How to get the most out of your Virtual Design experience

Life is different in ways we couldn’t have imagined just one year ago. Not all of the changes have been negative. No one seems to miss commuting, and many people are embracing the new reality that home is not only where your heart is, it’s where your entire life is lived as well – we are working, playing, studying and relaxing at home. 

It makes perfect sense that people are looking to improve not only the functionality of their home, but its overall beauty as well. Now more than ever, we need to love where we live. 

The pandemic has changed the Interior Designer industry as well, with many designers offering virtual design services that are accessible, user friendly and COVID safe. Based on their initial success, virtual design services are here to stay.

Here’s how to work with an interior designer during a pandemic:

Get friendly with technology

With a smart phone, anyone can make virtual design services work for them. Weather you prefer FaceTime or Zoom, it’s easy to discuss ideas and collaborate. The ability to share screens allows people to view furniture, fabric, floor plans and elevations as well as drawings, presentations, and mood boards.

Yes, it’s easy and safe, but it’s also an extremely efficient and convenient way to get work done while eliminating travel time. Image sharing sites like Pinterest and Instagram are also key ways to organize your visual preferences, while Google Drive or Dropbox make sharing documents like budgets and timetables a breeze.

Know your budget

It’s essential to know the amount you plan to invest in a design project. You might have a range rather than a fixed number but creating a design without knowing this number is like driving somewhere without road signs. It’s likely you’ll end up on the wrong path. This number is crucial to making sound design decisions and will help your designer create a plan that’s uniquely tailored for you.

Collect images and gather information

The more information you can share with your designer the better. Share photos of rooms you like or dislike, favorite colors and photos of your existing space. You can collect these on a shared Pinterest board, Google Drive or Dropbox. Think about what activities take place in the space you are looking redesign, as well as what kind of storage you might need.