Home Interior Designer
I’m planning an addition 2 my home and hired an architect. Is it also good to work with an interior designer?

I’m trying to decide if a designer could help me better “visualize” how I want it to look prior to going to the Architect or am I just doubling up on what an Architect does anyway?

They are two different emphases on the same project…so you aren’t doubling up. An architect will make the ideas work. A designer will make it look good. But they speak at least some of each others’ languages. Let’s take windows for example. A designer will tell you that natural light is important for a bright sunny happy room and may have something to say about where they are placed in new construction and will have ideas about what kind and size of windows you want. An architect will add to the idea by making sure that windows can go there, accounting for the roof lines, drawing up the framing plans so that they can be installed.

They both should be interested in what YOU want. So tell them about your needs: how much storage you want, whether you will be using built-ins, how this will fit into the existing floorplan with regard to traffic patterns and doors, how much natural light you want, how you want the room to function and how you want it to look. You will probably be interested in marrying the two spaces together. That takes the precision of an architect and the eye of a designer.

You might want to look for someone with multiple credentials, that is, someone who started as one and went on to become certified in the other. They are out there. You might pay more but you get one more comprehensive opinion. If you decide to use an architect and a designer, use them from the beginning and make sure they are communicating with each other.

I’m assuming you are acting as your own contractor for the project, since you didn’t mention it. This may or may not be a good idea. A contractor is in charge of helping you line up the needed professionals and getting them in at the right time on a tight schedule, as well as helping the different trades communicate with each other…which will come in handy if you do go with different people to help you plan the space…because they will be in and out to see what’s going on during construction. It is a totally separate job. If you don’t know how to do this, you should have a contractor, even if you plan on working alongside the trades that you hire.

Home Interior Designer

I’m planning an addition 2 my home and hired an architect. Is it also good to work with an interior designer?

I’m trying to decide if a designer could help me better “visualize” how I want it to look prior to going to the Architect or am I just doubling up on what an Architect does anyway?

They are two different emphases on the same project…so you aren’t doubling up. An architect will make the ideas work. A designer will make it look good. But they speak at least some of each others’ languages. Let’s take windows for example. A designer will tell you that natural light is important for a bright sunny happy room and may have something to say about where they are placed in new construction and will have ideas about what kind and size of windows you want. An architect will add to the idea by making sure that windows can go there, accounting for the roof lines, drawing up the framing plans so that they can be installed.

They both should be interested in what YOU want. So tell them about your needs: how much storage you want, whether you will be using built-ins, how this will fit into the existing floorplan with regard to traffic patterns and doors, how much natural light you want, how you want the room to function and how you want it to look. You will probably be interested in marrying the two spaces together. That takes the precision of an architect and the eye of a designer.

You might want to look for someone with multiple credentials, that is, someone who started as one and went on to become certified in the other. They are out there. You might pay more but you get one more comprehensive opinion. If you decide to use an architect and a designer, use them from the beginning and make sure they are communicating with each other.

I’m assuming you are acting as your own contractor for the project, since you didn’t mention it. This may or may not be a good idea. A contractor is in charge of helping you line up the needed professionals and getting them in at the right time on a tight schedule, as well as helping the different trades communicate with each other…which will come in handy if you do go with different people to help you plan the space…because they will be in and out to see what’s going on during construction. It is a totally separate job. If you don’t know how to do this, you should have a contractor, even if you plan on working alongside the trades that you hire.