Our world has become increasingly connected over the internet, whether that be ordering packages from Amazon, keeping up with high school friends on Facebook, or just looking at far off places with a click of your mouse. This has become even more true since the pandemic, with many people still ordering groceries online or working from home.

With so many online services and applications available nowadays, you may wonder if the same is true of the interior design industry. Online interior design, often called e-design, is indeed an option you may consider when starting your design journey. Read on to learn more about online vs. local interior design and what we recommend for our clients.

E-design, or Online Interior Design

As the name suggests, an online interior designer offers design services for your home but in an entirely online manner. Websites like Decorist or Havenly allow customers to sign up and access a directory of designers nationwide to work with, and some interior design firms offer an e-design package separate from their traditional design services so they can work with clients who potentially live hundreds of miles away. Either way, this type of process is entirely remote, meaning there are no in-person visits with the designer in the design space. Communication would be done via email, phone calls, or video calls, and everything from design concepts to final proposals would be sent digitally.

Many proponents of this type of interior design cite cost and DIY benefits. Hiring design services online often end up being much more budget-friendly since the client is taking on a lot of the work that a designer would typically do. In this scenario, the client is typically responsible for taking pictures, getting measurements, ordering furniture, opening packages, and styling their home - all tasks that a full-service interior designer that is local to the client would take care of themselves. This makes for more of a time-commitment on the part of the client but also allows for a lot of creative control. If you know what you want your space to look like and just want some guidance on colors or floor plan arrangement, you can hire an e-designer to generate a plan and give you shopping list suggestions, and then you take it from there. Outside of that advice, going with an online interior design service becomes a DIY project, which may be just what you’re looking for!

In summary, the features of e-design include:

• Remote consultations

• Tends to cost less money

• Many designers to choose from nationwide, but limited vendor options

• Time saved with a much quicker design process

• Time commitment with taking measurements, ordering, unpacking, and arranging

• Generic, average-quality products from online retailers

• Generalized customer service experience

• Perfect for someone who already has a strong sense of what they want and wants to work on a DIY project

Traditional (and local) Interior Design

In a traditional interior design process, there are still some aspects that take place online (this is the 21st century after all!) but there is the added benefit of in-person and in-home meetings. After an initial discovery call, a designer will typically visit the house in order to get a feel for the space, take measurements, and further discuss the client’s wants and needs. If you are going with a traditional interior design service with these kinds of home visits, you will be looking locally, or at least within comfortable driving distance. This may mean you have more limited options, as opposed to an online designer who can be from anywhere with an internet connection, but benefits include getting someone who knows the area, what the local trends are, and other trade professionals in the area you might want to consult.

Highlights of going the more traditional route with your interior designer include the in-person contact and expertise. There is a distance and impersonality inherent in working with someone solely online, and this problem is only exacerbated when your project is as creative and artistic as interior design. If you are really trying to impart a vision and aesthetic to someone, having them physically in the space with you to talk it out is invaluable. You get a more personable customer service experience, and getting to know you as a person is so helpful when creating a space for you to live in and enjoy. In addition, the money you are spending on this service is not going to waste, though the price tag may seem high. You are paying for the designer’s knowledge of products and vendors, talent in styling and accessorizing rooms, and work in arranging all the ordering and delivery. In traditional, local interior design, you are getting white-glove service where everything is included and very little work outside of input of your design preferences is required.

In summary, the features of local interior design include:

• In-home visits

• Tends to be more expensive

• Local knowledge of the area and a large collection of trustworthy vendors

• Time commitment of a long process from initial conversations to final furniture installation

• Time saved with all logistics handled by the design team

• High-quality, custom products from vendors who do not sell to general consumers

• Personable, white-glove customer service

• Perfect for someone who wants a professional’s eye on their project and all the details to be taken care of

Which should I choose?

As you have read, there are pros and cons to both e-design and local design services. It is worth taking some time to consider your options and decide which is best for you, but we are of the opinion that hiring local is ideal. Despite the appeal of a lower price tag, there are many benefits to having a local designer on your team that just can’t be beat.

Being able to see the space we are designing for in-person is an invaluable asset to us during our process. We can freely move about the space and make adjustments to make everything look beautiful. If you see a designer seemingly changing angles of accessories or making sure the curtains hang just so, this is not simply idle fidgeting, but part of the process of styling. Buying furniture and putting it in place is not ultimately what pulls a room together and helps it feel finished. Being able to move objects around and play with them to get the perfect composition is a skill most homeowners do not have, and so being left to your own devices with e-design can make your final design feel off. Designers have an eye for this kind of thing, so hiring a local designer that can come to physically see your home is key. The quality of designers also tends to be higher in person. There’s more distance when there is a phone or computer screen between you, and working with you face-to-face and in such an intimate way means that you will receive much more quality service.

Online designers also do not do the ordering of furniture for you; you are often given a shopping list to go purchase for yourself. This does not always ensure that you are getting the most high-quality pieces for your home. Ever ordered clothing online you thought you’d love only to discover that it is uncomfortable or the wrong size? Don’t make that mistake with hundreds of dollars worth of furniture! In addition, e-designers make their money off of commission on furniture, so the options they can provide are limited to vendors they have affiliate relations with. A benefit of getting the full-service design package from a local designer is that they have pre-existing relationships with many, many vendors whose products are either unavailable or more expensive for the general consumer. These designers can get discounts off the typical listed price, order custom pieces to make sure you get exactly what you want, and have fully vetted the furniture makers so you can be assured you are getting quality furniture pieces that will last for a long time. They also have trade relationships within your area, so if you need any remodeling or construction work done as part of your project, you have someone who can make recommendations and collaborate with these contractors.

Finally, there is a lot of work done behind-the-scenes before the final furniture pieces are in place at your home. Products have to be ordered, which entails making sure items are in stock, figuring out shipping, and double-checking everything looks right before the final purchase. Products then have to be received, which entails hours and hours of waiting for pieces during long delivery windows. There is always a lot of packaging, including crates and boxes, that will need to be unwrapped and disposed of, and sometimes assembly is required for larger pieces. Not to mention the calls that have to be placed to customer service if there is an issue, which there always is, and this can be a big waste of time if you don’t have an inside sales representative you regularly work with. Everything then has to be moved into place, including heavy furniture pieces, and styled to look like the beautiful home you first imagined. Are you exhausted yet? Who has the time to do all of this? Your friendly neighborhood designer, that’s who! A full-service designer will take care of all of these logistics, communicate in a streamlined manner with vendors, freight companies, and receivers, and style everything for you after arranging delivery so you can immediately start enjoying your new space.

An e-designer may seem like an appealing option, and indeed, if budget is key and you want to go more DIY with your project or need only some guidance to find a couple pieces to complete a room, then that might be the best fit for you. However, our clients tend to want a more personalized experience with high-quality, custom furniture. Life is hectic enough without having to juggle eight different tracking numbers or stress out about which direction to angle your coffee table in relation to your sofa. Hiring a local interior designer will reduce a lot of that worry and create a home environment you will enjoy for a long time.