We’ve purchased our first home this year. Finalizing the property was easy, as it was the only one we liked and our loan application went through smoothly. Despite the delays due to coronavirus, the entire buying process, from the first payment to handover of the flat was pretty hassle free. 

But then it was time to get the home interiors done. The sheer volume of decisions to be made coupled with my lack of knowledge on interior designing made the task feel out of my league. I felt overwhelmed and needed help.

Luckily, we came across Mrs Sandhya, an interior designer from Hyderabad, who agreed to help us out. Over the next 3 months, she walked us through the world of interiors and educated us on the basics of interior designing.

Through her, we were able to gain valuable insights that I couldn’t get anywhere else. In this post, I try to share what we’ve learned about the process of interior designing over the past few months. I have also listed out the specific materials shortlisted by us in each category. 

Disclaimer : I’m no expert. The views mentioned in this post are based on the recommendations of our interior designer and our own limited personal experience.

To Outsource or Not

The first question that comes to any first time home buyer’s mind is whether to hire an interior designer or to DIY it. Sure, we’ve all heard the horror stories of money minded designers milking clients for margins and some even abandoning a project mid way.

Even though I’ve had a good experience with outsourcing, I’d suggest others weigh out the pros and cons of hiring an interior designer and exercise due diligence before hiring one. That’d mean looking at their experience and past projects. Also try to get feedback from former clients for safe measure. 

You should be comfortable enough to trust them with your home, which is probably the biggest investment of your life.

Pros

Expertise – This is a no brainer. Having access to someone with knowledge will save you a lot of time and energy.

Timeline Management – Doing it yourself may be a good option if everything goes smoothly, but interiors work is about coordination and making sure that different teams complement each other while sticking to the overall theme, this is where a designer would come in handy.

Handling Mistakes – As is the case with any complex project, things are eventually bound to go wrong, and when they do, it’s less troubling to have a professional handle it on your behalf.

Cons

Cost – In pure monetary terms, hiring a designer will cost you more than doing it yourself. Although, if you consider time spent as an asset, the extra cost might be justified.

Self Monitoring – Even though you’ve hired a professional, you’re still required to frequently visit the site and personally inspect the progress of work. This is not just to check on the materials, but also to be able to make any timely modifications. We personally had to make multiple changes to our original plan and this was only possible due to our frequent site visits.

Differences in Execution – No interior designer can give you 100% satisfaction. Keep in mind that someone else is executing your vision and minor deviations are bound to happen.

Prerequisites for Owners

Even if you do hire an interior designer, there are a few things for you to decide upon before starting any work at all. These are

Overall Theme

You should have an overall theme for the house in mind, before you even talk to a designer. This is an important prerequisite because all the future works and selections should ideally complement the same theme. 

Lack of clarity in this regard might lead to delays and will cost you time and money. So take your time to zero in on a theme.

Also factor in ease of maintenance while selecting one.

Budget

Whatever budget you and the designer plan for, be prepared for an upside of 20-25%. No matter how meticulous the plan is, there will be last minute surprises. Remember that there is no upside on the price of materials, and it’s natural to be tempted to spend on better options in each category. 

Try to find value for money in your purchases, i.e spend on items that make the most difference and less on others. 

Soft furnishings like curtains, cushions, sofas and decorative lights tend to make a big impact on the final look.

Materials

It is your responsibility to get a grasp on the materials being used and the differences between their variants. Here are a few tips for you to get going

Laminates – For inner laminates (inside wardrobes), a minimum thickness of 0.8mm is suggested. Outer laminate’s thickness should be at least 1 mm. Normal laminates are cheaper than PVC or Acrylic ones. However, the latter tend to be better looking and require less maintenance. 

Plywood – While working on a low budget, most interior designers might convince you to use MDFs (Medium Density Fibreboards). Avoid them at all costs.

Opt for at least an BWR (boiling water resistant) plywood that conforms to IS:301 standards. If your budget allows it, go for a BWP (boiling water proof) variant that conforms to IS:710 standards. Prefer well reputed plywood brands to local ones.

Modular vs Normal Kitchen – Modular kitchens are factory made, they are highly customizable and the fittings tend to be accurate. A normal kitchen is built by a carpenter at your home from scratch. It’s important that you hire a qualified carpenter with good workmanship if opting for a normal kitchen.

Kitchen Platform – There are 3 popular options to choose from i.e Granite(strong and easy maintenance), Quartz (good looking and moderate maintenance) and Korean Marble (elegant but high maintenance).

Expected Timelines

An interior designer will typically need 3 months to finish the contract. Sure, there might be deviations here and there, but 3 months is a realistic timeframe to aim for. This would also let you some breathing space in terms of decision making. Even though the volume of items to decide upon might seem overwhelming, you don’t have to finalize everything at once.

Here’s a month wise break up of decisions to be made and what to expect from the contractor for your reference.

Month 1

You need to decide on

• Overall Theme
• Woodwork structure and layout
• False ceiling design
• Plywoods
• Laminates
• Kitchen design and layout

In the first month, the interior designer is expected to start with floor protection, false ceiling and electrical work simultaneously, and then they’ll go ahead with the woodwork.

Month 2

Things to decide upon

• Kitchen platforms
• Wall claddings
• Wallpapers

Woodwork is expected to continue this month as well.

Month 3

This is probably the final month and will require a majority of decisions to be taken in a short span of time. Some of them are

• Electrical Appliances
• Furnitures & furnishings
• Bathroom Fittings
• Lights
• Paints
• Polishing
• Artifacts & Wall paintings

This month mostly involves final touches to the woodwork, installation of lights, electrical equipment, home appliances and painting. Once completed, the flat will be handed over after deep cleaning.

Our Selections

Here’s a list of all the materials and appliances we’ve selected under each category.

Paints – Asian Paints Royale Emulsion

Hardware Fittings – Hettich

Mirrors – St. Gobain

Plywoods – Austin Club Plus, Luminar MR, Austin Gold and Austin WPC

Laminates – Treelam Acrylic, Ebano, Advance PVC and Charcoal Sheets

Tv Unit – Digital Glass and Louvers

Kitchen Pullouts – Hettich & Simor

Lights – Phillips Astra Max and Astra Spot for LED lights

Rope, Decorative and Profile lights – From Local Stores

Quartz – AGL 

Air Conditioners – Lloyd LS18I56WBEL

Geysers – AO Smith HAS 15L

Fridge – Bosch KGN46XL40I

Mattresses – Kurl On Spine Therapy

Fans – Crompton Greaves Splitz 

Hob & Chimney – Kaff BLH804 & Kaff Casto DX DHC

Sofa – L Shaped

Beds – Custom made Rosewood

Curtains – Roman Blinds and Normal curtains

Summary

To summarise, here is a stepwise checklist to get you started with your home interiors 

1. Decide whether to hire a designer or do-it-yourself.
2. Decide on an overall theme for the house.
3. Set a budget, be prepared for a 25% upside.
4. Read about and understand the different materials to be used, select accordingly.
5. Refer to the timeline mentioned for a month wise list of decisions to be made.
6. Don’t expect 100% satisfaction. Be prepared for minor deviations.

P.S Mrs Sandhya has done a great job with our flat. She worked passionately and delivered an end product that fit our requirements. I highly recommend her to anyone looking for an interior designer in and around Hyderabad.

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