Digital Meets Design

WRITTEN BY GINGER HARTFORD

Personalized design is more accessible than ever through online design solutions.

Do you find yourself scrolling through aspirational Insta-interiors feeling oh so inspired but needing some help to make it happen? Whether you plan to decorate for living, dining, or sleeping spaces, professional interior design services can be just a click away with e-design, aka design online.

E-design encompasses all the digital tools available to help you visualize, design, and create your space, truly a homeowner’s decorating innovation. What can that mean for you and your next project? Imagine this scenario: virtually color matching your favorite art or textiles with color palettes from the likes of Sherwin- Williams’ COLORSNAP app. Why not upload pictures of the same room while styling a new gallery wall or previewing original art before purchasing from online art marketplaces—all from your mobile device!

Interactive 3-D experiences around product images utilize advanced technology, making it easy for homeowners to preview images of home furnishings in the context of their own homes using smartphones as viewers. Not only can you see thousands of new product considerations, but you can also view them alongside your own furnishings and décor to gauge how art, wall décor, and accessories suit your own unique style and interiors. Digital visualization is becoming an expectation in the design process and path to purchase.

Professionals are not the only ones using design tools; homeowners now have more exposure to creative design apps, online tools, and interior design services from their beloved retail brands. Online shopping for the home is transforming the design experience and simplifying the process for decorating with expert advisers—all while building confidence in democratic design.

Homeowners today are significantly more active in purchasing home goods, including wall art, than they were before these tools existed. As we establish families and buy new homes, these tools make it easier to decorate or make over all manner of locations and lifestyles.

I’ve spent my career in the art and design industries, immersed in beauty, creativity, and tech. Yet I know firsthand how homeowners, busy families, and successful business people find it just as challenging to create a well designed home after all their other obligations. Sometimes, we just want professional help. As a designer who’s earned a patent from the United States Patent and Trademark Office for developing design technology, my online interior design service offers easy and exciting solutions for clients to design as needed without the intimidation or cost of a full-service designer.

I find clients, especially millennials, have a well-developed design aesthetic that follows art and style trends, but they also want high style, artful décor options, and affordable luxury. With digital adoption driving the rise of experiential retail and e-commerce, shoppers prefer personalized design and shopping experiences that factor in service, convenience, and technology. Digital design reflects how, when, and where people want to shop.

However, many homeowners still struggle to bring it all together, finding it hard to visualize what works. Their time is limited. Instagram, Pinterest, and magazine inspirations need not overwhelm. Designers can help you identify your unique style, shop for your dream home, design a beautiful space you’ll love, and save you time and hassle!

Regardless of your location, online design services offer all the creative and convenient benefits of having a designer style a house into a home, at your fingertips. Many designers are now offering online design services. The first step is to look for a designer who aligns with your style and inspires you creatively. Some services have designer rosters to match homeowners with a professional and allow you to view portfolios that meet your style needs. Partnering with your personal designer gives you insider access to ontrend products, trade-only brands, signature name-brand retailers, and budget-friendly resources from which to style and pull it all together. Are you starting with a blank canvas? Whether a room, multiple rooms, or a complete redesign of your home, professional e-design can help you transform your space into a home you love, by design.

Each designer’s process is a little different, but to give you an idea of how e-design works, let’s journey through my online design process.

STEP 01 PERSONALIZE

To begin, you simply select and purchase a preferred design package and complete a personalized design survey. Surveys help clarify your goals and define your vision, space, and style preferences while identifying the room(s) you’re looking to style. Design packages and deliverables may vary depending on your needs—whether styling art and accessories, individual rooms, or open-concept spaces. Remember that the fees for most online design services cover only design and product recommendations. Your designers will carefully curate a layout and recommend products based on your individualized style, budget, and design survey requests.

STEP 02 INSPIRATION

Once homeowners complete a personal design survey, designers collaborate with them on inspirations and color palette and then source and style what I like to call EURDESIGN. It’s about helping develop your own personal style. You’ll be asked to share photos of your space(s) along with personal items you’d like to incorporate. A floor plan with floor and wall measurements is essential to getting the process started. Inspiration photos and links to Pinterest, Instagram, or

"View My Room" tool by Houzz.com

Houzz inspiration boards are encouraged. It also helps to identify brands within your budget that have an aesthetic you’re drawn to. We are such a visual society. Yet, sometimes, I find clients are just unsure where to begin, so I curate signature styles into Pinterest inspiration boards to help educate, inspire, and offer a stylish starting point. A personal design consultation offers the opportunity to collaborate and align your vision with the professional design deliverables.

STEP 03 EURDESIGN 3D

From inspiration to reality! Using state-of-the-art visualization tools, designers create a personalized design concept, such as a presentation board, to curate home furnishings and accessory recommendations to meet homeowners’ goals, budgets, and styles. Designers provide one or two virtual design concepts to review recommendations and gather feedback for revisions and approval. This is an incredible value for homeowners, solving the biggest challenge in decorating spaces. Now you can “see” and trust in the professional interactive design to ensure the result is perfect. Naturally, a design may evolve based on feedback; for example, rugs or accessories may change slightly in design revisions. This is the fun part—the art of design!

STEP 04 DESIGNER STYLE

Along with the foundational furnishings, flooring, and window treatments, it’s the accessories and art that layer in to add character and complete the space. Your designer brings this creative vision to life in virtual reality. A floor plan or room guide gives homeowners a customized furniture layout to help arrange the design. I may also provide my clients with additional guides such as my helpful Style Guide for Client Installation, Artful Tips to Display Artwork, and Tips to Style a Bookcase, depending on the project.

STEP 05 SHOP THE DESIGN LIST

Once the final design is approved, I provide a complete shopping list of curated items to allow clients to shop the style. Essentially, homeowners can order and implement at their own pace, styling room-by-room. My clients have found that the convenient value-added concierge design service of curating, coordinating, and direct-shipping the items on their behalf is an incredible time saver.

Throughout the online design process, homeowners are empowered through collaboration so the final design feels distinctively their own. E-design is an exciting, affordable, and easy process to access expert designers, so you don’t waste time second-guessing yourself. Great design may be only a click away, but the results make a style statement to last, bring joy to our surroundings, and uplift our daily lives—that’s a design guideline for success!

Founder and Executive Director of EurDesign Studio, Ginger Hartford is an accomplished business leader, national speaker and designer in the art and design industries. Known for her passions for interiors, travel, art and consulting, EURDESIGN STUDIO focuses on helping clients live an Artful Life, by Design; merging Inspiration with Intention!