Luxury Living with Debrae Little

Wesley Knight 0:00
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Unknown Speaker 0:39
Angela,

Speaker 1 0:48
hello and welcome to luxury living with Debray, where we explore all things interior design. I am Angela Britt, the Project Coordinator for Debray little design studio, acting as co host with Debre little today. Today, we're diving into the big debate, DIY interior design versus di FM, or do it for me, hiring a professional designer to do the work for you. Hi, Debre Hello. Let's talk about the pros and cons and how to decide what's right for your project?

Speaker 2 1:20
Oh, absolutely. Both approaches have their appeal, but they're very different experiences. DIY is do it yourself, hands on, budget friendly, but it can be time consuming and become overwhelming. On the other hand, di FM, do it for me, offers the expertise of professionals and convenience, but it does come at a higher price point.

Speaker 1 1:44
Okay, so let's start with DIY. Why do people gravitate toward doing it themselves? Many

Speaker 2 1:50
people love the idea of personalizing their space. They believe that no one will be able to capture what they want or they like working with their hands. There's a real sense of accomplishment in saying I did this myself. For example, my sister has become pretty good with this spray can. You should see some of the projects she has successfully completed. The items look better than they did when purchased. It's also often seen as a way to save money, whether it's repainting, assembling furniture or even tackling small renovations.

Speaker 1 2:21
Well, that's true, but the flip side of that is not always as easy as it looks. Social Media and Design shows can make it seem effortless, but it takes time, tools and skills, not to mention patience. Let's talk about the Do It For Me approach as I understand this is where you hire a professional designer like yourself, where they can really shine your background in costume design provides a unique edge in interior design. I've seen you master these esthetics, and they translate seamlessly into crafting bespoke interiors for high net worth individuals. How do you do that?

Speaker 2 3:03
Well, I draw on all the strength I have. I combine my ability to tell a story through design, attention to detail and adaptability. I can assure that each interior space I design is luxurious, one of a kind, reflection of the client's individuality, individuality and desires

Speaker 1 3:24
your take is a holistic approach that resonates with the sophistication that affluent clients demand. I think your background in costume design has really influenced your interior design perspective. You want to talk about that

Speaker 2 3:36
a little, yeah, both costume design and interior design share fundamental principles that make them complementary disciplines, especially when catering to high net worth clients. When it comes to attention to detail, caution, design involves creating intricate, tailored pieces that express the personality, story or role of an individual, while interior design focuses on curating spaces that reflect the client's identity, lifestyle aspirations, while maintaining luxury and functionality, so you can see they mimic each other closely.

Speaker 1 4:10
Well, your artist may not be aware of your background. You want to tell us a little bit about your history and costume designing.

Speaker 2 4:19
Yeah, you're right. I do tell a story as I create design in classroom. Design characters were brought to life by telling a story through fabrics, colors and lighting, accessories and props, and this was done throughout my career in theater, television, rock and roll tours and theater, while in interior design, I shape environments that evoke emotions, blending esthetics and comfort to tell a client's story through the design of their space. Well, I've

Speaker 1 4:51
seen some of your design choices, and you really take imaginative improvisation to the next level. They are spectacular. Oh,

Speaker 2 4:58
thank you. Thank you. I. Really, I really try, try my best to do something exciting and interesting. Costume Design requires creativity and adapting designs through the stage, film or music, using unlimited materials to achieve visionary outcomes. Interior Design demands innovative problem solving to reimagine layouts select materials and balance design with functionality.

Speaker 1 5:22
So really you are, it's like state, state setting or property. Is that kind of a relationship? You know, the costume design and the interior design, same principles cross over back and forth.

Speaker 2 5:36
Yeah, they do. I mean, with every character that I would design, and a feature film or a stage production, there was always props there, whether it be a pair of eyeglasses or and, or a fan that the that the woman character would would use, or or a pointer, or any kind of thing like that, that as a part of the character. So in essence, there are props associated which is very much similar to furniture in your home, whether it's your favorite pillow or or throw that's on on there, or whether it's the accessories on the coffee table, those are really, definitely considered to be props or accessories. So

Speaker 1 6:20
I remember there is a commercial that a lady brings a faucet to the designer, and she says, design a home around this that kind of a client has to be a stickler. So let's talk a little bit about client relationships. I'm sure you had to deal with some really special personalities in the celebrity realm. But what about with clients? It's very

Speaker 2 6:43
similar, believe it or not, because everyone wants to every client, that is whether it's in interior design or costume design, wants to know that you are on their side, that you are there to do the very best job, to portray their character, in this case, in classroom design, but in home design, it's to portray or produce the kind of environment that they want to operate and live in, and so they're very similar in that way, costume designs requires a deep understanding of the words role and personality to craft clothing that aligns with the character. Interior design involves understanding the client's lifestyle and aspirations to design spaces that resonate with their unique needs and tastes. So Debra little design seal takes the stress off your shoulders for high network individuals in particular, this approach ensures that the space reflects their unique lifestyle and taste without having to micromanage the process, we bring expertise, access to resources and a network of trusted contractors to ensure the project is executed with constant oversight. Designers know how to avoid common mistakes, maximize a budget and create a cohesive look that feels luxurious and intentional, right?

Speaker 1 8:03
So it's not just about making a space look beautiful. It also is about functionality, the flow and the longevity of the design,

Speaker 2 8:11
absolutely, exactly. Let's not forget, for many busy professionals, time is more valuable than money, and so they rely on you. Your client relies on you to produce the very best effort that represents them in their home and at the same time that is sustainable and is functional. Hiring a design, hiring a designer means that you can focus on their priorities while trusting the project in good hands. I understand that clients do not do this every day, so we do our best to normalize issues that we anticipate arising during the process. If anything is going to be a problem, it's usually revealed in the demo, but with our team of professionals, we work to find creative solutions. For instance, we currently are working on an inter exterior design project and discovered that the wood in the porta cochia on the front porch, it was all rotten and it was due to water damage. And there was no way of predicting this until we were able to open up the structure and reframe the protocol co chair to create a more contemporary design. So there was no way to know until we were there to reframe it, and when we started to reframe it for the new design, that's when we realized that we were running into some some problems there. And yes, there were we, yes, we did incur additional calls. But can you imagine trying to figure out an alternative solution if you were doing it yourself? What would you do

Unknown Speaker 9:42
call the designer,

Unknown Speaker 9:46
I would hope so.

Speaker 1 9:49
But those kind of things can really be avoided if you could just, you know, take a deep breath and entrust the project to someone, to a professional. I'm sure things can turn. Left at any point in the project. So what do you do to help maintain the client's trust and ease their concerns?

Speaker 2 10:05
Well, first of all, it's necessary to establish a relationship with my clients that is open, honest and direct. They want to know that you're going to level with them with any issues you may find when you develop your design plan, at times, there will be hard conversations to be had, helping them understand that they're helping them to understand that being flexible is the key when it comes to timelines, budgets and changes. So with many because of their so many million parts, we reassure them with great communication. We try to get ahead of their questions and concerns by setting expectations and a weekly conversation.

Speaker 1 10:44
Okay, so can we talk about your process? How the design process goes? So how does it start? It starts when somebody calls you and wants your services.

Speaker 2 10:56
Well, they call me and we have a very open dialog that's fairly lengthy, because I have so many questions I need to ask them. I'm trying to do two things. I'm trying to discover and understand the project and what they want done, but most importantly, I want to know why they're doing it and how they feel about it. I think that's important. I work very hard to get into the client's head to to so that I can meet their expectations. I need to know exactly what they expect, and so I spent a lot of time doing that well, I

Speaker 1 11:30
know that I've seen you do the drawings and the layouts and all these beautiful renderings. So those come after you've had these conversations with the clients, and you go back and you show them these beautiful presentations and textures and tiles and all this kind of stuff. So what happens after the presentation?

Speaker 2 11:52
Well, after the presentation, we try to come to a meeting of the minds the presentation is so that they can visualize what the project or whatever particular room or space I'm designing, what it will look like, and, most importantly, what it will feel like. And so when you present a color rendering to a client, as well as a layout, so they can see the furniture that might go in there and that space, and the furniture pieces and what lighting you plan to use. You're actually creating a mood. You're like setting the stage. It's very much like costume design, and which you make sure that you have the right colors, you have the right moods, you have the right textures, and you have the right lighting to put forth the best effort to present this person to whether it's on film or on stage or whatnot, and it's the same as in a client's home. You're trying to make them feel as if this is this rendering will definitely portray what it will be like to live in your in your home once we're done and they get a great grasp of what their expectations about meeting their managing and meeting their expectations. So

Speaker 1 13:00
with all this preliminary work that you put in, you really demonstrate the value of hiring a professional and so when you present the budget and talk about the cost of the product project, they can really see why is it a good idea to make that investment in a professional interior designer? And so leaving, you know, mentioning that is it really comes down to whether to do DIY or hire professional, and based on what you said, it sounds like, if the project mourns it, they should hire a professional. What do you think? I

Speaker 2 13:40
think so. I think I have nothing wrong with that that the school of DIY, and I think it's warranted in certain situations. If you're someone who enjoys arts and crafts and that type of thing, it's probably applicable if you're just say, painting a cabinet, perhaps, or something like that. And if you're definitely redesigning a single room and there aren't any structural changes, and I think that you probably could master that, and I think it would be very creative, and you can definitely put your own stamp on it. I think it could be fun and it could be a rewarding experience. However, when you get into to actually re designing or restructuring or adding a room, then you need more knowledge and understanding of framing and beams and weight loads and and different things like that, and electrical and a, you know, air conditioning. There's so many more elements that are involved in that, and I think it becomes more complicated and difficult for the average person who isn't a trained professional, or, for that matter, a contractor, to manage a project like that.

Speaker 1 14:55
You know, a lot of people have a misunderstanding. Know what interior design is. It's not just bringing in a can of paint and fluffing pillows based on what you just said. You need to know all the ins and outs, all the various systems of the home in order to pull this thing off. So it's almost like you need to know your limits. Yes,

Speaker 2 15:17
definitely. It's about knowing that the best investment is in someone who can bring your vision to life as at a level you might not be to be able to accomplish yourself or achieve yourself and and that's what the most important thing is. Our best service is listening to our clients asking a lot of questions. Get clarity on their desired outcome. We understand their concerns and their emotional impact of renovations. We almost over communicate with our updates and our conversation with the client, but that's that's what you need to do if you want to satisfy someone and bring forth the best effort that they will love and enjoy at the end.

Speaker 1 16:04
Okay, so at the end of the presentation, and you're giving these updates then, and you're given an update, what we call the construction meeting, and then when we're installing lighting and cabinetry and plumbing, all the things we discuss, what's next, you know, so that they're always informed of what's going on in the project.

Speaker 2 16:26
Yeah, they definitely have to be there has to be a steady flow of information in terms of what's next, so the client can feel comfortable and feel that you know what's going on, and then it helps them to understand the process, and everything is a process. And as you said at the end of the presentation, where they've selected, say, some materials, maybe we've looked at tile or a slab or to update a primary bath, whether we're looking at fabric or fabric samples or wallpaper or paint colors. It's important for them to understand how all of these components fit in for the next stage of what's next. And as you said, the next stage would probably be construction. If we are renovating a room and we're taking down walls or we're adding molding or baseboards or new flooring, then they need to be aware of what's next, because the installation of those items, like flooring, as an example, will affect the installation of lighting. Because now we know that we might from the presentation, we've selected this particular light fixture, and now we need to know where that outlet needs to go to plug in that, that light fixtures that we've selected, and where that is, in terms of the wall, and do we want it down low, or we is it going to be hidden by the furniture? Is it going to be up high? So all of these things are decided. There is no guessing in there. It really has to be a systematic approach to every item you are adding to through construction, whether it's cabinetry. You want to know what size the drawers are going to be, say it's a kitchen island, and I certainly recommend putting the drawers in your island first before you put a slab on you know, because it makes it harder to to to fit the drawers in after you put a slab on the top of the countertop. I mean, it's just everything has to follow a certain order. And the same with plumbing. You know, I've done a project where they did beautiful, amazing tile work and everything, and then they tiled the entire shower and did not leave a place for the rain head, or, for that matter, the shower head, because they, they, they tiled the wall, and it was beautiful. But these are the things that that can happen. So you have to be on top of every step of it. It's important to bring the client along to so they know, and they can actually be a lookout for you in some, some respects, in terms of tiles being delivered to their house, whether or not they they've arrived. So you kind of want to make them the part of the process. You don't, do not want to make them responsible for what's going on in their home, but you want to give them enough information that they have clues, as when they see something being delivered, that they know that that's, oh, that's the next step. This is coming in now. We're now ready to do our floors, and we're ready now to tile our floors, and

Speaker 1 19:24
that type of thing that has to be really exciting for the homeowner. Well, yeah, I think

Speaker 2 19:28
so. I mean, they get they're so jazzed because they're they're starting to and when it goes from the planning stage and drawings and layouts to actually seeing the physical materials, they get excited. They want you to hurry up. And when is this going to be done? Be Done? And then you start that whole another conversation of timelines and trying to manage their expectations that, no, I know the tile is here, but or we know the flooring is here, but now we have to wait for the flooring to cure for, you know, two to four weeks before we install it. So we're glad it's here. And. And just go and look at it and go, go have lunch, come back, move out.

Speaker 1 20:07
Well, those are great insights. So to recap, managing renovations, whether you go DIY or di FM, the goal is the same, creating a space that fits their desired outcome

Speaker 2 20:21
that's exactly and remember, there's no one size that fits all solution. It's all about what works when, for writing a design story who tells who you are and the lifestyle and you enjoy. We are trying to write your history, your new book. We are trying to be the author of the story that you're anticipating or the journey that you're about to go on with the renovations that we make

Speaker 1 20:48
wonderful well said, Well, that's all for today's episode of luxury living with Debray, thanks for listening and join us next time, as we explore more design topics, to inspire your next project, you.