Eye for Design: 7 Suggestions for Success
The light at the end of the sawdust-filled tunnel of any home renovation or remodel project comes when it’s time to select new finishes. You’re beginning to envision your new space with its countertops, tile, flooring, and paint, and it’s exciting to see everything come together! Exciting, until you’re trudging–glassy-eyed and exhausted–down the never-ending aisles of the home-improvement store poring over carpet and tile samples that are beginning to all look the same dull shade of beige. What you wouldn’t give for a little professional guidance to help narrow your focus.
That’s why so much weighs upon your choice of a basement finishing company. At Sheffield Homes Finished Basements and More, we’ll never send you to fend for yourself to make those all-important selections. We work with a design center and professional in-house designers who work with you personally to design a space that uniquely reflects your style and taste.
Preparing for Your Design Center Appointment
Working with a designer certainly has its perks: making selections in a comfortable, well-lit showroom, enjoying personal attention in a one-on-one appointment, and having the convenience of taking sample boards home being chief among them.
Make the most of your time with the designer by coming prepared to your design center appointment.
1. Spend time prior to your appointment to compile pictures–either electronically or in a notebook–that represent your style. In the case of interior design, a picture truly is worth a thousand words.
2. Identify what it is in each photo that speaks to you. Is it the colors, the textures, the lighting? Be as specific as possible as you analyze each photo and how it makes you feel.
3. Your designer should already have copies of your architectural plan and spec sheet, but it wouldn’t hurt to bring copies along for reference. The designer needs to know what finishes are included in your base cost (those finishes called out on your spec sheet) so that he or she can show you the finishes–carpet, tile, countertops, etc.–that fall within those price parameters. If you decide to upgrade or add on items that are over and above what is included in your base, the designer will price the upgrade amount separately and you will be given the option to add them.
4. Cabinet selections are most often finalized at the design center appointment, where there are samples of cabinet finishes and door/drawer styles. Again, knowing what is specified in your scope of work is imperative so as to keep selections within budget.
5. If you’re planning to match existing paint colors for walls and trim in your basement, bring the names and numbers of the paint specs with you to the design center. The designer should have paint decks from most all paint manufacturers, and you’ll find it helpful to see your new selections in juxtaposition with paint colors. If you’re uncertain about which colors to choose, who better to consult with than an interior designer during your appointment?
6. Don’t procrastinate! Make your design center appointment as soon as possible. We prefer to have signed client color sheets in hand by the time we begin framing a basement. Once the rough frame inspection phase passes in a basement finish, the process tends to move quickly, and we want to be sure that selected products have been ordered and are at hand, ready for installation.
7. Try to relax, and enjoy the process! One reason you choose to work with professionals, after all, is to relieve some of the stress inherent with construction projects.
When you choose Sheffield to finish your basement in the Denver metro area and in northern Colorado, you can rest assured that we’ve got your back! We want you to be completely satisfied with your new basement, and work hard to deliver a finished product that you’ll enjoy for years to come.
