Top 8 Myths About Interior Design in Kenya Debunked!

As an interior designer, it’s important to educate clients and debunk common myths that can lead to misguided decisions and design challenges. Ignoring these common myths can help clients make informed decisions and create functional and beautiful spaces that reflect their personal style and vision. A good interior designer will consider the client’s needs, preferences, and budget, and will create a space that is both practical and aesthetically pleasing.

Here are 8 interior design myths that interior designers want you to ignore:

1. MYTH: Interior Designing is only for the wealthy

TRUTH: The Interior Designer works within your budget

There are interior designers for every budget. Sure, some interior design companies only work for the high-end clients, but most strive to work within their clients’ budgets – regardless of the clients’ net worth.

In cases where prospective clients don’t have enough money to pay for an interior designer’s full attention, we can always be hired to work on a consulting basis, providing suggestions, advice and input for clients along the way.

And, in fact, many homeowners find that investing a chunk of money on an interior designer at the outset actually saves them money because everything is done right the first time around.

2. MYTH: Interior Designing is all about aesthetics and colors

TRUTH: Interior Design involves far in-depth knowledge than just decorating

While aesthetics are important in interior design, they are not the only consideration. Good interior design also focuses on functionality, ergonomics, and the needs of the client. A well-designed space should be both beautiful and practical. Colour and decoration certainly have a large impact on the design; however, this is far from the only aspects we consider in interior design. When we are drawing up the designs for a client the first thing we speak about and decide is the function and layout of the room. This is the most important aspect of our work.

A room should function exactly how you need it to and incorporate plenty of storage. Without either of these, design can become redundant if it does not add value to the way you live. Once we have the layout sorted, we look to lighting, electrical plans, materials, colours and fabrics. This entire package creates a cohesive design scheme, perfectly tailored to enhance how you live.  

Interior design is the art and science of understanding people’s behavior to create functional spaces within a building. The decoration is the furnishing or adorning of a space with fashionable or beautiful things. In short, interior designers may decorate, but decorators do not design. 

3. MYTH: Build and renovate first then involve an Interior Designer

TRUTH: An interior designer working with the renovation team from the start produces the best results

Ideally, your interiors should be considered during the planning stages of building or renovating your home. This will nearly always save time and money.

In Bridan we collaborate with the architectural design and construction teams from the initial planning stages through to completion. Whether your project is a custom home, renovation, an outdoor patio project or office space, interior design input from the beginning can make the project a faster, easier, and better experience.

When your architect and interior designer collaborate from the beginning, it streamlines the process and can save time and money. Rooms can even be designed around a favorite piece of furniture, such as a piano, family dining-room table or four-poster bed.

4. MYTH: You Don’t Need One If You Have a Good Contractor.

TRUTH: Contractors and Interior designers are completely different.

Unless your contractor is also an interior designer, this one goes out the window as well. As a design-build firm, in-house interior designers work with the clients before the build-out takes place.

In the case where a contractor is just a contractor, Their job is to build a home or remodel according to the plans they’re presented by the architect and interior designer. If you rely too heavily on your contractor for design expertise, he’ll probably tell you to go hire an interior designer!

5. MYTH: If You Have a Good Eye, You Can Do It Yourself.

TRUTH: Interior designers have skills and connections you don’t.

Yes, those who are creative and artistic and who have a solid understanding of basic color and design principles may not need an interior designer to create their initial design.

However, interior designers have something the average person doesn’t: connections with artists, design houses, showrooms and vendors. They can get rock-bottom prices that independent “DIYers” don’t have access to.

6. MYTH: Professional designers only opt for what’s trendy and aren’t versatile to other tastes.

TRUTH: A good interior designer considers the client.

While it’s true that interior designers are aware of what’s popular and what’s not, this doesn’t mean that that’s the only inspiration they stick to. Designers know what looks good, but they also consider what their clients want.

In fact, the majority of interior designers spend significant time understanding what their clients are interested in – even when the client themselves doesn’t know. Some designers ask what their client’s favorite colors are, whether they’re into modern or contemporary options, and how they feel about certain patterns or textures and so on. Versatility is an integral component of design in general.

Because interior design is an art, it can still be difficult to read each client. Thus, the designer needs to rely mostly on their own ability to choose what is best. Almost always a design comes out a little different than what the client imagined, but most of the time, it’s in a good way.

7. MYTH: Interior designing means buying all new stuff.

TRUTH: Old can still be gold.

Reimagining your space does not mean you need to start from scratch! You do not need to ditch all your existing furniture for your space to feel fresh & new. Let us know the elements of your space that you love and we will incorporate modern trends that will complement your existing pieces.

For instance, if you have a sofa and a coffee table in your living room that you absolutely love, we will simply use those pieces for inspiration when creating your design. You don’t need to break the bank! At Bridan Design Build we are all for saving money when you can. You need to choose neutral colors. Neutral colors, such as beige and white, used to be the go-to choice for interior design. However, more and more people are embracing bolder and brighter colors to create a unique and personalized space.

A good interior designer will know how to incorporate bold colors without overwhelming the space. Interior design is all about creating a home that you love and can enjoy. Many of us have items in our house that keep fond memories and make us smile when we see them. It’s our job to make these a focal point of your house and design around them so that you can enjoy them even more! Our job isn’t to give you a house which lacks your personality, quite the opposite, and we delight in seeing our clients find a new love for their homes.

8. MYTH: Interior design is mostly for women.

TRUTH: Its 2023 guys!

There was an era when interior decorators and interior designers were predominantly women. Those days are over. Today, there is an increasing number of men entering the field each year, especially now that the remodel and renovation realm is so much a part of pop culture.

Want expert advice on your space, straight from an interior designer? Book a free consultation to work with a design pro one-on-one.

Want to learn more about interior design? Check out our blog!