E-Comm vs. the Real Deal
“Interior Design” is a seemingly simple phrase. The first thing that comes to mind is likely some luxuriously opulent home lightyears away from the general population’s reality. The concept, however, is much more universal. It is the idea of matching someone’s home environment to their unique needs and aspirations. The past few years saw everyone spending more time indoors, which gave way to a new appreciation of the value of home design. Additional interior design resources have become available for supply to meet this new demand. Much of this came in the form of e-commerce or online design options. But before you start uploading photos of your living room, read the truth behind these new options and why a company such as Inside Stories may be a better fit.
You Have Options
Online retailers, such as Amazon, have taught us to assume that buying online equates to being less expensive than the in-person alternative. That is not necessarily the case. Depending on which site you choose, they still require a generous minimum budget to begin a project. It is also often assumed that an in-person design firm only takes on full home luxury projects. However, some in-person firms, such as Inside Stories, can take on projects that can range from a paint consultation to a custom home. Just because your project might consist of less square footage, it does not make it any less deserving of a custom design.
Team Players
While many sites pair you with your own designer, you still will not be receiving the same level of personal care or customer service provided by Inside Stories’ design service. We have a dedicated team that is always standing by to assist you through your design journey. Having a local team yields the bonus of our designers working within the same space. How does that benefit you? With such a strong team of designers working together, comes constant collaboration. Even if you end up working with a greener designer, you will be getting the expertise of senior designers behind the scenes to take your project to the next level.
Cookie Cutter
Online design services, such as Havenly, cut many of their costs by producing private label furniture with larger companies. While this saves money on the front end, it also means that their inventory is very limited. Rather than having a fully curated custom design, your design will more than likely consist of the same furniture pieces recycled through all their projects. At Inside Stories, we utilize thousands of vendors so we create a design tailored just to you!
Custom Design
Without being able to meet in person, it is much harder for an e-designer to understand you and your home design goals. Inside Stories’ in-person consultation is a pivotal piece of our process. Your entire design starts and ends with you. It is nearly impossible to get a full picture of a client’s style by a few online questions. It is imperative to know what your interaction with the space will look like. To produce the best design, we need to know not only what you like, but how you live.
Dedicated Designer
Full transparency: online services can be more cost-efficient. With those savings, however, online designers take on double the clients to make ends meet. Due to this exhaustive model, designs enter “turn and burn” territory. Designers are forced to pump out designs so quickly, that their creativity becomes stifled, and they resort to recycling previous designs. Interior design is not only an investment but also a very personal process. Inside Stories is about quality over quantity. It is your unique story that we are responsible for telling.
Orders and Install
Since your designer is working remotely, they are not available to order your items or install your final design. These crucial steps are frequently the most frustrating. Not only will Inside Stories assist with this process, but we also can do all the heavy lifting for you. By choosing our full-service offering, we will order, track, and install your full design, keeping you updated along the way.
Follow-Up
Once you have received the design and shopping list from your online designer, they are done and moving on to the next project. At Inside Stories, our job is not done once the design is finished. If there are any bumps along your design journey, we will be there to right the course. We will assist with any items that arrive damaged as well as any issues that arise after the design has been installed. We consider you our client for life.
At the end of the day, we want everyone to enjoy their home no matter how they arrive there. We just want each client to feel that their personalized story is being represented and honored in their ultimate design. Before going the online route, consider giving Inside Stories a call. It’s your story told by our storytellers.
