Q&A with Jean: Joy Moyler on Working with an Interior Designer
In this Q&A session, we dive headfirst into the world of design with Joy Moyler, where she’ll navigate the ever-changing trends and empower you to translate them into budget-friendly masterpieces. Get ready to discover clever tips and tricks for injecting personality into your space without breaking the bank. Let’s unlock the secrets to stylish and affordable design, one question at a time!
Joy Moyler on how to work with an interior designer and budgeting for one, to the best materials for kitchens and bathrooms
Sweeten’s founder and CEO, Jean Brownhill chats with interior designer Joy Moyler, a designer listed in Architectural Digest‘s 2021 AD 100 and Elle Decor’s A-List for three years in a row. Joy shares interior deisnger tips on working with a design professional and what she thinks about today’s trends.
Watch the whole Instagram live video with Joy Moyler here.
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Jean: When should you include a designer in your home renovation project?
Joy: Bring an interior designer on board as soon as you know you want design services for a home renovation project. Do that immediately after you’ve sat down and identified your scope of work. You will want the designer to understand what your goals are.
Hash through those design elements very early on so your designer can help convey that design intent to your contractor. That’s what really starts the language to make certain your contractor understands your needs and the budget implications of your overall design goal. Your designer and your contractor will work in tandem to achieve those goals. They will mitigate any construction problems which may arise, particularly if you’re working in an older home.
Jean: Where do you start with a designer? How do you know what style you want?
Joy: Most clients don’t really have a real definition of particular styles. If you ask them, ‘What’s your design style?’, they don’t necessarily know that. Folks will often say, ‘Here’s a Pinterest board’ and try to develop a mood from that because they can’t really identify the styles.
They don’t really know what’s contemporary, what’s Baroque, what’s Art Deco, what’s classical. But they can look at something—an image—and that visual exactly identifies how they feel. Do they feel relaxed? Do they feel comfortable? Do they feel like they’ve been transported to another country? Do they like exotic elements or bohemian elements? How those items make them feel is really the storybook for what you want to tell. Sweeten brings homeowners an exceptional renovation experience by personally matching trusted general contractors to your project, while offering expert guidance and support—at no cost to you. Renovate to live, Sweeten to thrive!
Jean: How do you budget a designer?
Joy: Designers charge either flat fees or project fees. If you’re not really certain about whether you can splurge on a big project and have your designer see the project all the way through, you might just hire a designer to essentially do a concept fee. That designer will then sit down with you, identify your scope of work, and try to pull in elements and materials that you like. Identify the wood finishes. Do you want porcelain floors, tile, floors, marble floors? What kind of tile do you want? Do you want simple, basic subway tiles? Do you want a really elaborate laser-cut fancy tile?
Once you decide these things, go to any Home Depot or materials tile store. I recommend bringing samples to your initial consultation or first meeting with your designer. Showing ‘the kinds of things I like’ will start to identify early on where your budget’s going to go. As you’re developing your scope of work, you’re identifying for that person what the overall budget is going to be. The designer can help identify how many hours they will need to spend on the project. This will ultimately determine the designer’s fee, and how much time they need to commit to the project to see it through.
Again, if you don’t have a big budget for a designer, which is going to start likely at $5,000 for a concept fee or similar, at least you get enough to share with a contractor.
Jean: Is the black matte finish trendy?
Joy: I absolutely think it’s going to be trendy. I particularly recommend staying away from trends. If you anticipate being in your home for 30 years, in five years, you’re going to want to rip that black hardware out.
I suggest you stay within the realm of the nickels. Patina brass or unlacquered brass will take on a lovely patina over time and is one of my favorites. Yellow and white metals have longevity. They’ve been around hundreds of years and they work within any environment whether it’s contemporary, ultramodern, or traditional.
(Above) Sweeten homeowners Dawn and David’s kitchen remodel
Jean: What do you think about the subway tile trend? How do you personalize it?
Joy: I’m seeing a lot of subway tiles everywhere. I think at one point, everyone’s going to just start saying, ‘I’m ripping out all these baths with all this subway tile, because it’s just everywhere.’ It’s sort of over-saturating all of the imagery right now. And I understand it. It’s a nice clean look. It’s extremely affordable. So your money goes a long way. But if you’re going to do the subway tile, instead of it all being white, I suggest you integrate some sort of graphic pattern and change the directions of the tile.
Jean: What is the best flooring for kitchens and bathrooms?
Joy: I am really a lover of porcelain tiles. Extremely durable, easy to clean, maintenance-free. Porcelain tile has many different textures now. I don’t recommend real wood in a kitchen, but there are many beautiful porcelain tiles that have graining to them. They have nice color ranges that really look like wood. I think they’re fantastic.
I never use polished marble in bathrooms due to the slip hazard. When they get wet, you can break your neck. So stick to matte finishes, you’ll save your life.
(Above) Sweeten homeowners Gina and Andrew’s kitchen remodel
Jean: What do you think about Ikea kitchens?
Joy: I’ve seen some lovely kitchen’s done with Ikea cabinetry. When it’s done with beautiful stone tops and Ikea cabinets, I think it’s beautiful. I enjoy seeing glass inserts in the uppers, I’ve actually done this on a project.
Thank you to Joy Moyler for sharing your knowledge and tips with us!
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