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interior design

Why Hire a Designer to Help with Your Retail Design and Management

The design and management of your retail store is part of a greater collective of people dedicated to opening a top-notch shop. The interior design of your retail store has a much greater impact on your potential customer’s experience than you may think, so choosing to invest a percentage of your budget in a professional retail design studio can deliver a high return on investment (ROI).

From your store layout to effective retail signage, your retail concept should be represented continuously in a well-designed and managed store. By working with a design expert to ensure that your store is inviting and inspires purchases, you can streamline your sales processes and create a best-in-class customer experience.

A Designer with Retail Design Experience

A retail designer is an experienced professional who helps shop owners cultivate their retail brand in the built environment. From signage to window displays, a retail designer will help you manage varying aspects of your store’s design concepts.

How Can Your Store Benefit from a Retail Designer?

Because a retail designer has a diverse skill set, they can help businesses create effective retail environments that promote sales and create an inviting and comforting experience for shoppers. They can also benefit your storefront in the following ways:

·      Retail designers will help you avoid mistakes. Because of their experience and knowledge in the industry, a retail designer is often equipped with a network of contractors and connections that can streamline your renovations and help you make the most out of your design and construction budget.

·      Retail designers can help you manage and make well-informed budget decisions. Creating a well-rounded and efficient budget for your retail store can be a painful process ridden with obstacles and challenges. However, retail designers boast their knowledge of regulations, zoning, and industry research to help you account for all budgetary needs to create a budget and future-forward plan to get your retail space off the ground.

·      Retail designers can help you manage your brand and create a cohesive design flow throughout your store. Your retail shop’s branding doesn’t stop with logo creation. Retail designers realize that your store’s story and brand should be woven into every detail of your store, and will work with you to manage your decision-making process and create an ambiance that reflects your brand.

Are You Ready to Optimize Your Retail Design and Management Process?

Choosing to work with a retail designer and manager is a worthy investment that both current and future shop owners should consider. Whether you’re in the midst of a rebrand or simply want to open a shop that entices your target consumer, your retail design will help you capture and retain a loyal customer base.

Want to learn more about what a retail designer help you with your new store?

Contact us today to discuss our future-forward services.

Renovation Time: How to Plan the Duration of Your Home Improvement Project

How much time should you allocate for a new home renovation?

Home renovations are each a unique project to the space and the changes you want to make. Naturally, renovating a small bathroom will take less time than the same depth of renovations in the kitchen. Repainting your cabinetry will take less time than rebuilding the whole cabinet set.  No matter how big or small your renovations, it is vital to know the real time estimate for the duration

Time Your Renovation in Stages

How long will your renovation take? This is easiest to answer in stages. Consider each state necessary, from ripping out the old features to building brand new features – each stage takes time. Roughly, you can allot 2 hours of time per day per team reliably and up to 6 hours of rotating shifts. The number of tasks, in total, that make up your renovation project will determine how long it will take to complete. 

You can also look up each type of renovation task to determine how much must be built before other features are built around it.

Example Renovation Stages 8-20 weeks

  • Planning & Design Stage – 2-4 weeks
  • Supply Delivery – 2-8 weeks
  • Tear-Out Stage – 1-2 weeks
  • Utility Line Stage – 1-2 weeks
  • Fixtures and Features – 1 week
  • Structures, Cabinets, and Countertops – 1-4 weeks
  • Paints, Finishes, and Sealcoat – 2-5 days

It can be as small as a quick bathroom renovation, to the whole gut renovation, which could be 6 months long!

Make Plans to Stay Somewhere Else

Most home renovations are less than enjoyable to live next to. Homes are often open with sheets of plastic and privacy is not guaranteed. Once you have determined how long your home renovation is likely to be, you can make plans to safely stay elsewhere. Pack up the family and catch a stay-cation at a local resort, visit relatives, or stay with a nearby friend. You can also book a vacation rental – temporarily renting a vacation-style home in the suburbs for comfort and convenience without the complexity of living in a hotel for a few weeks or months.

Causes for Home Renovation Delays

  • Design changes
  • Supplier shortages
  • Shipping delays
  • Poor weather (outdoor work)

Another serious consideration is that delays happen. Most contractors will advise you to add a few extra days to your schedule to account for delays.  Project delays can come from a variety of sources. If you have a project exposed to the outside, then weather plays a role. Lately, we’ve faced widespread manufacturing and transport shortages, leading to supply and shipping delays. If the homeowner makes a design change, this can also result in a delay as plans change.

Calculate and plan for delays so that a late shipment or poor weather doesn’t throw off your entire estimated schedule for completion.

Ordering Furniture for Your Renovated Home

When your work experiences no delays and contractors can arrive throughout the week, often deliveries are the one thing you have to plan furthest ahead. Special ordered building materials can take weeks or months to arrive.

Home renovations also tend to pair with redecoration and new furniture. Ordering new furniture for your home can take 6-8 weeks for delivery. This is part of the reason why it’s important to have a complete design plan before you begin. By ordering your furniture and building materials early, you can optimize their delivery time for when your renovation project is ready to put them to use. Ordering furniture early ensures the furniture is available when the work on your house is done and you’re ready to redecorate.

How long does a home improvement project take? It depends on the stages of home improvement and the shipment times for the materials, fixtures, and furniture your project needs. Work with your contractors (or DIY your plan) to order your goods early. You can choose to start work when your materials arrive or time their arrival as you move through the stages of your home renovation project.

Looking for trendy, beautiful furniture for your new home design? Contact us today.

4 Home Interior Design Tips for Cozy Living

Nothing is as inviting, heavenly, and comfortable as a well-decorated home with a cozy living area. Maybe it’s how the furniture is arranged or how the lighting casts a warm and welcoming glow. Whatever it is, there’s just something about a perfectly decorated home that makes you want to curl up with a good book and never leave. 

Picking a home interior design style is your thin line between an inviting and comfortable home and a cold, sterile one. It’s essential to choose a style that reflects your personality and allows you to feel comfortable in your home. 

While the process can be daunting, we’ve compiled a few tips to help you smoothen your interior design process for your home.

What to Prepare Before Meeting with Your Interior Designer

Like any other important meeting in your life, there are a few things you should do before meeting with your interior designer for the first time. Prior preparation will make the session more productive and allow you to get to know your designer and see if they’re a good fit for your project. Here are a few key things you should do before meeting with your interior designer.

1. Define your project scope

The first step is to define the scope of your project clearly. Are you renovating your whole home or just one room? What is your budget? When do you need the project to be completed? These are all important questions that need to be answered before meeting with your designer.

2. Gather inspiration boards

Inspiration boards are an excellent way to communicate your design preferences to your designer. Collect images of rooms or designs you like and compile them into a board. 

This will give your designer a better understanding of your style and help them to better cater to your needs. Pinterest is a great place to start when looking for inspiration images. Create a board and start saving images that inspire you.

3. Know your design style and aesthetic preferences

Design styles vary significantly from one person to the next. What kind of look are you going for? Classic, modern, or eclectic? Be sure to have a good understanding of your design style before meeting with your designer. 

Your aesthetic preference is also an important factor to consider. Do you prefer a minimalist look, or are you more drawn to traditional designs? Be detailed in your descriptions to ensure that your designer knows exactly what you’re looking for.

4. What’s Your Budget

How much are you willing to spend on your home interior design project? This is an important question to ask before meeting with your designer. They will be able to give you a better idea of what is possible within your budget and help you to make the most of your money. Be realistic in your expectations, and don’t be afraid to ask for discounts.

What Files and Documents Do You Need?  

You’ll need to have a few key documents and files before your interior designer can start working on your project. These include:

  • A floor plan of your home (or the room you’re renovating)
  • Measurements of all the rooms in your home
  • Photos of your home (or the room you’re renovating)
  • Samples of materials you’d like to use in your project (e.g., paint, flooring, color scheme, furniture, etc.)
  • Any design preferences or inspiration boards you’ve created
  • Any sketches or ideas you have for the project

Ensure to have all of these documents ready and organized before meeting with your designer. This will help them better understand your project and make the design process much smoother.

The Value of Good Interior Design

A well-designed home looks good and reflects your personality, allowing you to feel comfortable in your home. Investing in quality interior design can also increase the value of your home, making it a wise investment for the future. 

While choosing an interior designer can be daunting, it’s important to remember that their job is to make your dreams a reality. You can rest assured that they will deliver a stunning finished product by providing them with a clear vision and all the necessary information.

How Working with a Designer will Save You Money

Interior design can be a costly affair – especially if you’re not familiar with the process. Besides the many benefits of working with an experienced interior designer, they can help you save money in the long run. How do they do this? You may ask.

  • They will help you avoid bad contractors who can do more harm than good, resulting in more costs for repairing and fixing stuff.
  • Interior designers know where to find quality materials at a fraction price as they are well connected with suppliers.
  • An interior designer can also be a great asset in helping you stay on budget. They will work with you to choose finishes and materials that fit your budget and meet your needs.
  • Designers also have a keen eye for detail and can spot potential problems before they become costly.

Let OPENUU Help You Design Your Next Project

Partnering with a reliable and experienced interior designer will help you create a beautiful and functional space that you will love for years to come. They will help you stay on budget, navigate the design process, and avoid costly mistakes. 

At OPENUU, we understand that each project is unique and take the time to get to know our clients so that we can create a space that reflects their individual styles. With us, you’re guaranteed a finished product that is stylish and practical.

Contact us for a free consultation today to learn more about how we can help you with your next project!

Essential Baby Nursery Decor for Fashion and Function

There is nothing that compares to the magic of having a new baby in the home. From the second they cross through the threshold into the house, you want them to know that it is a safe, comfortable, and inviting space for them for the rest of their lives. Baby nurseries are a challenge because you want them to have decor that is aesthetically appealing to your little one but at the same time functional for midnight feedings. These baby nursery decor ideas are a combination of fun and functional for everyone involved. 

Comfortable Arm Chair

Any mom will tell you that if there is one piece of furniture you want in a nursery other than the crib, it is a comfortable armchair, preferably one that reclines a little. This chair will grow with your needs from midnight feedings to mid-day naps to storytime when they get a little older. Choose a fabric and color that is relatively neutral, so the chair will fit your decor no matter how your taste changes over the years. 

Changing Table

A changing table may seem like a luxury, but it is well worth the investment, especially if you are changing a lot of diapers in the middle of the night. A changing table saves a lot of time and energy from changing your baby on the ground, and it is a lot easier to clean than the carpet if an accident happens. A dresser with a built-in changing table on top is excellent even if you already have a dresser because babies always need extra storage for toys, blankets, and other baby stuff.  Again, it is an excellent idea to get one in a neutral color or one that you can paint to always fit in well with your decor. 

Soft Rug

Having a soft rug is a good idea even if you have carpet in the room because some carpets can be rough on a baby’s sensitive skin. A rug is great to pull a room together and give you traction on smooth wood surfaces in the middle of the night. It is also great to be able to put your baby down and let them explore their world without worrying about them hurting themselves on hard surfaces. The nice thing about a rug is that if it is well-maintained, it will last a long time and can even be moved to a different room if it’s no longer needed in the nursery. 

Wall Art

Babies’ minds develop at a crazy pace, and they are always looking for new stimuli in every form.- so give them something to focus on and decode with colorful wall art. A few other ideas are going big with a lively wallpaper and customizing the baby’s room by putting their name over their crib. Pro tip: get some wall art that you’ll like too, because there will be plenty of sleepless nights where you can’t do anything but stare at the wall. 

Night Light/Noise Machine 

As your baby gets a little older and transitions to their own room, you will savor the few-hour stretches of sleep you start to get. Squeeze the most time you can by getting a white noise machine that will help to soothe your baby to sleep and hopefully keep them sleeping longer. There are plenty of options out there but you may find the best ones for you to be ones specifically made for babies as they often mimic the sounds of being in the womb.

Time to Play

If you are planning for a baby, congratulations! Now is the time to start playing with ideas to make your baby’s room as accessible and cozy as possible for them and you.

Contact us for design ideas and furniture to furnish your baby’s new room and make it not just a place to sleep but a place where the whole family makes memories.