THINGS TO CONSIDER BEFORE HIRING AN INTERIOR DESIGNER

What are you designing? 

It is not necessary to design the full house.

When you think of designing we usually think of designing the complete house, which may well be if you can afford it. However, if you are on a budget and want only a part of your house to be designed then don't be embarrassed to get only that part designed. It could be you want to beautify the area where you entertain guests at home or in the office. Maybe you want a Den for yourself. Do not hesitate to call in the friendly neighbourhood interior designer to help you out if you want to give a special touch to that favourite or important place in your house or office. 

Know and plan what you want

Prepare detailed document of what you want before calling the designer. Make sure that you have made an extensive document to explain your point of view and what you are expecting from the design. It doesn't have to be technical. Put in simple terms why that space is worth the trouble you are taking. Remember you are telling the designer what you expect from the design and not dictating what is to be done, else he might ask you to go ahead and design the place yourself. 

Get quotes and preliminary designs.

You have to decide if you want only the design or put the designer in charge of completion of the execution. In any case you will have to get a quote from them. Make sure the quote is detailed and gives a break up of everything you are expected to get according to your agreement. If you opt for design only, you would want detailed maps of the lighting and electricals along with placement of furniture and information about the material to be used.

Budget / Timeline

Expenses usually depend on the efficiency of the execution. So you should know your budget and be a little flexible at the same time. The time that the project will take should also be clear. Sometimes last minute changes or decisions are taken as excuses to prolong work with the comment 'if you hadn't added xyz we would have been on schedule.' Although some times this may be true. 

In case of important rooms will there be alternative accommodations

In case you are revamping or designing your bedroom or kitchen it becomes difficult to cook or sleep while the work goes on. In which case you will have to make alternate arrangements for yourself or take the help of the designer or contractor to offer make shift arrangements for you.

Your views

Agreement in document

Demons of Demonetization

Demonetization has been one of the biggest decisions of the current government. It is a bold or audacious step. Not many in the common public knew it was a possibility, let alone the fact that it has happened before. The fact that the government under Prime Minister Manmohan Singh tried to change it is another story.

The rhetoric that started out as rooting out corruption (probably because according to people, ministers are the most corrupt and the people caught are mostly ruling parties members) has turned to cash-less transactions. Paper has its own problems, but as the calamity in Chennai has highlighted plastic money comes with its own set of problems. No electricity and Internet cannot help in smooth transactions. 

High dependency on technology is also vulnerable to hacking and if Hollywood movies have got their calculations right anybody with the right skills and wrong intentions can steal money from millions of honest tax payers. On a serious note hacking is a clear and present danger. 

Usually banks have solid firewalls, but occasionally one hears of the odd person who breaks through. On the other hand, credit card frauds are not rare and one reads about them at regular intervals. It usually happens to someone else somewhere else, but if we are going digital we may as well remember that. 

A high percentage of transactions in India are done through cash and in areas where connectivity is not a usual resident. Add to that the fact that cash gives the business people the advantage to bargain. The various auxiliaries of business like commission agents and facilitators will probably go out of business, which for many will be good riddance, but for some others are necessary negotiators. The agents who will want to fight for survival will be instrumental in increasing prices to accommodate compulsory taxes.

There could be many more repercussions than the ones mentioned above.

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