Ever wonder why you should hire an interior designer? What is it like working with an interior designer? You may ask yourself questions like what is the interior design process really like? How will an interior designer get to know my style? Is hiring an interior designer worth the cost?
BEFORE: Kay’s 30 year old dining set and china cabinets no longer had the aesthetic she desired.
After 30 years in her previous home, ShaSha Interiors client Kay Ritchie was looking for a new and fresh look for her new construction home. She was ready for a complete refresh on all her furnishings and worked with Marsha Anderson to achieve her ideal space. We sat down with Kay for a Q&A to hear her thoughts on the process, what it’s like working with Marsha, and learn why you should hire an interior designer.
Q. What about your home led you to consider an interior design project?
A. “I had just moved into my new home in Lake Elmo that I built. None of my old furniture worked. It was all 30 years old, the old colors like hunter green and peach. I was tired of it. Even my dining set, it just seemed too big and clunky in this nice new space.”
Q. How did you come to the decision to hire an interior designer versus a DIY approach?
A. “At first, I thought I could do it, but making everything flow is hard. Plus it was right in the middle of Covid, and the idea of going around shopping in a ton of stores was not attractive to me. Some friends suggested I hire an interior designer.”
Q. How did you hire ShaSha Interiors as your interior designer?
AFTER: Key loves her new sleek and contemporary dining set with custom built buffet
A. “I went to Homeadvisor.com, and I was looking for somebody in the Woodbury area. I contacted a couple names, and Marsha got back to me first, and we clicked! She is so vibrant and bubbly, and I enjoyed her right off the bat.”
Q. What style or look were you after in your home?
A. “My old style is not the style I wanted, so we had to wipe that clean and start with something new. I like casual contemporary. Sleeker lines. Comfortable. I really wanted to stay in the neutrals, creams, grays and brown so that I could have splashes of color around and be able to change things up a bit. I got everything new. The only thing I didn’t change were the two bedroom sets.”
Q. How does the interior design process work?
A. “Marsha was real fun to work with. She is very knowledgeable in fabrics. It took a little while, because [Marsha] had to learn my style. There were a few things that she would show me at first and I would say ‘Oh no, we are not on the same page!’ But then she just clicked, and she just gets it. And from that point on she would be in a store and take a picture of something and send it to me, and she’d say, ‘What do you think about this?’ And that is basically how I picked out everything!
AFTER: Kay wanted beige! She found a neutral palette to be calm and comforting. Even though I’m known as the color gal, if the client likes beige, I work with beige.
She even helped me design a custom buffet to go under the piano windows and match the Amish dining table I had built. She would come every other day with little knick-knacks, and stuff for the walls, potted plants, stuff that I would have never picked out and then it’s perfect. I am so pleased with the way everything turned out.” Related: See more about Interior Design Services at ShaSha Interiors
Q. How are you enjoying your new space?
A. “I have been entertaining like crazy, which I hadn’t done at my previous house. All my neighbors and friends come over and say how great it looks too. They have hired Marsha for projects too! I’m so pleased.”
Thank you Kay for sharing your project and some behind the scenes info! To Learn more about how to hire an interior designer for your home, the costs of hiring an interior designer or to lean more about working with Marsha, see our contact page.