Nothing shows your personality more than the items you have in your own home. Your very residence stands as a personal canvas for your self-expression. It’s where you can tweak each bit to show off a part of you that you’d like others to see when they visit. Every bit of furniture you own speaks volumes about who you are. It’s only natural that the culmination of your experiences, beliefs, and aspirations finds its way into your living space.

Of course, designing your humble abode takes more than just browsing through furniture stores and calling it a day. Can you imagine the nightmare you’d have to endure if you bought, for example, a sofa that doesn’t actually fit through your doorway? This is where interior design comes in handy. Interior design involves careful planning to ensure that things work out for you in the long run. Here are some things to expect when working with an interior designer to fix up your own sanctuary.

An assessment of your surroundings.

If you aren’t starting from scratch, it’s crucial to look at the things you already have. Do you wish to keep these things moving forward or do you intend to start anew? Think about what items you’ll want to add to your home. At this stage, your interior designer will also be taking note of certain details such as the measurements of your rooms and doorways, lighting, and other key aspects that will help lay out a plan for the long run. 

Concept development and design planning.

Based on the information you’ve given the designer, they should be able to start up a simple design plan and concept that aligns with your vision. Be ready to provide the designer with your preferred color schemes and furniture styles. Providing a mood board, which is a selection of images that emulate the vision you had in mind, can help speed up the process. Sites like Pinterest are a great way of gathering ideas for your mood board.

Budgeting and estimating costs.

Always be clear about your designated budget. This way, your designer can work around finding alternatives for some pieces you might find too expensive. Having them estimate the costs of what they’ll be working with also helps you plan out just how much you’re willing to shell out for improving your home. It’s also important to remember that sometimes spending more for safety reasons is better than spending more simply for aesthetics. 

Execution and installation.

By this point, everything is set in motion and all that’s left is for the designer to work out the final bits. If you have any last-minute changes, be sure to communicate clearly with the designer to ensure you don’t end up going over the budget. To avoid this, simply have open communications with your designer to ensure your vision remains intact every step of the way.

For interior designer Nina Santamaria of Grupo Santamaria, her philosophy for her line of work is that it is a privilege to serve clients in bringing their dream spaces to life. “As an interior designer with 20 years of experience, I can say that interior design is really more about shaping spaces under the guidance of what clients want to express about their life,” she explains.

Another undeniably Filipino concept Nina ensures to keep rooted in her projects is the family. Having taken up her interior design studies at the University of the Philippines’ College of Home

Economics, Nina has found herself immersed in family dynamics and the needs of a family. “It starts from there,” she explains. “Once you get trained to analyze that, it's easy for you to think of improvements from home projects to office systems or a hospitality setup administration because it all starts in this small unit called home.”

Nina’s expertise has been sought out by various residents and establishments nationwide. Her most notable recent work is putting up a pop-up store for Ponds in BGC’s High Street shopping complex. She has also helped give life to the interiors of the Palacio del Sur hotel in Zamboanga City. 

Nina also takes pride in announcing her latest project, Panauliin. Panauliin is a Tagalog word that means "to restore" or "to revive." Through Panauliin, they hope to make a meaningful impact in the lives of their beneficiaries and demonstrate the positive transformation of interior design. Fundraising initiatives under Project Panauliin will take the form of workshops led by brand communication specialist Apples Aberin and renowned stylist, photographer, and visual merchandiser, Kitty Bunag. This project benefits groups such as Resources for the Blind Inc. and the Children’s Joy Foundation Inc. 

For more information on Grupo Santamaria, visit their website at https://gruposantamaria.ph/ or follow them on Facebook (GrupoSantamariaID)and Instagram (grupo.santamaria).