Virtual Design – Can Pinterest Help You Create A Beautiful Home?

Virtual Design – Can Pinterest Help You Create A Beautiful Home?

I am guessing that when you are looking at interior design photos, you probably know what you like when you see it.

If you are like most people (including me) – you have collected lots of interior design inspiration photos on Pinterest, Instagram, Houzz, etc. Pinterest is my favorite and it is definitely a wonderful tool for designing your home.

However, what I often hear from my clients is that now that they have all these pretty decorating pictures, they feel overwhelmed as to where to start.

So many ideas! What works best? How in the heck do I pull this all together into one cohesive design look?

Actually, this is a large part of what I do as a virtual interior designer. I really enjoy looking at my client’s inspiration photos to  design a room.

As I sort through them, I am also considering their responses to the interior design questionnaire I send them. (All my clients get a customized design questionnaire to complete at the beginning of a project.)

Creating a room for an interior design client is like working on a fun art puzzle. I sift through all these photo ideas and figure out what works best.

Another part is working with couples and blending both their decorating tastes. It can take some compromise but it is possible. I enjoy helping couples navigate this design journey.

My goal is to design a beautiful space, but also one that makes sense for how my clients live and also considering the house they are in. This process takes a good amount of time and effort, but this is how we get to a design that “feels just right”.

A well-designed space is also about color and balance. While I am looking at colors, I am also balancing and considering your surrounding details. There could be big details that matter, but that you might be stuck with for now, like flooring, cabinets, stone, counter tops, etc. If you don’t like them (or can’t afford to change them) then we must incorporate them into the design.

Basically, you can’t ignore the elephant (big, fixed design elements) in a room and have a good result…they must be designed into the room. Of course, if you want ideas for changing those big ticket items, I can help with that too!

The internet is the most amazing resource for interior design. We have so many options!

As a virtual interior design, it is my main resource to help my clients all over the US. Finding things on the internet takes time, even for me, but I am probably faster than most:)

It takes experience to know where to find the perfect pieces for the right price and not spend all day looking. Most of my design clients are just too busy to be spending two hours looking for the perfect rug, etc. and that is why they need me.

Oh, and of course, your floorplan. Last to be discussed here but a must.

After I gather measurements for my client’s room, I create furniture floor plans to see what fits best.

If I can, I like to show options for different pieces and layouts. Then my client can move ahead knowing they have the ideal layout and order knowing the pieces fit.

I live in Florida but I work with clients all over the US. Right now, I have clients in New York, Pennsylvania, Illinois, Virginia and California. It is so cool to me that the internet allows me to help so many people.

If you are thinking you might want to re-do a room in your home, check out my Full Service Interior Design Package – link below.

Let me know if you have any questions about how I can help you. I also do Discovery Calls if you would rather have a quick chat on the phone.

Take care and be safe!

 

Best,

Claudia

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Have Questions About

My Interior Design Services?

Send me an email and let’s talk!

Top 3 Reasons Why You Should Hire an Interior Designer

Top 3 Reasons Why You Should Hire an Interior Designer

Master Bathroom designed by Nest Obsessed Interior Design

Before I go into the top reasons, please bear with me while I go off on a little tangent….:)

 

Lesson of the Day: An interior designer should be hired at the beginning of the project…not half way through.

Please trust me on this. If you are on the fence, it is best to jump over and bring me in on the project now rather than later.

 

Keep in mind that 75% of good design takes place during the architectural design phase and framing phase of the project. After that point, most changes will end up being costly. 

Just ask my clients, they will tell you it is true: Once you work with an interior designer that you like, chances are super high you will not go it alone on future projects.

 

I always say, “It’s hard to know what you don’t know.”

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ONE:

You have hired a builder / contractor…

It may seem like you are all set BUT most likely you still need an interior designer.

Most contractors will be able to offer some design advice.  They are often put on the spot to solve design issues. However, design is not really their focus. The builder is watching (thankfully) over SO many details: code requirements, permits, structural integrity, material quality, sub-contractors, timeline, etc.

An interior designer is making sure the layout of your shower plumbing works for you and your significant other’s heights.  She knows how many times a week you wash your hair and if a rain shower head is actually functional and other personal showering details, etc.

THE SOLUTION: 

I will be the “communication bridge” that connects you and your contractor to make your designs come to life. I will be there to “walk you” through your floor plan AND help you visualize what is actually happening through mood boards, perspective sketches and elevation drawings.

“Like, seriously…how high are my window sills in relationship to my height of my tub?”

“How high should the shower knee wall be? Where should the wainscot stop and start?”

“Which direction should I run my floor tiles?”

If I need to, I will get on a ladder to make sure your trim is placed the way you want it! 🙂

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TWO:

You have “Option Paralysis”…

You have a new design project in mind. You know what you like. You have pinned TONS of photos and spent endless hours on HOUZZ. COM. You are excited and think, “This can’t be that hard, I have great taste and I have the internet on my side!”

You rush out to the store and find a few things that seem right and buy them. You come home and although you love them, they don’t work with what you already have. You don’t have an overall plan in place and now you are STUCK, like in quick sand and you can’t move forward.

 

THE SOLUTION:

I will help you sift through all the options. We will create a design plan, an overall vision. Although you will still have fun shopping and exploring ideas, I will keep you on track for a great end result. 

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THREE:

You are “anxious” and are not enjoying the idea of such a huge project…

You know this is going to entail spending some money. You don’t want to make a mistake. This fear keeps you from sleeping well at night.

THE SOLUTION:

I will ask many questions and it is my goal to learn what you like and what works for your lifestyle.

I will guide you and “hold your hand” through the design process. I am your design buddy!

I will take your ideas and make suggestions you would have never thought of…to create the space of your dreams!

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Consider your budget…It is a common thought to wonder how much an interior designer will cost…

You look at your budget and think about how much extra stuff you could “buy” instead of spending money on interior design services. I hear this one a lot. Then I hear later about the mistakes made and things forgotten and how this caused so much stress. Entire houses built without thinking about what furniture fits where and on and on. If you want proof of this, take a look on Houzz.com chat pages.  You will see how many people there are writing in and asking how to fix design mistakes. Unfortunately, many still have not learned from the past and asking for free advise, from non-professionals…go figure. It also pains me to see how things could have been and now it is too late.

The sad thing is, the total cost of the mistakes almost always ends up being way more than the cost of what would have been spent on interior design services in the first place.

You could ask a fashionable friend or neighbor for advice. However, they are probably not trained to look at things with an objective eye. so they will almost always confuse their taste with yours…which can makes things muddy.

 

Enjoy the process! Get it right the first time!  I would love to help you:)

 

West End Master Bathroom Renovation

West End Master Bathroom Renovation

I am so excited to show you all this project!

Here is one of the FINAL photos…more to come later on in this post…

 

 

 

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The beginning:

This was a master bathroom in need of an update and repairs.

The typical details were needed: new cabinets and tops, new floors, new shower tile, new lights, new tub.

Before Photos:

 

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My client was pretty sure they wanted white cabinets and gray floors but was looking for more ideas.

This is where I come in, I LOVE to show clients how we can take it from standard to AWESOME!

Of course, it started with a

SKETCH!

 

 

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Then some major pinning sessions on Pinterest:)

I wanted to add some interest to the walls and make everything feel “connected”.

The client had wainscot trim in other areas of the home, so it seemed perfect to add here.

I knew this would be the icing on the cake.

 

This is where it helps immensely to have a wonderful contractor.

I can have all the ideas in the world but I need someone to build it and make it happen.

A major shout out to Ronnie Walsh of Walsh Builders!

He is awesome and he has the most amazing team of sub-contractors!

The other detail I suggested

was a wall mounted faucet.

Look at that beauty!!

 

 

 

This is a little more work to figure out plumbing pipe placement, height, etc.

We also had quite a few enjoyable pencil drawing sessions on the wall to figure out where the chair rail and wainscot

would be placed and how we could end up with faucet in the middle of that section.

I am SOOO grateful for the contractors’ skill and patience.:)

Then:

Visits to the tile and counter showroom, selecting the perfect wall color (more on that service here),

custom cabinets from Prestige Cabinets (awesome company!),

and then finding the lighting and hardware!

Finally!

I know the client would agree,

this is a life changing bathroom!

After Photos:

 

I am so grateful to have been a part of this transformation.

Absolutely amazing clients to work with. A big thanks to them for trusting me and going along with my ideas!

Are you ready to create the bathroom of your dreams?

 

 

 

I would love to help you!

Have Questions About

My Design Services?

Send me an email and let’s talk!

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