Interior design seminar to detail services available

The furniture, window treatments, accessories and wall colors you admire in a magazine photograph would look great in your home. Yet you have no experience in interior decorating and feel overwhelmed at the thought of taking on even a task as simple as hanging draperies. Maybe it's time to hire an interior designer.

But just what does an interior designer do?

Marilyn Raines, ASID, an interior designer and owner of Final Touch Interiors, will explain what services she and others in her profession offer in her presentation, "What Does an Interior Designer Do?" at 1 p.m. Feb. 5 at the Home Builders Association's Home & Remodeling Show.

She said the information in the seminar should help people decide whether they need to hire an interior designer.

Interior designers help people put together a plan for decorating their homes or businesses, and they can even be hired to do just one room, according to Raines. The designer will see the project through from start to finish first putting together a proposal for the client and then serving as project manager.

Raines advises anyone thinking about hiring an interior designer to first schedule an interview to decide if the client-designer relationship will work. That's very important according to Raines. "I wouldn't want to do a design project with someone I didn't like or trust," she said.

After the decision is made, the designer works with the client to come up with a design plan that the client loves. Raines suggests people write down ideas, cut pictures out of magazines, bring in their favorite fabrics basically, show the designer as much as they can about what they want.

"The design ideas will all be in a pile. The problem is, the client doesn't know how to put it together. That's what we do," she said.

Raines begins her work with what she calls the programming stage, in which the client's needs are determined, she said. "Do they need color coordination? Space planning? Furniture? Accessories? Draperies?"

Other things are also considered, such as what the space will be used for and the size of the family or the number of staff members in an office. Once that's done, Raines puts together a proposal to present to the client. Depending on the client's budget, computer-generated drawings or sketches by the designer may be presented. The designer then hires people to do the construction work and manages the job.

Raines, an interior designer for 26 years, is a member of the American Society of Interior Designers. Members of the professional organization have passed the NCIDQ, a test that Raines describes as "very rigid."

If a designer is an ASID member, he or she is a professional, according to Raines. Another advantage of being an ASID member is extensive training opportunities. Raines served as president of the organization's Missouri east chapter two years ago and attended several national training workshops.

Raines said she knew from a young age that she wanted to be an interior designer and, although she's been in the profession nearly three decades, she still loves her work. Raines said it's very rewarding for her when her clients are satisfied with the work she has done for them.

Her business, Final Touch Interiors, designs mostly residential spaces but also does work for businesses. There are designers in Springfield who specialize in each of the five design areas, which are hospitality, industrial, residential, corporate and retail, Raines said, but the principles of design are the same for every designer.

It is important to consider hiring an interior designer at the beginning stages of your project, she said. Interior spaces can require considerable financial investment.

"You don't want the finished product to look amateur, or like it was done by a committee," Raines said.

An interior designer will allow the client to see the latest in fabrics, furniture, accessories and other products, Raines said, adding that designers are always looking for new ideas. Vendors are another excellent source of ideas, she said.

The public can find out more about interior designers and what they do at Raines' seminar. "It's a great place for people to come and ask questions and see whether or not they want to fit interior design into their budget," she said.