There is no single answer to this question. The purpose of this article is to help you set criteria and be clear about what to expect. At the moment, the Bulgarian market has a wide selection of furniture manufacturing companies that work with quality. Furniture manufacturing involves many different operations, each of which requires appropriate equipment. For different types of furniture, there are correspondingly different specifics of production. For example, some companies specialize and are good at producing chipboard furniture, others at MDF or solid wood furniture. Some are specialists in making bent doors, others have their own paint booth, others have the modern technology of CNC machines that carve all kinds of complex details. Designers and technologists work for each of these companies. But do they have specialist- interior designers? This is the question that should be asked of the company if they offer to do you a free interior design. They will even offer you free 3D visualizations. What happens after that?
Option 1: The company has an interior designer and he does a great job with good and functional furnishings. Expected positive results:
– The designer understands construction and functionality (or at least has a colleague specialist whom to consult) and the furniture proposed for the interior will be good, suitable and feasible.
– Performance will match the preview. The relationship designer – designer, constructor is very short. They will not shift blame and responsibility.
This is the best option.
How free the project is, is debatable, because it is possible that at least part of the interior design service will be financially included in the execution of the order. But that’s okay. An interior designer should receive an adequate salary for his work.
Option 2: The company has an interior designer, but because the design service they have offered you is free, the company has appointed a „cheap“ designer. He is probably either a fresh graduate with no experience or someone who works great on a 3D program but knows nothing about design, colors and proportions. Possible negative results:
– Most likely, the interior will not be very good, but since the project is free, they may convince you that everything is fine or ask for an additional amount for a new project.
– Functionality may not be perfect. It is possible that some door widths are not considered, for example, and you end up with wardrobe doors (with hinges) 50-60 cm wide with a corridor width of 95 cm. However, with this option, you are left with the hope that the interior can be obtained, with or without corrections.
Option 3: The company does not have an appointed interior designer. This is definitely not good. Expected negative results:
– It will most likely not result in a good design. The project will be assigned to the constructor, who is not a designer, but probably works on 3D program. While designing your interior, he will also have to juggle his other activities in the company, such as answering urgent questions of the workers on the shop floor, cutting the materials, writing out cost norms and materials, and maybe answering the phone from time to time. It is quite possible that the project has serious flaws and gaps. This is an example situation that mostly happens in smaller companies, but not necessarily.
For the best result and project, you need an interior designer, i.e. specialist focused on your project.
After I have presented the assumed options in which the furniture company designs the interior design, the following question arises: Is it good to order interior design from a furniture company?
Again, the answer is not straightforward, but my advice is as follows:
1. If your desire is mainly for furniture and you have no design requirements – then you can entrust the interior design to the furniture company.
2. If you have requirements for an original and distinctive design – definitely hire a professional, i.e. interior designer. And yet – even if you don’t want an impressive design, keep in mind that the company will only prepare the design of the furniture and the furniture itself. Furniture company will not provide drawings of installations or other elements of the interior that will be given for construction work. Also, you yourself will have to choose suitable lighting fixtures, curtains, wallpaper, latex for the walls, etc. The listed activities are part of the mandatory activities of the professional interior designer, but not of the furniture companies.