Wednesday, February 29, 2012

A Designer for Every Budget

For a lot of us, an interior designer is a luxury.  And believe me when I say, I understand that the profession I love more than anything else, the profession I cannot imagine living without doing or pursuing with everything I have – is considered largely unnecessary.  Interior design is something that when times are tight (hellooo 5-dollar gas!!!), gets put on the back burner along with dining out, weekly mani-pedis and carefree shopping days at Nordstrom, Bloomingdales or, for me, HomeGoods.  

Food, shelter and health are certainly bigger priorities and I’d be out of my mind if I said interior design was equal in importance to those fundamental needs.  

I knowingly and willingly accept the fact that what I do, what I choose to do for a living is an unnecessary expense for most. If I weren’t a designer, I couldn’t afford to have one create and implement a design plan for a hall closet let alone my entire home! 

That being said, I still hold firmly to the belief that great design is for ALL OF US - regardless of budget. Everyone deserves a home they love and are proud of…no matter how humble. I know I’m dangerously close to sounding a little trite here but as cornball as it may be, I really do believe it. 

In order for most designers to make a decent living, people with a good bit of disposable income are often clients.  Like any other designer out there I looooove working with big budgets! I love specifying $200/yard fabrics, $10,000 sofas and $3000 cocktail tables without hesitation.  These high-priced goodies are just plain gorgeous and being able to shop for them is exciting! 

All this talk about the glitzy and glamour of design aside, I got into this industry out of a love of making the most of whatever I had around me. I remember summer vacations while my mom was at work where I first played “designer”. She’d come home from a long day only to find the entire living room a shadow of its former self.  A bench from the kitchen table would be proudly centered under the picture window, accessorized with pillows and a throw to create a cozy reading nook.  The sofa would be pushed away from the wall, now functioning as a divider between the “reading nook” and the new “conversation/tv watching area”.   

Although slightly annoyed that I had moved things around yet again, my mom always loved what I’d done with the place.  

This first teeny tiny taste of client satisfaction was like manna! I loved showing someone how amazing what they already owned and loved could look if they just brought in someone with some design knowledge and a fresh perspective. It thrilled me to see someone fall in love with their home all over again! I knew from an early age that interior design was what I was meant to do. Even before I knew what interior design was and that I could make a living at it, I knew it was for me.

In business, I am happiest when my clients are excited about how their home looks and functions.  I want my clients to feel like their homes are filled with beautiful and meaningful things that reflect their lifestyle and personal style. This holds true whether the budget is $100,000 or $1000. I think people ought to have a home that feels like HOME to them.  I believe that all of this is absolutely possible on a tight budget and sometimes…on practically no budget at all.

While budget restrictions can often mean that full-service interior design is not an option for everyone, it doesn’t have to mean that there are no options.

With the intention of bringing great design to all who desire it, Sarah Elizabeth Interior Design is beyond excited to launch the sixty|sixty project

If you live in the Phoenix area and have always wanted a little interior design help but thought it was unaffordable or always involved a long-term commitment, click on the sixty|sixty project logo at the top of the sidebar for more information. I'm so excited to offer these services!

If you live outside of the Phoenix area, no worries, you can still take advantage of my E-Design services.

P.S. I'll be back on Friday with project updates and a weekly roundup.

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