Virtual blueprints

Web-based interior design services are growing in popularity, even though the designer never steps into the room. These services are faster and less expensive than the usual terms of a designer-client relationship and they are largely conducted online.

Clients typically e-mail photos of their rooms, fill out a questionnaire and pay a flat fee. Weeks later, sometimes sooner, they receive a customised design plan that can be implemented with pieces from retail stores and websites.

Cost-effective and convenient, web consulting is just another example of the democratisation of interior design, a luxury once afforded only by the wealthy.

Fuelled by an increasing number of cable TV shows, shelter magazines and design blogs, homeowners and renters of every income level have been inspired to put a personal stamp on their interiors.

Web-based services not only encourage design, they make it easier to accomplish and allow clients more-affordable access to designers outside their geographical area.

Just a master plan “People now are design savvy. They want a designer, they want a designed house but they can't always afford one,'' says Los Angeles-based designer Betsy Burnham. “Sometimes all they need is that master plan.''

While focusing on larger projects to build her business, Burnham had to turn away clients with smaller projects and budgets. So she created Instant/space, a flat-fee service for clients who want design but not a full-time interior designer.

According to her website, Instant/space is for those who have a limited budget, want to address only one or two rooms, or want to work in their own time frame based on a master plan.

Four to six weeks after an initial phone call, questionnaire and e-mail exchange (and, of course, payment), Instant/space clients receive a handsome linen-covered box in the mail containing a scale drawing of the room, an inspiration board, a shopping list and swatch books with all furniture, fabric and paint suggestions.

The one-time fee in the US ranges from $895 to $1,495 (Dh3,288 to Dh5,492) per room.

Anne-Marie, 33, and Brandon Kavulla, 36, of New York used Burnham's service for five rooms of their Upper East Side apartment.

“I had never done anything like this before but I thought: this is our beautiful apartment, I don't want to screw it up,'' Anne-Marie says. “At this stage in our life and family, we didn't want to spend a good portion of our budget on someone's salary. We would rather spend it on the necessary items we needed for our apartment. ... They came up with a design statement for our entire apartment and it's helping us pick out everything. It does give you a little work to do, but it's fun.''

Designers who offer internet consulting acknowledge that seeing a space in person is optimal and that these alternative services are merely meant to provide inspiration and to point people in the right direction.

Others dismiss the concept entirely, arguing that the impersonal nature sabotages good design from the get-go. “Good, strong design is based on a strong client-designer relationship,'' says designer Patrick Baglino.

“Some of the most important things are the details and they come from being in the space, ... adding accessories, bringing in the personality of the client. It's important that a designer actually see the space.''

Without seeing a room in person, he adds, it's impossible to accurately account for such factors as scale, colour and lighting. “There's value in hiring an interior designer.

You're paying for education, expertise and knowledge of things such as spatial relationships, balance, scale and rhythm.

“Those are aspects integral to interior design that you can't cover by looking at a picture and filling in the blanks. It's not just about making pretty.''

American companies and what they offer

Instant/space

Betsy Burnham, Burnham Design, Los Angeles, www.instantspacedesign.com

• What you get: A concept board; detailed schematic of the furniture plan drawn to scale; samples of fabrics, wallpaper/paint and flooring; shopping list of resources; step-by-step explanation of how to complete the plan. All items are packaged in a presentation box and mailed to the client.
  
• Turnaround time: Four to six weeks
  Room-to-go
  Megan Arquette, Bungalow
  Home Staging & Design, Manhattan Beach, California, www.beachbungalow8.blogspot.com
  
• What you get: An inspiration board; hand-drawn floor plan; samples of wallpaper, fabric and paint colours; a list and photos of suggested furnishings with dimensions and prices; a resource list for all items and labour, if necessary. All items are packaged in a presentation box and mailed to the client.
  
• Turnaround time: Four to six weeks Virtual Decorating
  Linda Merrill, Chameleon Interiors, Duxbury, Massachusetts, www.chameleon-interiors.com
  
• What you get: Merrill offers a range of services, including telephone consultations, home staging plans and floor plans with rendered drawings, recommendations for furniture sizes, and, in most cases, four to six layout options per room. Everything is generally delivered via e-mail; regular mail service available.
  
• Turnaround time: Varies according to selected service. E-Decorating Vanessa De Vargas, Turquoise, Los Angeles, www.turquoise-la.com
  
• What you get: A design board, a detailed description of where to place furnishings and accessories, and list of links to all resources needed to complete the project. Suggestions can include paint, wallpaper, fabric, rugs, lighting, furniture, art and window treatment options. Everything is delivered via e-mail.
  
• Turnaround time: Two-and-a-half weeks
  Decorating Advice John and Sherry Petersik, This Young House blog, Virginia, www.thisyounghouse.com
  
• What you get: A custom “mood board'', a new furniture layout, suggestions for paint, lighting, furniture and accessories, and a list of all resources. (All suggestions are available for immediate purchase online.) Mood boards are posted on the blog and all additional information is sent via e-mail.
  
• Turnaround time: One week