Shoulda, Woulda, Coulda

I just finished the fantastic article Shoulda, Woulda, Couldafrom This Old House magazine (July/August 2007). The article discusses the top kitchen remodeling regrets from surveyed readers who survived large-scale remodeling projects. Regrets such as “We let the contractor decide too much”, “I hate the floor” and “I work harder than my appliances do” are sad, but unsurprising to me: the homeowners didn’t have insurance.

“Insurance?”, you ask. “What, like homeowner’s insurance? You have to have that.” Nope, I’m talking about the concept of design insurance. It’s a virtual policy you take out at the start of a project when you hire a qualified, educated interior designer to assist with the entire remodel. Sure, the kitchen designer will give you a fantastic work triangle and the general contractor will make sure that your cabinets are placed properly and the subs show up as scheduled, but who will help you make the hundreds of decisions that ultimately allow you to LIVE better in your home?

If you’ve ever had a family member or friend with cancer, you know that multiple medical professionals play a part in the patient’s treatment. The surgeon, the oncologist and the general practitioner all call the shots, but who looks out for the patient? The care coordinator. It’s a revolutionary idea to have a liason for the family who talks with all the players to give the patient the most succinct information to help them recover.

Similarly, an educated interior designer plays the part of the liason, interperting the general contractor’s timelines and code restrictions, and incorporating beauty into the kitchen designer’s functional plan. A good interior designer is insurance against design mistakes, preventing a homeowner’s worst remodeling outcome: the “shoulda, woulda, coulda” lament.

The kitchen design above features the HDD studio courtesy of McDaniel’s Kitchen and Bath. Kelly Smith’s design perfectly reflects the eclectic decor of the studio. If you’d like to work with a highly skilled, thorough, hard-working, funny kitchen designer, call Kelly at McDaniel’s.