Custom Interior Design: Is It Worth the Investment for a Remodel?

No matter what we're shopping for, there's a premium for a custom product. Having something adapted to our individual needs comes with obvious advantages over what you just take off the shelf. But a custom offering almost always comes at a higher cost, and it can be hard to know when it's actually worth it.

For homeowners, a hangup in the home remodeling process can be deciding whether a custom interior designer is necessary. Personalization makes for a higher-quality outcome, but it can be overkill for some projects.

In this post, I'll explain what you really get from hiring a custom interior designer (including within a design-build firm), what they can bring to a remodeling project, and how to know whether it's worth it for your remodel.

What Custom Interior Design Services Actually Cover

When you hear the words "interior design," you may think of "redecorating." Or maybe the words conjure up the image of the cover of a pretentious magazine you'd find sitting in a waiting room.

In reality, interior designers are professionals whose work spans so much more of a project than most people realize. When providing custom solutions, they are directly involved in guiding essential steps in a remodel:

• Existing site assessment: Interior designers take note of your current home and the spaces you want to renovate. They ask questions to get a detailed understanding of what works for you and what doesn't.
• Brainstorming: Any given space can be remodeled in a host of different ways, so a designer may float a range of options to get your feedback and get a sense of what kind of features and styles resonate with you. Designers do their research to stay on top of trends and innovations in home design, and they can bring those ideas up during the brainstorming process.
• Scoping: It's impossible to advance a design or come up with a general budget without first zooming in on the actual project scope. An interior designer can work with you to identify your priorities and map out the contours of the work that needs to be done.
• Space planning and layout evaluation: If you're thinking about reconfiguring any floor plans, a designer can help you understand what that means in terms of functionality and aesthetics.
• Consultation with structural remodeling experts: When structural remodeling is required (such as taking out load-bearing walls), a designer can coordinate with a certified architect or structural engineer to make sure the project plans are viable.
• Material selection: An interior designer can walk you through the pros and cons of different types of materials and finishes, helping you pick the options with the best blend of performance, style, and value.
• Conceptual drawings: Once enough decisions are made to give the project shape, a designer creates conceptual drawings to help you see how a final result could look.
• Collaborative design updates: The best interior designers work hand in hand with you, getting your feedback and modifying the design as needed until it's something you truly love.
• Final design plan: At the end of the design phase, the designer produces a project plan that is ready to hand off to the construction team so that the on-site remodeling can get started.

Some custom interior designers work within design-build firms, which manage the design and construction phases under one roof. In these firms, interior design services can also include:

• Collaboration with the production team: In design-build firms, designers can bounce ideas off the craftspeople who execute remodels, expanding feedback to refine the project plan.
• Materials procurement: Designers may have contacts with different suppliers to speed up materials procurement, get access to better pricing, or simply make sure that every little detail is accounted for in the process of material purchasing and delivery.
• Contractor coordination: Experienced designers are often familiar with local tradespeople and can help communicate the finer points of a project plan to ensure everything is carried out to the highest level.
• Permitting and inspections: Designers can contribute any necessary documentation required to keep the permitting and inspection process moving forward in a timely fashion.

The Real Cost of Getting It Wrong

There are many ways that interior design can go wrong. Sometimes it's a glaring issue, like an obvious chokepoint in the floor plan or a poorly laid-out bathroom where you barely have space to open the door. Other times it's an accumulation of little functional issues, such as storage spaces that are hard to reach or light switches in a place that's not intuitive at all. Poor design can also affect the feel and aesthetics, which can manifest as a lack of cohesion or insufficient natural light.

If you complete a remodel with suboptimal design, you have two options: live with it or pay to fix it.

Living with it is a frustrating decision because it means that, even after investing in a remodel, you're still dealing with issues that affect your day-to-day life. But paying to fix it can hit your wallet hard, especially because it almost always costs more to go back and address a problem after the work is done.

What the Best Interior Designers Bring to a Custom Remodel

I already laid out all the different steps that an interior designer takes part in during a custom remodel. They bring vision and creativity, enabling you to consider a full range of options for your space. They have excellent listening skills, allowing them to incorporate your ideas and feedback. They also have local market knowledge, which can help you understand how your design choices may influence resale value.

The best interior designers also bring project cohesion. They see both the forest and the trees. They can zoom in on any little detail, but that doesn't come at the expense of understanding how it all comes together.

When Custom Interior Design Makes Sense (and When It Might Not)

We've been doing custom remodels for 25 years, and in that time, we've observed that tailored design services tend to make the most sense if you're:

• Looking to imbue your home with a unique design sense
• Investing in upgrades to a forever home
• Considering a large-scale remodel or whole-home remodeling project
• Planning structural remodeling, such as an open-concept conversion to link your kitchen and living room
• Interested in special features or innovative design choices
• Doing a home addition (bump-out or second-story)
• Planning an accessory dwelling unit (ADU) with a separate entry and its own bedroom and kitchen (for aging-in-place or to house guests)

On the other hand, custom remodeling may be more than what you need if you're:

• Focused on cosmetic changes and touch-ups
• Doing a basic pull-and-replace remodel or anything with a pre-fixed design
• Trying to DIY the project or keep costs to an absolute minimum

Custom Home Remodeling in Greater Chicago

Hogan Design & Construction is a family-run firm that has served the greater Chicago and southern Wisconsin areas for more than 25 years. We specialize in custom remodels using the design-build process, which allows us to dedicate the time and attention needed to deliver every project to the highest standards.

If you are thinking about a remodel, we encourage you to see samples of our work in our portfolio and to read more about our story. We also invite you to contact us today to schedule a free consultation to start learning about what we can design together.