Interior Designers Expand Your Advice to the Exterior

by Catherine Wilson

Published on this site: August 4th, 2006 - See more articles from this month

Do you have clients that depend on you for everything? Do they often want you to advise them in areas that somewhat fall out of your expertise? Do they ask for direction with parties, holiday decorating, coordinating weddings or even advice on landscaping? These are just a few of the ways a good interior designer is asked to stretch beyond the norm by clients who love their tastes and respect them.

As a residential Interior Designer in Atlanta Georgia, I am often asked to work with a client's exterior of their home. In a way it's a bit comical as I am an "Interior" Designer but it is my goal to help make their home more aesthetically appealing and that includes the "exterior" as well. Furthermore, they have trusted me and my ability on the interior of their home and want to expand that to the exterior. As a result, I have enlarged my scope of work to address some common outdoor staples. What better way to advertise ones design abilities than to transform a plain exterior into something grand. A glance by someone driving by or pulling into the driveway is the best form of advertising available and it is free.

As a result of these requests, I will often make contact with local building supply houses and provide my client with resources that are not commonly found in hardware or big box stores they frequent. For example, I plant the seeds for a new front door or shutters or lighting. A suggestion to change a solid, raised panel entry door to a beveled 9 light door or to change
traditional louvered shutters to a board and batten style withfunctional hardware or to change an old, tired light fixture for an antique reproduction and maybe even encourage the client to switch to a gas flame can make a spectacular difference. For the client willing to make more significant changes I typically suggest adding a portico or dormers or gables as part of a second
story addition. The dormers could also be added simply for looks to create the illusion of a second story. Dormers perched on a roof can often add more character and balance to a front façade. Another change comes by adding an additional texture to the exterior, particularly to the front, of a home, such as stone, stucco or cedar shake. Multiple textures, done properly, provide a more expensive looking 'old world' feel.

These changes can make a dramatic impact on a house! In fact, studies suggest that enhancing a home's curb appeal is one of the smartest ways to spend money as it can increase your homes value up to as much as 25%. As it is commonly said "you never get a second chance to make a first impression." Making that first impression on the front of a home pays aesthetic as well as financial dividends.

Additionally, I will contact my client's existing landscape professional or make recommendations for one that I have had experience with or simply like their work. Typically, the landscape professional is willing to work in tandem, as typically part of my job is to help facilitate decision making.

Also, as an Interior Designer, it's our nature to think out of the box or should I say, in this case, in the box! I will often recommend adding window "boxes" to the façade of my client's home. Once I have convinced them how easy window boxes are to maintain most of my clients are excited about this new design opportunity.

Having window boxes is actually quite simple:The landscape professional can easily add a few window boxes to the mix of plantings. If your client is concerned about "how the plants are going to stay watered?" simply attach drip lines to an existing irrigation system or for a hundred dollars or less you can purchase a timer, Y connector, pressure reducer and connect to your outside water faucet. If you establish a drip line, the time it takes to maintain the window box is minimal.

Window boxes make the landscape professional happy as I have just increased the billable square footage of their job..miraculously! From a design perspective, window boxes add another architectural element or as mentioned earlier, another texture, to the front of the house as well as color from the annuals and perennials....not to mention the endless opportunities during the holiday seasons of Thanksgiving and Christmas and even Halloween.

So, the next consultation you have with a client, whether it is one you have worked with for years or a brand new referral, start working the minute you pull into their driveway!

Catherine Wilson, Interior Designer and owner of Mind Your Manors, Inc. makers of No Rot window boxes and planters. Visit http://www.windowboxesetc.com to learn more about Mind Your Manors, Inc. window boxes and planters.