Do I Need an Architect?

I know what you’re thinking. Is it really necessary to hire a professional? Do I need an Architect? Should I hire an Interior Designer? What comes first, the architect or the general contractor?

Starting a project can be overwhelming. There are many pieces to the puzzle and you might not know who to call first or where to start. Whether you’re building a custom home or remodeling, Distinctive Design Studio is here to make your life easier.

One Stop Shop Experience

We’ve worked hard to create a one stop shop experience for our clients. This is a huge convenience because of how smooth and simple it makes coordination. There are so many scenarios where cross collaboration is important. By being able to handle all necessary services in house, design time is reduced. Not having to outsource ultimately saves the client money.

For example, let’s say you’re working on a living room refresh with our Interior Designer but want to know if you can remove a wall. One of our Architects can step in and let you know! Or maybe one of our Architects is designing the custom home you’ve been dreaming about for years. Our Kitchen and Bath Designer can help with layouts and custom cabinetry while our Interior Designer picks out finishes, furniture, and lighting.

Our clients are able to combine all of our design services with the vast number of products we offer. You truly get a complete start to finish service with our diverse and experienced team. Speaking of our team, lets dive in a bit deeper to find out who we have on staff and what services and products we can provide.

Core Teams                                                                                                         

• Residential Architects
• Commercial Architects
• Architectural Designers & Drafters
• Interior Designers
• Kitchen & Bath Designers
• BIM Designers

Services

• Research
• Design Development
• Visualization
• Project Management
• Historical Preservation
• Construction Documents
• Custom Cabinetry
• Custom Home Design
• Remodeling
• Full-service Interior Design
• Virtual Interior Design
• Commercial Architecture
• Finish, Furniture, & Fixture Selection
• Product Procurement

Products In Our Showroom

• 2 lines of custom cabinetry
• Countertops
• Cabinet Hardware

Other Products We Offer

• Tile
• Flooring
• Furniture
• Lighting
• Wallpaper
• Accessories

When to Hire an Architect

It is crucial that an architect be brought in when you are planning to change a building structurally, whether that be on the interior or the exterior.

• Moving or removing walls
• Putting on an addition
• Doing a large-scale renovation
• Changing roof lines

An architect can draw up plans and elevations, recommend finish selections, pull permits, space plan to make everything flow logically, and provide 3D renderings of what the space could potentially look like before anything is changed.

At Distinctive Design Studio, our architects can also act as project managers. Aside from just drawing up the plans, we can obtain contractors and subcontractors for you to make sure all work goes according to the plan. A bonus of working with us is getting the best contractors and subcontractors for your project. We have spent years vetting and forming working relationships with other businesses and trades that we trust and know will perform up to your standard. We probably don’t have to tell you this, but having a good contractor not only benefits your finished project, but your budget as well.

Whether you need design only, or design and project management, we can assist you with as much or as little of the project as you would like.

When to Hire an Interior Designer

We’ve gone over the importance of hiring an interior designer before – check out that blog post here if you missed it. Hiring an Interior Designer when building a home or doing a major renovation project can be extremely beneficial. The number of selections that go into a project like that can be overwhelming. An Interior Designer can help you formulate a plan that will consider both the big picture and the small details. Making sure that nothing gets overlooked and everything makes sense functionally as well as aesthetically.

Interior Designers are a wealth of knowledge when it comes to different materials and how they will perform and suit your lifestyle. For example, you might love how marble countertops look, but if you’re a wine drinker or love to cook, a designer might lead you to a countertop material that gets you the same look but doesn’t stain like marble can. They also know which materials are worth the splurge and which ones are okay to go budget on. The combined knowledge and experience of a designer can help you make well informed decisions and save you money in the long run.

No matter what your project entails, an interior designer can help you build a beautiful and cohesive look. A look that both falls within your budget and suits your taste. Whether you have a good idea of what your style is, or have no clue where to begin, an interior designer will help guide you and bring a design to life that you might not have been able to do on your own. Distinctive Design Studio Interior Designers will collaborate with you and work with all trades and contractors throughout your project.

Here are just a few of the things an interior designer can do for you:

• Mood Boarding
• Space Planning
• Lighting Plan & Selection
• Furniture Selection
• Custom Furniture/Built-ins
• Fixture and Finish Selection – such as paint, tile, countertops, hardware, plumbing, etc.
• Product Procurement & Installation
• Project Management

When to Hire a Kitchen & Bath Designer

A professional Kitchen & Bath Designer can help you realize your goals efficiently and effectively. Kitchens and bathrooms are easily the most used spaces in the home but also the most complex. So when you’re ready to remodel those spaces, it is important to bring someone on board that has the proper training and expertise in this area. Kitchen & Bath Designer are well versed in layout, functionality, cabinetry, and product.

A big box store is usually just focused on making the sale, while we are focused on providing the best knowledge, experience, functionality, and end product that we can. Kitchen & Bath Designers have a far greater knowledge about products available on the market and access to a wider variety of vendors and options than you might get in a big box store. They are also highly trained in space planning so they can bring a fresh perspective to your space. They might be able to see how a different layout would work better in your space or if adding a specific feature or product would be to your advantage.

Speaking of highly trained, at Distinctive Design Studio, we have CKBD (Certified Kitchen and Bath Designer) designers on staff. In order to become a CKBD designer, one must have at least 4 years of design experience along with extensive knowledge in construction and mechanicals. They have to complete 60 hours of NKBA education units and must pass their AKBD exam and CKBD exam.

Before meeting with a Kitchen & Bath Designer, you should have an idea of what your total budget is. It is very important to know what you are comfortable spending. The designer will ask you questions about your home and lifestyle to get a good idea about the project and where to focus your budget dollars. For example, is this your forever home or do you foresee yourself selling in the near future? They will consider return on investment for your home type and location and provide advice about different materials and products that will fit best with your lifestyle.

As stated before, working with Distinctive Design Studio is extremely beneficial because of the diverse services we offer. So, if while remodeling your kitchen, you decide you want to remove a wall to make an open concept floorplan, we can easily do that. Our in-house architects will work with our kitchen and bath designer behind the scenes to make that happen for you.

What’s Next?

If you’re still feeling a little lost, a great place to start is to fill out an inquiry on our website or call the studio. When filling out the inquiry, tell us a little about your project in the message box. This will help us to figure out who on our staff would be best suited to start this journey with you. If you call the studio, you will talk to the studio manager who will ask you a couple basic questions about your project and then be able to filter you to the appropriate person to get the process started.

To learn more about our process here at Distinctive Design Studio, check out this article. If you’d like to learn more about our team and what we do, check out our website, portfolio, and other blog articles. You can also find us on social media.

Author:

Amber Sabrowsky,
Distinctive Design Studio Office Manager