Rafeeg Home interior Design, kitchen and bedroom decor

Home is not a place but a feeling, that’s why you have to
consider redesigning your home interior. As they say, “Life takes you to
unexpected places. Love brings you home.” Imagine if your interior is
stopping you from loving your home, what will bring you back?

I will take you on a journey from choosing your style, the
designer, to the execution of your home interior design and decor. This will be
done through the help of the Rafeeg App, which was created to enhance the
homeowner’s experience.

What is Rafeeg App?

Rafeeg is an online marketplace that connects homeowners
with trusted interior designers in the UAE. It provides homeowners with the
following:

• Connect with the trusted designers
• Tendering system, so you receive offers from different designers.
• Review the designer’s client feedback.
• Browse the designer work portfolio.
• Customer service to look after you.
• No commitment towards the app, or designers
• It is free!

Download the app, and start your interior designing journey
with Rafeeg!

Before going through the journey, it is essential to know
that you have to invest some time and effort to get the desired outcome. Even
if you have the best designer or contractor — or even a project manager —
working for you, you may still not get what you want.  The key is to be patient. Read the following
tips carefully and take notes.

Step 1: Designing

Mistake to Avoid

People start executing their interior design without having
any plan our drawings, they only have ideas and photos from the internet to
share with the contractors. The contractors will complete the project based on
their style and experience, so in most cases, you will end up dissatisfied with
the results!

Identify your style

However, before you select the designer, you have to identify
your own style, because you won’t get the precise result if you and your
designer have contrasting tastes. Let’s say your style is modern, but the
designer has a bias for the classic!

Here’s what you can do: Use this tool to find your interior
style.  Search for “find your
interior style quiz” on Google and take the quiz.

What is your budget?

You must know how much you are willing to pay for the
project. Please note the budget is not only for the designing and executing
fees, but also for buying the furniture, and accessories. This fact should be
crystal clear to you, and you may choose to hide it from the designer, but make
sure you calculate the numbers in your head accurately.

Many homeowners fail to complete the project because all the
money went to designing.  And, what’s
worse is that the designer may not have taken into consideration their budget,
so he/she might’ve picked an expensive finish, which costs homeowners an
expense they can’t afford.

Finding the designer

There are tons of ways to find a designer, Rafeeg app is one
of them.  You can use the app to find the
most trusted designer! However, what’s important is to be able to filter out
and select the right one for your project.

Work Portfolio

First, you have to filter out the designers based on their
work portfolio.  After you identify your
style, look at the designers’ portfolio and see if they have experience in
doing the interior design that fits your style! Then, observe their completed projects
as well and try to determine if they match your desired interior — 80% of
designers are subject to their design biases, and it’s hard to change that.

Customer Reviews

Second, you need to check the customers’ reviews, because
the quality is of major importance, and no one can give you genuine feedback
more than the existing customers. Rafeeg app can help you with this, as we
publish the customer reviews for everyone to see.

Discussion

Third, after doing the first two steps, you will most likely
end up with 3 to 5 designers to mull over. Meet all those designers and have a
discussion with them about your aimed interior and budget — don’t forget to
lend them an ear! You will be able to spot the right designer for you by the
info and explanation they give.

Legal Contract

Last, you need to protect your rights by signing a contract
with the designer will all the agreed details, don’t miss any key information
because this is a reference for both parties. 
Also, make sure that there’s no misunderstanding or miscommunication
between you and the designer, and keep a legal reference close by in case any
conflict arises with the designing.

Step 2: Executing

Bid Process

When it comes to choosing the contractor to execute the
design, check first with the designer if they recommend one, and at the same
time, search for one from the market or with the Rafeeg App.

Learning from the big firms, they do tender, and select the
winner after evaluating the received offers. 
In your case, you must remember that each bid you receive may not fully
replicate the results you want.  So, it’s
crucial to have an ongoing conversation with each contractor about your
design.  Determine how everything is
priced (from flooring to light fixtures) and check if there are other
selections and if it fits your budget.

To select the best contractor with the most reasonable bid
to do the job, you can evaluate them using some criteria.  First, what you can do is to prepare your
criteria for evaluation.  Then, assign a
grade to each of them like a scale of 1 to 10 (10 if they exceed your
expectations based on the criterion and 1 if they don’t).

Your sample criteria could be:

• Experience of the firm
• Capabilities
• Amenability to Changes
• Quality
• Capacities

Example

Then, assess all the bids of the contractors.  For example, Contractor A’s bid is AED
250,000, while Contractor B has a bid of AED 275,000, and Contractor C bids AED
290,000.  You can sum up all the bids,
and get the percentage from the total:

Total Amount = AED 815,000

• Contractor A = 30.7%.
• Contractor B = 33.7 %.
• Contractor C = 35.6%.

And, finally, you will have a more mathematical way of
comparing contractors.

Another example:

• Contractor A = 78 quality score and 30.7% Average Benchmark
• Contractor B = 79 quality score and 33.7% Average Benchmark
• Contractor C = 55 quality score and 35.6% Average Benchmark

In the example above, Contractor C would probably be your
last option because they score very low in quality and have a high
average benchmark.

 Contract Review

Lastly, before finalizing a deal, be sure to review all that
is stated in your contract as that will be your binding agreement for the
completion of your project.  And, any
party who breaches that agreement would be liable to the law.

 Some of the basic things you should be aware of in your contract:

All the furnishing requirements

It’s good to be as detailed and specific as possible.

The rate for the work done

How are you going to pay hourly, daily, or monthly?

Reimbursable Expenses

What are you going to be paying that is outside of the agreed price for the project.  Are you going to be paying for any miscellaneous fees related to the completion of your project?

Permits and Insurance

This is going to be on your side of things, so you have to make sure that before they commence the work that you have fully secured these requirements.

Due dates on Payments

You should also be aware of when it is time for you to pay as it may lead to a discontinuation of the work.

Interior Design and Decor Tips

Determine your style

Your home interior design and décor is a reflection of your personality, tastes and aesthetic preferences. These factors contribute towards adding a sense of comfort to your home –without it, you may feel like you are living in someone else’s space. As such, ensure that you have a good understanding of your likes and dislikes before you actually embark upon home interior design and décor projects.

Figure out what you don’t like

More
often than not, people are able to identify and voice their dislikes much more
easily than their likes. This is a characteristic that can be used to initiate
a process of elimination. One by one, things that don’t fancy your interests
are filtered out until you are left with a few satisfactory options.

Build around your space

You
want your house to be balanced proportionately –ample furnishing to accommodate
the entire family as well as appropriate breathing spaces in a few nook and
corners. If this proportion is not maintained, your house could look clustered,
untidy and suffocating. Similarly, a sparsely furnished house could be
perceived as cold and uninviting.

Sample your paint

The
only way you will be able to figure out which color suits which room is when
you sample a few options on the wall. You will be able to factor in things such
as lighting, furniture, floors and even setting.

Additionally, you should go through the psychological effects that colors have on people before you decide the color scheme of your house. Certain colors, like yellow and orange, are mood boosters whereas others are used to promote a state of relaxation –like blue and white.

Mix high and low price points

Just because something is designed by a famous personality, business or group does not mean that it will fit perfectly within your house. More often than not, extravagant interior décor items need to be matched with other low price ones so that they retain their luxury and are able to shine in their own light.

Start from the ground up

The
sheer amount of planning that needs to be done for interior design is just as
extensive as the actual work itself. The reason why is so that all additional
features are taken into consideration –lighting, color scheme, furniture style,
setting and decorative items, to mention a few.

In
order to move systematically, the best approach would be to start with the
floor. Once that is decided, the color of the room can be matched much more
precisely, setting and space utilization can be visualized and factors like
lighting and décor can be altered accordingly.

Interior Design and Décor References

Houzz
is a platform through which your home interior design and décor needs can be
fulfilled. Through their gallery, you will be able to seek inspiration and
create your own project all the while incorporating some items from their
online shop. By connecting you with local professionals, Houzz will ensure that
your vision materializes.

Havenly
facilitates one on one collaboration with an interior designer who aims to
extract as much information out of you as possible so that the proposal they
make is guaranteed to become a favorite. Promising maximize convenience,
Havenly is the go to for those looking to sit back and relax while their
redesign is underway.

Pinterest
is one of the most popular websites on the internet. Majority of the people in
the world resort to this platform to become acquainted with different designs
and techniques. Through an endless gallery, users can review samples of
completed interior redesigns and choose which one they think would work best
for them.

Dwell
is a hub for all design enthusiasts. Combining the skills, techniques and
preferences of various architects and designers, a pool of information, ideas
and design is created. Insider techniques like how to utilize space better,
what color schemes complement each other and what trendy item is a must have
are provided to help you design better.

Lonny,
much like other platforms, aims to provide inspiration and spark creativity
within the mind of its users. Through providing information of the newest home
interior design and décor projects, it enhances your options and pushes you to
try newer things. Take various home tours to determine which suits your style
the best.

Interior Design Prices in the UAE

Interior redesign
is a train that everybody wants to jump on at some point in their lives. There
just comes a time when you are looking to spruce up your home by adding a new
aesthetic. However, the one factor that limits such a desire is finances.

When you are
considering giving your home interior design and décor an update, you can
either go to freelance interior designers or established companies that have
shops opened in the area. Both have their own qualities and benefits.

Freelance…

If you want
to incorporate a new look at a cheaper rate, freelance interior designers are
your go to, especially in the UAE. They will be able to work with you on a
one-on-one basis, alter designs according to your tastes and provide you with
focused information. The best part is that they take on the responsibilities of
providing you options of color schemes, furniture, hangings and other décor –taking
away all the stressful and tiring aspect out of interior design.

On an average
freelance interior designer charge 20 AED per every square kilometer they work
on.

Registered Shops…

For those
looking to embark upon a more detailed project, going to an established,
professional, company is the best bet. They will give you various ideas for the
design of your interior and connect you with furniture, décor, paint and
flooring retailers. It is an all-encompassing service that simply asks you of
your vision and materializes it as best possible.

Despite the
expert skills and unique techniques you may be getting access to, interior
design companies are much more expensive than freelance interior designers.
Their costs depend on factors like the base fee of the company, number of hours
worked, size of the property, furniture bought and placed, paint jobs, floor
finishing, type of design and techniques used, so on and so forth.

On an
average, you can expect company facilitated home interior design and décor to
be 110,000 AED for the entire property –give or take.

Conclusion

Whichever one
you opt for depends on your financial abilities. However, home interior design
and décor is a process that you should not shy away from. It is okay to treat
yourself once in a blue moon. Know that whatever changes you make will last for
a few decades at least.