An expert touch gives your home a chic look

Mrs Wanjiru Kariuki is ecstatic as she puts the final touches to her dream home in Ruiru, Kiambu County, which she started building six months ago. She describes the building journey as exciting, saying watching her home “grow” from a piece of bare land is akin to watching one’s child transition from infancy to adulthood. And Mrs Kariuki feels her most prudent decision was hiring an interior designer.

“When building a house, many women do not care much about foundation, putting up of walls, and such,” Mrs Kariuki says. “We mostly look forward to choosing colours for the house, choosing tiles and other finishes. We dream about that beautiful chandelier that will be a centrepiece in our living rooms, or the beautiful painting that we saw somewhere and loved, or that exquisite kitchen we have always wanted.”

She notes that as the building of her house progressed, decisions concerning  the finishes were so overwhelming that she sought the help of Wamuyu Tira, the head of interior design at Tira Studio in Westlands.

“The interior designer did our furniture layout, picked our sanitary fittings, designed our staircase, chose the windows and grilles and was even in charge of the painting. She also kept a keen eye on the workmanship when doing the finishes, making sure that the different fittings were well aligned and positioned,” says Mrs Kariuki.

“My only regret,” she rues, “is that I engaged an interior designer a bit late. I found out that I could not amend some of the structural features to make them more appealing.”

Mr Tira notes that a common mistake  many people building homes make is consulting an interior designer when their houses are already built or nearing completion. She says this gives the  designer little room to make adjustments, which might not bring out the best  in the available space.

“Before construction begins, the home-owner usually brings together professionals such as a quantity surveyor, an architect, an engineer and a contractor. Very few remember to engage an interior designer at this stage,” Mr Tira observes.

She adds engaging an interior designer at the planning stage allows the professional to suggest changes to the house plans.

The danger of waiting until the building is completed before bringing in an interior designer is that often, a builder will have exhausted his budget and might be forced to dig deeper into their pockets to pay for some of the desired finishes “During the early stages, we usually consult with the architect to amend the house plans in a way that makes the final product look tasteful and appealing,” she says.

VALUE FOR MONEY

For the best value for money, the interior designer also works closely with the quantity surveyor to draw up the entire budget, inclusive of the design costs.

An interior designer will also advise on the best quality fittings and finishes which, apart from their aesthetic value, will save the home owner  money because of their quality and durability.

“Interior designers often work with many suppliers so if you consult them when building, you might be able to exploit their relationship with suppliers of building materials and enjoy discounts,” Ms Tira notes. 

Indeed, Mrs Kariuki says that her interior designer introduced her to the artisans who fabricated her doors, windows, grilles, gate, staircase and light brackets.

When a prospective builder visits Wamuyu, she asks them a series of questions to determine their interests, personalities, and temperaments.

This is the information  she uses to determine the general mood and style of the final space. Using the house plan, the interior designer uses computer-aided design software (CAD) to produce a realistic, 3-D image of what the space will look like when the house is ready.

“A good interior designer  guides the home owner to achieve their vision while avoiding fashion and trends that might go out of style in future. The key is to achieve a timeless design that will forever be tasteful,” Ms Tira says.

When hiring an interior designer, it is vital to conduct due diligence to weed out charlatans who, according to Mr Tira, have infiltrated the profession.

“There are many people masquerading as interior designers yet they are nothing more than decorators. Only a trained interior designer can give satisfactory services to his/her building clients. To avoid disappointment, make sure that the professional you want to hire has academic credentials backed up by a credible portfolio of past work. Also, ask him or her to provide proof that they are registered with the Interior Designers Association of Kenya, the professional association of interior designers,” she suggests.