What is the difference between an architect and a residential designer?

Once licensed, an architect can design and supervise all types of construction projects, from schools to commercial skyscrapers. A residential designer, on the other hand, strictly designs homes. As we explained before, architects and interior designers seem to trust each other to get the final result: a well-designed building inside and out. Both bring a set of skills that are intrinsic to a proper design, so who do you hire? Well, we suggest that it depends on your individual situation.

If you already have a structure built and are looking for help with interior design, in most cases you will need the help of an interior designer. And if you need to build a house from scratch, then we recommend that you hire the architect and possibly the interior designer if you need help with the interior of the house. These scenarios mentioned above are quite clear, but what about a remodeling or reconstruction of the interior in which the walls will collapse and the structure will be changed? So who do you hire: the architect or the designer? In these cases, we suggest that you hire an architect to draw up the plans for the new structure and an interior designer to ensure that the new structure is aesthetically pleasing and functional for your personal needs. Some may argue with this and say that an interior designer is skilled enough to help with both aspects of remodeling (structural and aesthetic) and they would be right to argue that, but we say that we must be careful when hiring both professions, the best of both worlds of design.

Residential designers focus on people and the creation of private spaces, while architects can design for individuals, corporations, or governments. As highly educated and trained professionals, an architect is responsible for protecting the health, safety, and welfare of the public. During the interview process, ask for references and samples of finished projects, which will indicate your skill level and competence, regardless of whether you choose a designer or an architect. Both architects and interior designers are interesting and creative creatures who bring much-needed skills to home design.

During this meeting, architects can make initial sketches and provide rough estimates of the cost of the project, which includes materials and builders. However, if you think that an architectural career is for you, it may be useful to also seek a position as an urban planner, since both work to use and build land. Education, training, and architectural skills vary across the board, but generally, an architect learns about design and problem solving in school. If changes are made to the structure or design, which usually happens during any project, the architect will redraw the plans.

However, they tend to have practical experience in planning and designing interior spaces in architectural studios. While both architects and designers design homes and buildings, different skill sets and backgrounds can change the process. There's no doubt that interior designers are the ones you should hire if you want a beautiful space, but their skills go far beyond beauty, since most have received training in the fields of architecture, design, construction, building codes and sustainability. However, architects have a more holistic understanding of how buildings come together and of the coordination needed to make it a reality.

Architects are people with a unique mindset; in their minds there are a myriad of numbers, lines and angles, along with creative possibilities that most could never dream of. .