Recently, a friend asked me why I want to be a designer. I smiled and said “I had my ideas stolen all the time, now I want to sell them instead.” Both of us laughed at the joke as we knew that it could not be further from the truth. Over the years, I have learned that in interior design and maybe in everything else, ideas alone are not enough. It is execution that matters. You are a dreamer when you have great ideas, but you are a winner if you know how to turn those ideas into reality.
Why is execution so important? Because if we don’t know how to implement an idea, we cannot evaluate it. In order to judge if the idea is worthwhile – possible, practical, and budget-friendly – we have to figure out an execution plan. There is information we need to find, materials we need to have, and people we need to know. It would be valuable if we have such knowledge, connection, and experience in advance. An idea might seem very promising until we find out that it would be prohibitively costly or even impossible to execute.
Knowing how to follow through with the execution plan is another important matter. From a simple repair project to a more comprehensive renovation, there are so many ways a project can go off track. It is common that a construction project is overdue and over-spent. An interior designer should be not only a thoughtful draftsperson but also a competent project manager. As someone who has done one thing over and over again, the designer can save us from making avoidable mistakes. Even when we have a detailed plan, troubles will arise unexpectedly. Having someone to ask questions and rely on is reassuring.
It is always a big step from a 3D sketch to a completed interior. An interior designer does not just sell ideas, she ensures that the ideas work. She is the bridge between an idea and its materialization. That is why I want to be a designer: to be that bridge and to see my ideas taking place.