Embracing Digital Design
/The Interior Design industry has a reputation for being a bit snobbish when it comes to digital design.
We understand why! Trained and experienced high end designers spend countless hours honing their skills and building relationships with their vendors and artisans. They then spend countless hours with each luxury client, curating every detail of a space to create a true work of art. Even in the luxury market, these established designers are finding that some clients want to “shop” online to see what they can find and to try to score a “deal",” and this creates a lot of frustration for designers and their clients alike. Designers find themselves having to justify cost of product and their knowledge and experience from time to time, and clients can feel cheated even though they are usually getting a truly top level quality design when they trust in their designer.
Noel Gatts, Owner/Designer at beam&bloom displays a digital e-design mood board
As a young, grass-roots boutique studio, our perspective on digital design is different. We’ve always worked with a middle market clientele and hand in hand with the current climate of online shopping and digital presentations. We specialize in affordable digital design packages while still being able to offer high quality full service design packages. In any instance, we aim to charge appropriately for our time and expertise, and offer product purchasing when it’s mutually beneficial, which is always the case through full service design packages but can be an option even with e-design.
Many people are curious about our process, so we thought that we’d share a bit about it here, and show some examples!
Digital Design, or “e-design”, allows us to work and present to clients remotely, and allows our clients to save money by doing some of the legwork on their own. We call this our “budding” package.
Mood Board for an e-design client by Noel Gatts at beam&bloom interiors; Crate & Barrel bookshelf, World Market media console, Interior Define Sofa, Article chairs, Cb2 poufs, plant pots and lamp, West Elm arched lamp, Annie Selke rug, houzz coffee table, Lulu & Georgia blue pillow, Loloi mustard pillow
For exclusively digital “e-design”, we start with a complimentary phone consult, then send clients a detailed questionnaire to fill out along with photos and measurements of their space. From there, we turn around an initial draft of their design within ten business days per room. This includes a Mood Board, 3D renderings of their space with actual product, and 2D Layout floor plans.
3D Virtual rendering for an e-design client by Noel Gatts at beam&bloom interiors
2D Layout for an e-design client in NYC by Noel Gatts at beam&bloom interiors. YES the room was crooked!
We await feedback, and tweak as needed over the next 15 business days. Clients leave with a clear path to purchase, and directions to set up their space!
actual client space BEFORE beam&bloom local e-design hybrid package services. A big challenge here was the requirement that we keep the sofa. We did shift the chaise.
For our local clients, we always recommend our “e-design hybrid” option which we call our “beaming” package. This includes an initial on site consult where we take the necessary photos and measurements of the space. The client still fills out the relevant portion of the questionnaire, and then we are set to start designing.
We spend a lot of time referring to our “BEFORE” pictures to ensure that the measurements all make sense. It also helps us find hidden decor gems from time to time. The initial draft and feedback are the same process as our e-design package, but at the end we come do a “styling session.” This means a Designer and an assistant come on site to set and adjust furniture and rugs, help hang art, place decor items and style shelves. The value of this is immense!
Mood Board by Noel Gatts, beam&bloom interiors. Crate and Barrel multicolor pillow and fireplace candelabra, Cb2 black and white pillow, curtains, brass bud vase and acrylic coffee table, West Elm geometric pillow, World Market teal Ombre pillow and brass side table, Target.com tripod lamp, wallpaper and vases, Ahart geometric black and wood end table, Parazza white rug, beach art, half moon art, rOUND MIRROR
3D Digital rendering by Noel Gatts, Designer beam&bloom
Actual client space after design implementation AND STYLING by Noel Gatts, beam&bloom
Another view of the actual space AFTER design implementation and styling by beam&bloom interiors
AFTER styling by beam&bloom interiors
AFTER styling by beam&bloom interiors
The proper placement of rugs and furnishings and the well thought out position of art and decor items can make ALL the difference in a space, and many people who struggle with design really need this help. Sometimes there are improvisations required depending on the client’s available art etc., and we find that changes here and in the original concept of lighting and pillow placement can be adjusted for an even more balanced space. We love to give our clients the refined and styled finished product that only an in person visit from their designer can provide.
Noel Gatts, Owner/Designer at beam&bloom interiors
Our clients are busy professionals, first time homeowners, overwhelmed parents and/or folks who just don’t have the skills to make their house a home. They need the helping hand of a talented designer without having to spend a fortune on custom finishes or hours shopping for themselves. Many of them benefit from the convenience of digital design. We started in this digital market, and it still has our heart. We also love to provide full service design for more luxurious spaces with higher budgets, and we add these projects into the mix. But, we’ve found a way to make design an “affordable luxury” that lasts, and to make it attainable to almost anyone. We plan to continue to learn, grow, improve and provide a new generation of clients this unique opportunity to hire a dedicated interior designer with ease.