Attempts to arrange an apartment on your own may have different endings, especially when we do not have any experience in designing space and choosing the right materials. That is why interior architects are gaining more and more popularity, who will not only calculate everything to the centimeter, select the appropriate materials, but also often provide the client with a list of suppliers and contractors, which will significantly accelerate the renovation.

Our house should be aesthetic and functional, and this will certainly be provided by a decent architect. Below is some basic information that can help us decide if we need an architect and what his work looks like.

Interior design – is an architect necessary?

Of course, no one forces us to use additional help in designing an apartment, but it is worth realizing that a professional interior designer will be able to see much more than we can. A good architect will make the most of the potential of natural light in the room, arrange the furniture in such a way that the room looks larger or choose the colors of the walls so that it matches the other elements and creates a cozy, eye-pleasing space. In addition, an interior designer can determine where in a given room the light sources should be located so that the room is properly illuminated, but without wasting unnecessary energy.

Employing a designer is a good solution when we plan to develop “more difficult” rooms, such as an attic or a large room that must act as a living room, dining room and kitchen. In such situations, it is easy to clutter the room and instead of a nice and functional interior, we get a storage room.

In the case of independent interior design, one more problem will stand in our way, which is the proper estimation of the renovation cost. In the case of an architect, we will receive an exact cost estimate for each element, or we can set the budget ourselves, within which the architect should operate. This will allow us to have full control over the finances and we will not meet with a surprise in the form of much higher renovation costs.

Finally, it is worth mentioning the materials. An architect, due to his education, is much better at choosing the best building materials. It is a key skill if we want our house to stay in good condition for as long as possible. The architect knows well, on which materials we cannot save, and on which we can afford cheaper substitutes, without the prospect of their soon replacement.

Interior design – what is a conceptual design?

A conceptual design usually consists of two or three preliminary interior designs. They can be presented in the form of projections or 3D visualization. The conceptual design is therefore the general, first vision of spatial development. These designs rarely contain detailed information such as the dimensions of individual elements or the materials required. The conceptual design serves only a general presentation of the vision, furniture arrangement, color selection, partition wall arrangement or other solutions that will increase the functionality of the interior. At this stage, we can introduce even greater changes, enrich the concepts, etc. When we accept the selected design, the architect proceeds to the next stage, which will already contain a detailed plan of dimensions of individual elements and we will be presented with proposals for specific materials.

The price of a concept design varies depending on whether we work with a studio, a freelance architect, or a beginner, newly minted or still learning interior designer. The price for a design made by a professional studio oscillates around PLN 100 per square meter. Cooperation with an independent architect may cost half of this price per square meter. Beginning architects and students of interior design prepare projects even cheaper. The choice is ours. However, we should take into account the fact that if we decide to use an interior designer, we should not save on him. After all, it depends on him what our apartment will look like.

Interior design – comprehensive project

A comprehensive project is a project containing visualizations of a given interior and a detailed list of all the necessary materials and their estimated cost. Additionally, the architect prepares a plan for electrical, water and telecommunication installations. Professionals who will implement the project will have all the necessary information at hand.

Preparation of a comprehensive design by the studios costs about PLN 160 per square meter (in the case of independent architects, the cost should be slightly lower). A comprehensive project is extremely convenient, because in its case we do not have to worry about anything. The renovation team will receive professionally prepared guidelines, and we will know exactly how much we will pay for each element.