Articles and whitepapers

Interior Designers - a Love/Hate Relationship (1/4/2004)

By David Graham

On every large project there is always a team of people. Each has their own agenda and requirements, but all, hopefully, are working towards the same goal of creating a wonderful home for their client. Most projects will involve some or all of the following people: an architect, a builder including all of his/her sub-contractors, an M&E (Mechanical and Electrical) consultant, a project manager, a custom installer (us!), and in many cases, an interior designer.

There are some interesting relationship dynamics that are obvious when you look at them, which explain a lot about the issues that come up when working on these kinds of projects. I do not want to get into sexist stereotyping, but the reality is that on many projects we, the custom installer, are often seen as a provider of 'electronic toys' which fall under the husband's domain. The interior décor is usually, although absolutely not exclusively, of more concern to the wife, and the interior designer will therefore be 'appointed' by her, and seen as her extension.

In every profession, there are some people who are really good and some people who are not. We work on a number of projects where the interior design team deal with almost all aspects of design on the house, including much of the work we would normally associate with the architect. At the other end of the scale, there may be an interior designer who simply takes the role of choosing the colour and types of fabrics and works as a 'personal shopper' for the client. In both cases, there are some people who are really good and other who are less so.

Whilst architects are professionally bound not to accept 'commission' from third parties, many interior designers base the fees they charge their clients on being able to negotiate discounts from suppliers. This can be quite substantial in the areas of soft furnishings - where margins are often three to four times what they are on electronic equipment. You must be aware of this because you will be asked for large discounts, and you need to have a plan of how to deal with it.

The most important thing to remember is that the end result has to be the best and right solution for your client. And this is where things start to get messy. Obviously everyone has the client's best interest at heart, but they all look at things from their own perspective. So, as with any relationship, we simply have to find the compromise with which everyone will be happy.

The interior designer, as part of the overall design team, needs to play a part at an early stage of the whole design process. We typically need to communicate information to them and others on the project, and it is important that the information you convey is clear and accurate. When there are lots of people working on a project, the dissemination of information is vital. Taking or giving verbal instruction is dangerous and will come back to bite you! If you cannot get written confirmation from someone, then write to them confirming what information they have given you. A good example may be the choice of metal faceplates for switches and sockets. If you are supplying matching plates for the AV, RF and data systems, make sure you get in writing what is required, otherwise it may end up costing you money when the specification is changed without anyone telling you.

At the early stages of discussion, agree who is going to be responsible for what. We regularly provide quite detailed drawings showing equipment sizes and layout, but this is not a cabinet design. Vitally important is that you get to check and see any drawings from the interior designer before they are issued to the cabinetmakers for construction. You must take the time to check these carefully to make sure all your equipment will fit in, and do not forget to address the issues of ventilation for equipment. Designers and cabinetmakers often underestimate how hot much of the equipment gets and it is vital that allowances are made for either mechanical (i.e.fan) air circulation or for natural convection. Both options require air flow, so holes in the top of a sealed cabinet will not be effective unless there is somewhere at the bottom of the cabinet to draw in air.

I talked about compromise earlier. Nowadays, we are very fortunate that there is a huge range of speakers that can be built into cabinets, into walls, ceilings or even free standing. The speakers in an AV system were typically the single most compromised issue that we had to deal with when in 'negotiation' with interior designers. Freestanding speaker systems still, without question, provide the best sound quality, but positioning is vital to achieve this. My advice would be if you are going to use free-standing speakers, then accept them for what they are and accept that they will be seen, and put them in the right place for optimum performance. With the choice of alternative speaker options, very high levels of performance can be reached, even where the speaker is totally invisible. The most important thing to remember is you stand no chance of getting good results if you use and specify inferior equipment - so always specify and use quality products.

Finally, the obvious benefits of working with interior designers are that they are another source of recommendation, and can bring you clients. However, you will not succeed in doing this if their experience of working with you has been painful and they have found you intransigent. Like every member of a team, they can bring skills to the party, which as a team can ensure spectacular end results for your clients. Beautiful homes are the best environment for showing off what we, as custom installers do, and that home will be a result of a combined effort from many people including the interior designer. So you need to learn to work with them.

David Graham is the MD of Grahams Hi-Fi, and a past Chairman of CEDIA UK. Grahams Hi-Fi is a found member of CEDIA UK and is one of the UK's leading custom installation companies, supplying and installing a wide range of systems from single-room high-end hi-fi and home cinema to complete whole-house integrated solutions.

www.grahams.co.uk