house with boxes and boxes of pieces for hours. I couldn’t believe all of the material and the strategy that went into adding accessories to a space. I came into the room after they had set everything in place and my jaw dropped. From the start of the project I believed they would create an inspiring space for us but I didn’t realize how valuable it would be.

The entire room seemed to glitter. All the warm wood tones pulled from the hand knotted natural rug and bounced to the brass fixtures that added just the right amount of sparkle to our modern bohemian hideaway. I am not sure I will ever decorate without the help of a designer again.

If you have thought about hiring an interior designer for one room or a whole house, I highly encourage you to give House Sprucing a call.

Thanks for stopping by,

Hill

Interior Design House Sprucing

Photography by Shelley Foster