When Should You Hire an Interior Designer for New Construction?
Building a home from scratch (aka ‘a new construction home’) is all the rage these days. A space custom-built and designed just for you, your lifestyle, your family, your needs, your relaxation, your everything? Yes, please.
New construction is a blank canvas for home life. There are no existing walls to work around, no finishes to undo, no layout decisions someone else made twenty years ago that you are now stuck with. Who doesn’t love the prospect of that?
At KJI, we love working with new construction projects – it’s such an exciting prospect to work with our clients as they get to see their vision take shape and come to life. The catch is – ensuring that your brand spanking new home reflects you and not the ‘blue plate builder special’ that matches every other home in the neighborhood.
So, how do you avoid that trap? Well, I’m so glad you asked! It’s all about bringing an interior designer in early. Like, really early.
The Blank Slate Advantage and Why Most People Don’t Use It
Most homeowners building a new home spend a lot of their early time thinking about the architecture - the floor plan, the exterior, the layout of rooms. And yes, all of that matters big time. I will never tell you otherwise. There are no interiors without a framework.
But any architect will tell you too, that the big interior design decisions start far earlier in the process than most people realize. When the architect has mapped out ceiling heights and window placements, we typically are right alongside discussing cabinetry layouts, island placements, secret doors to butler pantries, the location of outlets and switches and the structural blocking needed for future built-ins or heavy light fixtures.
Making these decisions early and alongside your architectural and pre-construction phase, is so important as it can help negate dealing with unnecessary pivots later that can be very, very expensive to change.
Having a designer in the room during those early conversations changes everything. We are able to work alongside architects and builders (the best projects are always a collaboration) and ask the right questions about how the space will feel, function, and yes, look!
What Happens When a Designer Comes in Early
Y'all, this is where it gets really good.
When we are involved from the beginning of a new construction project, we can influence more than just a pendant light here and there. We help discuss the placement of windows to maximize natural light in the rooms where it matters most. The ceiling heights in specific rooms to create drama or intimacy depending on the function. The location of plumbing rough-ins so your kitchen layout works the way you want it to. The electrical plan so your lighting does exactly what you need it to do in every single space. The flow between indoor and outdoor living areas so the home feels connected rather than compartmentalized.
If you bring a designer in after the frame is up, the design influences are more limited. At that point, we are working with what exists – not what could be. It’s well and good, but it leaves such a big gap of opportunity.
How Interior Designers Work with Your Builder
One thing worth saying clearly: bringing in a designer early does not mean adding friction to your builder relationship. I cannot stress this enough. At KJI, we love, love, love getting to know and working with more builders. After all, this is our art form of choice and together we’re making some really great artistic statements.
We work alongside builders and contractors all the time at KJI. The builders we work with well are the ones who appreciate having a designer in the process early because it means fewer change orders, fewer miscommunications, and fewer moments where something gets built that doesn’t match what the client was envisioning.
The earlier everyone is aligned and on-board, the smoother the whole project goes. That is good for the homeowner, good for the builder, and honestly really good for us too.
What Early Designer Involvement Looks Like
So, what does it look like to bring a designer in early to your new construction home?
At KJI, we start with a conversation about how you want to live in the home. Not what you want it to look like but how you want to feel in it. Where do you want morning light? How do you entertain? Do you want the kitchen to be the center of everything or a more separated, functional space?
From there we are involved in reviewing plans and flagging any design implications before your plans are finalized and sent to permitting. We are thinking about ceiling heights, window sizes, room proportions, and flow. We are looking at the electrical plan and asking whether it supports the lighting design the home deserves. We are thinking about where built-ins might live and any other detail you may need. It’s not to say your architect isn’t also doing this too, but having another set of eyes on the project with your vision as the goal is
This Is What Getting It Right Looks Like
We have been designing homes for a long time and I can tell you with complete confidence that the ones that feel the most cohesive, the most intentional, the most like they were made specifically for the people living in them, are almost always the ones where design was part of the conversation from the very beginning.
New construction is a once in a lifetime opportunity for most people. It is the chance to build something that fits your life, that reflects your personality completely, that functions the way you always wished a home could.
We would love to be part of your vision from the start. That is genuinely our favorite place to be.