A full-service kitchen design by Bethany Adams Interiors

Most potential clients hear “full service interior design” and think, yes of course! What else is there? I don’t want half service, after all. But as the design meetings go by, these same clients will also say, “I’ve got my own painter—I’ve used him for years—so I’ll deal with that.” or “I found the cutest chair at the shop downtown so I bought it—where do you think it can go?” or “My sister works at GE and can get me a discount on appliances, so I’ll order those myself.”

Little by little, without the right structure in place a “full service” design project becomes self service and the quality of the project starts to suffer.

How? You hire the painters. They’re supposed to be finished by the 19th. In order to keep the tight timeline on track, the wallpaper installer is coming on the 20th. But they don’t finish by the 19th, and because you were at work all day you didn’t get the message. The wallpaper installer shows up to an unprepared site and is, understandably, disgruntled. They don’t have an opening for another 6 weeks. Timeline ruined.

That adorable chair from the shop downtown? It doesn’t go with anything. It’s in a style and color that are so out of left field, it may as well be in an entirely different ballgame. Making it work in the space we’ve already designed means reselecting 6 other pieces of furniture, setting our timeline back even further (and resulting in re-selection charges for you). Decorating is a careful and studied process of selecting items for quality, longevity, value and style. As in a game of dominos, removing one piece has consequences for every other piece.

And the appliances you ordered yourself? How many phone calls has it taken you to organize delivery? Instead of working at your job, you’re spending valuable time on the phone with customer service trying to track down your refrigerator in order to schedule delivery. But the contractor has a tight schedule between cabinetry installation, electrical, countertop templating (just to name a few), and the day you finally got the appliance delivery confirmed screws up all of his trade scheduling. Now everyone on the job is annoyed and your timeline is pushed back—again.

These examples are all from real life—from a time before we held firm to the boundaries of full-service design. The fact of the matter is hiring an interior designer for full-service design is an investment in a smooth project outcome. You would no sooner bring your own Botox to the plastic surgeon (oh wait, it won’t arrive in time for the appointment—better reschedule at the last minute!) than you should bring your own appliances to your kitchen remodel.

Trust your designer to have your projects best interest at heart. We do this all day, every day. Though every project has hiccups, I can guarantee a better outcome and a more enjoyable experience for everyone—most of all, you!—if you sit back and let the wonderful, talented, highly recommended professionals take care of you and your home.

Let the talented team at Bethany Adams Interiors do the work for you.

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