Full design project vs space plan
When a space plan is enough and when you can't do without working drawings: estimate, timing, made-to-measure furniture…
How to choose an interior designer in Batumi and what to order
How to choose an interior designer in Batumi depends on what exactly you are ordering. First decide the scope: whether a space plan is enough or you need a full project with drawings. Then decide who does the work: a designer is usually enough for an apartment, but a house needs an architect. The last choice is how to see the result before the renovation, in 3D or as a collage. If you don't live in Georgia, the more detailed option is the sensible one at almost every step.
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All pages in this section
Interior designer vs architect
Who you need to renovate an apartment, alter load-bearing walls or build a house, and how a designer works with an architect.
3D rendering vs collage
What a collage shows, what 3D adds and how to combine them: scale, light, revisions, remote approval and the rental photo.
The order of decisions: scope, specialist, presentation
Design decisions depend on each other. The scope of work determines who you need, and that specialist then suggests how to present the result. If you start by choosing between 3D and a collage, it is easy to pay for beautiful pictures of an apartment where nobody has yet decided where the kitchen will go. In almost every one of these choices, the answer depends on two things: whether you will be nearby during the renovation, and how many non-standard solutions the apartment has.
| Choice | First option, when | Second option, when |
|---|---|---|
| Full design project or space plan | The renovation goes ahead without you, or much of the furniture is made to measure | You are nearby and happy to choose finishes as you go |
| Designer or architect | Only the interior of the apartment is changing | A house is being built or rebuilt |
| 3D or collage | Proportions, light and the listing photo matter | The layout is simple and the furniture comes from a catalogue |
| Made-to-measure or ready-made furniture | Recesses, boxed-in pipes, non-standard sizes | Standard sizes and a tight deadline |
| One team or two | You are far away and don't want to be the go-between | You have a crew that works from drawings |
Space plan or full design project
A space plan fixes the walls and the furniture layout and leaves finishes, lighting and plumbing to be decided during the renovation. A full project settles all of this on paper. The less often you will be on site, the more questions are worth answering before the first drill touches a wall.
There is also a middle option, the minimum for an apartment without a full project: a furniture plan and an electrical plan, plus a selection of finishes and lighting for a short-term rental. It suits you if you are happy to choose finishes as you go but don't want to redo the cable channels.
The scope doesn't have to be the same for the whole apartment. The kitchen and bathroom, where most of the services are, can get a full set of drawings, while the bedroom and hallway get only a layout and a furniture selection.
Interior designer, architect or structural engineer
The first person to bring in is the one responsible for the main decision. If only the interior of the apartment is changing, that is the designer. If a house is being built, it is the architect, and the designer joins at the sketch stage. If the layout affects a load-bearing wall, the structural engineer has the final say: such work is not carried out without their calculations, a structural design and a permit.
While the house is still at the sketch stage, a window can be moved to make room for a bed or a wardrobe simply by correcting the sketch. Once the structure has been calculated, the same request means work for the structural engineer and another round of approvals.
3D rendering or collage
A collage shows which items will be in the room, and it is good for agreeing on the style and the shopping list. 3D shows how those items will fit in the room, with real dimensions, clearances and light.
You can and should combine the two. If the budget for presentation is limited, it makes sense to spend it on 3D for the main room and show the others as collages.
How to choose an interior designer in Batumi
The first meeting tells you a lot. It is a good sign when the designer first asks who the apartment is for, how long you plan to keep it and how much you are prepared to spend on the renovation, and only then talks about the project scope and the price.
After that, look at the contract and how the work is organised:
- How many rounds of revisions each stage includes and what already counts as new work
- Whether you pay stage by stage or in advance for the whole job
- Who pays for rework if the site runs into a mistake on a drawing
- Who handles designer supervision and how many site visits it includes
- How stages are approved remotely and who signs the acceptance certificates
In Batumi there is one more question: what the designer knows about the local damp. Ask which materials they would not use in a windowless bathroom or on an open balcony. The answer shows straight away whether this person has worked on apartments by the sea.
Made-to-measure or ready-made furniture, one team or two
Made-to-measure furniture fits into recesses, works around boxed-in pipes and is made from materials that can handle humidity. Ready-made furniture arrives sooner and is easier to replace, but it fits less well into recesses and around boxing. It often makes sense to have only the kitchen and wardrobes made to order and buy the sofa, bed and chairs ready-made.
You can order the design and the renovation from different contractors. This works if you already have a crew that can read drawings and you are prepared to settle disagreements between them and the designer yourself. If you are far away, you will have to pass the crew's questions to the designer and the answers back, and one team takes this job off your hands.
Questions and answers
What should I ask an interior designer at the first meeting?
Ask what project scope they suggest for your particular apartment, and why. A good answer is specific: in this apartment the bathroom is being moved, so a full set of plumbing drawings is essential, while the bedroom can be shown as a collage. One package for every case means they haven't yet understood what you need.
Also ask what will be needed from you: when to review the materials for each stage, how many days you have for comments, and who makes decisions on your side if you are away. These arrangements then go into the project schedule.
How do I check an interior designer's portfolio?
Renders show how a designer draws, not how their projects get built. Ask for photos of finished apartments and, if possible, a set of working drawings from a real project. The sheets show whether a crew will be able to work from them or will be calling you every day.
It is worth asking how the finished apartment differs from the renders, and why. An honest answer about a replaced tile or a moved socket tells you more than a dozen polished images.
Where can I save money on an interior design project?
The sensible place to save is the presentation. Instead of 3D for every room, you can have renders of the kitchen-living room only and show the rest as collages. Ready-made furniture instead of made-to-measure also cuts the designer's workload and the time needed.
We don't advise saving on the electrical, plumbing and tile layout drawings. A mistake in them comes to light when the walls are already closed up, and fixing it costs more than you saved. Designer supervision can be cut down to the main visits: setting out the walls, the wiring before plastering, the start of tiling.
Can I change interior designers in the middle of a project?
Yes, and payment by stage helps here: you pay for the stages you have accepted and don't lose money on future ones. Before you part ways, ask for all the approved materials in working formats: the measured survey, the layout, the drawings in editable form, the materials list. Images in PDF won't help a new designer much.
The new designer first checks the previous drawings against the apartment: dimensions, risers, heights. They may redo some decisions, but the measured survey and the approved layout are usually kept.
Terms used on this page
- Handover certificate
- The document by which an apartment, house or work is handed over; it records the property's condition, keys, meter readings and defects.
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