E-Decorating - How Online Interior Design Services Work

How it works is surprisingly simple: web-based interior design shares some of the leg-work with you. There are several steps an interior designer goes through when designing your room on-site. Some of those steps, such as snapping pix and measuring the space, are frequently covered by a design assistant. With online room design, you take on those duties.

The best way to illustrate this is to first describe how an on-site interior designer typically works. This is the design process I used for my projects for many years. I'll then explain how an online interior design service works, using my company, Room Design Online, as the example.

TRADITIONAL ON-SITE INTERIOR DESIGN PROCESS

In a typical on-site interior design project, your interior designer:

1. Helps you define your needs, preferences and budget through an initial on-site consultation and during subsequent meetings.

2. Inventories, measures and photographs your interior.

3. Creates a space plan, color palette and product recommendations, and presents a design concept to you.

4. Prepares interior architectural drawings for the construction of the space and installation of the interiors.

5. Implements and coordinates the purchasing and installation process.

ROOM DESIGN ONLINE PROCESS

In a typical online interior design project at Room Design Online, your interior designer:

1. Helps you define your needs and preferences through a detail-specific online questionnaire. Have questions? Just contact your interior designer as often as you like via email or our toll-free number. The net effect is as if an interior designer has been to your home for an initial consultation.

2. Supports you in conducting your own inventory via the online questionnaire. You do your own measuring and snap your own pix, following our easy online tips.

3. Creates a room design portfolio (we call ours a Virtual Room Planner) based on one of our ten design styles and 28 color palettes. Your interior designer can also help you create your own style and custom color palette.

Click on the image for more information about each feature.

A fully customized room design portfolio includes:

• Room Design Guide - your personalized how-to guide
• Space Plan - a room layout that shows where everything goes
• Color Palette - the key to your cohesive space
• Material Board - a full 20" x 14" with all the elements of your room makeover including detachable fabric and paint samples
• Product recommendations with web links and pricing for: furniture, lighting, wall treatments, window treatments, floor coverings, fabric, and accessories
• Home Decorating Essentials - an 11" x 9" binder full of tips and tricks for estimating quantities of upholstery, paint, flooring and more
• Virtual Room Planner Portfolio - keep it all together with a generously sized, pocketed portfolio that measure 21" x 14" x 2" closed, and 21" x 46" fully opened

4. Guides you in implementing the purchasing and installation process under any budget you choose. We present our product recommendations to you with three price options (less pricey, mid-priced and pricier). You purchase the products online from well-established retailers, with some products, such as upholstery fabric, also available to you at a discount from our To-The-Trade resources.

Okay, here's what you really want to know: the bottom line on how much on-site interior design services cost vs. online interior design services.

Hiring an on-site interior designer is a pricey proposition, as it well should be. An on-site interior design project requires numerous hours of work on the part of the design team. Interior architectural drawings are drafted and then re-drafted down to the most precise details. Products purchased by professional interior designers are often custom designed and manufactured through To-The-Trade vendors. The designer meets with you numerous times, getting the project just right.

In major metropolitan areas, standard industry pricing for on-site interior design typically includes an upfront, non-reimbursable design fee, or retainer, ranging from $1,000 to $10,000. The designer charges actual project fees at either a flat rate or hourly rate. Hourly fees range from $120 per hour to $200 per hour. The designer purchases products (furniture, accessories, etc.) at a discount ranging from wholesale to a percentage below retail and then resells them to you at an industry standard of 20% to 35% above the designer's cost. The purchase price is well below what you would pay retail. Hiring an on-site interior designer is a great option if you have the means to afford it.

Hiring an online interior designer is an affordable alternative to on-site interior design. Most importantly, the end result stacks up competitively against on-site interior decorating. Online designers do not provide architectual drawings for interior construction, but what they do provide allows you to create the beautifully polished look of a professionally designed room.

Most online room designers charge a flat per room fee ranging anywhere from $100 to upwards of $1,000 a room, depending upon which services are purchased. The lower end of the fee scale covers individual services such as space plans or paint packages.

Full design packages are found at the mid to upper end of the scale. They typically include all the elements needed for a complete room makeover. For example, At Room Design Online, our Virtual Room Planner Portfolio costs $525, while our Virtual Room Planner Express costs $325 per room. Both include the same design package elements, but the Portfolio is a physical design package and Express is a virtual design package (also known as an e-Decorating package). Both include an in-depth room design guide, space plan, color palette, concept board, product recommendations, and our Home Decorating Essentials.

Different online design firms offer different packages, ranging from bare bones to deluxe. Additionally, some online interior designers sell products directly to you, passing on the same types of designer discounts as on-site interior designers. At Room Design Online, we specify products you can purchase directly online from well established retailers as well as products available at well below retail via our To-The-Trade sources.

So, from the affordablity stand point, online room design is a no brainer. But is it right for you? I've got that covered below.

Online room design came about organically. With the popularity of HGTV and the proliferation of shelter magazines, it was just a matter of time before traditional interior design would fall in line. As I mentioned earlier in this lens, I truly am thrilled to be one of the professional interior designers at the cutting-edge of this evolution. But what's more important is whether the cutting edge is right for you.

ROOM DESIGN ONLINE IS RIGHT FOR YOU IF...

• You've always wanted someone to just take you shopping, help you create a color palette, find the best furniture and accessories, and then arrange it all for you.



• You've wished you could hire an interior designer but it was just too pricey.



• You've used an interior designer in the past, but are now looking for a more budget-friendly design route.



• You are in the middle of your own design project but it's not quite coming together.



• You don't have the time to find new furniture, accessories, floor coverings, window treatments, wall treatments, fabric and/or lighting.



• You enjoy the DIY aspect of design, whether you're actually doing it yourself or hiring someone to do it for you.



• You live in an area where there's limited accessibility to interior design.



• Your home just doesn't feel right but you can't figure out what the problem is.



• You like initiating new projects or at least enjoy being a self-starter when someone points you in the right direction.



• You're tired of cheap decorating ideas that don't deliver and are ready for a professionally designed custom interior.

ROOM DESIGN ONLINE IS NOT RIGHT FOR YOU IF...

• You're designing a kitchen, bathroom or any other room that requires complete gutting and reconfigured electrical and plumbing.
  
  
• You need architectural construction drawings for built-ins and the like (this takes precision measuring best left to on-site interior design).



• You'd prefer to have someone else do all the leg work for you.



• You need eye-to-eye contact with people you work with, rather than being able to discuss issues over the telephone or via email.



• The thought of any type of DIY experience, whether you're doing the work or you're hiring someone else to do the work, makes you want to bolt.



• You have abundant financial means that allow you to hire an on-site interior designer in pursuit of bespoke, antique, or purely custom furnishings and accessories.