Renovating in Boulder? Who to Hire First - Interior Designer or Architect
- 6 minutes ago
- 5 min read
There is a quiet but costly mistake we see again and again: an Interior Designer is the last professional invited to the project, when in truth she should be the first.
By the time the keys are handed over, the architect has gone, the contractor has packed up, and the family is standing in their beautiful new home wondering:
Why the living room cannot hold a sofa
Why the guest bedroom has no closet
Why the kitchen - the heart of every home - feels just slightly off
These are not small problems. They are the difference between a home that photographs well and a home that lives well.
And the most expensive way to discover them is after construction is finished.
A Recent Project - A Cautionary Tale
On a recent project, our team was brought in long after the architect was finished and construction was complete.
Our role was meant to begin where everyone else’s had ended:
Furniture
Finishes
Editorial layering
Styling and installation
But the moment we sat down to begin space planning, we discovered a fundamental issue.
The main living room could not comfortably accommodate a standard sofa - let alone a family of five or guests gathered with ease.
A living room that cannot hold the people living inside it is not truly a living room. It is a hallway with intention.
Compounding the issue, closets had been added in places that interrupted the home’s natural flow. To correct the layout, demolition and reconstruction became necessary:
Drywall
Framing
Finish work
Additional labor
Additional cost
All after the home was already complete.
In the same project, the guest bedroom had no closet at all - a missed opportunity that should have been caught months earlier.
This is exactly why when to hire an interior designer matters.
To resolve the issue, our team removed the closet from the family room and added one to the guest bedroom.
A quick review by a Boulder interior designer months earlier - before a single wall was framed - would have identified all of it immediately.
This Is Not a Critique of Architects
We work with, admire, and genuinely respect many architects throughout Boulder, Broomfield, and Denver.
In fact, we regularly collaborate with talented local architects and are always happy to recommend professionals we trust.
But it is important to understand this:
An architect is not an Interior Designer.
An Interior Designer is not an architect.
The two professions complement one another. They do not replace one another.
The most successful homes are the ones where both professionals are involved from the beginning - while moving a wall still costs nothing more than an adjustment on paper.
Who Does What - A Quick Reference
Understanding the distinction between these roles is essential in any home renovation Boulder homeowners undertake.
What Your Architect Should Be Designing
An architect typically handles:
Exterior architecture and facade design
Structural systems and engineering coordination
Rooflines and massing
Site orientation and setbacks
Window and door placement at the architectural level
Building permits and construction documentation
Mechanical, electrical, and plumbing coordination with engineers
What Your Interior Designer Should Be Designing
An Interior Designer typically handles:
Interior space planning
Furniture layouts and circulation
Storage and closet planning
Interior finishes and materials
Decorative and ambient lighting design
Cabinetry and custom millwork
Kitchen and bath layouts
Furnishings, textiles, and upholstery
Styling, layering, and editorial cohesion
A thoughtful Colorado luxury interior design process ensures that the home functions beautifully long after construction is complete.
If you are ever uncertain where the line exists between the two disciplines, ask. Clarifying those roles early prevents expensive revisions later.
A Word on Kitchens
If your architect is also acting as your kitchen designer, that is relatively uncommon.
We are frequently brought into projects to:
Review kitchen plans
Refine layouts
Redesign kitchens entirely
Collaborate alongside architects during construction planning
The kitchen is one of the most technically demanding rooms in the home because it must function simultaneously as:
Workspace
Gathering place
Architectural centerpiece
Daily utility
This is also where our approach differs from many firms.
I am both:
A technically trained Interior Designer
A technically trained kitchen designer
That combination is unusually rare within the industry.
In many firms, the Interior Designer hands the kitchen over to a showroom specialist. In other cases, the kitchen designer handles cabinetry while the Interior Designer manages everything surrounding it.
Neither approach is inherently wrong - but it is important for homeowners to understand how their project team is structured before construction begins.
Even If You Are Not Buying Furniture Yet
We are often hired by clients who already know they will not be replacing all of their furniture immediately.
What they want is a roadmap.
They want to know:
What scale to buy
What proportions work
Which layouts to avoid
What order to invest in over time
This kind of intentional, phased planning is one of our favorite ways to work.
A home does not need to be completed all at once. But it does need to be planned all at once.
And One Thing Your Designer Should Not Be Doing
Your Interior Designer should not be designing the exterior architecture of your home.
That is the architect’s discipline - and rightly so.
Exterior architecture requires:
Different technical training
Different software
Different structural and code knowledge
A good designer understands where her expertise ends. A great one tells you before you ever need to ask.
How We Work
Vanessa Empire Interiors is a full-service luxury Interior Design firm serving Boulder, Broomfield, and surrounding Colorado communities.
We approach every project the way a couture fashion house approaches a garment:
Measured
Tailored
Built specifically for the life of the person living inside it
We work best with clients planning:
New construction
Significant renovations
Long-term phased investments
Thoughtfully tailored homes designed to last decades
Our process is editorial, intentional, and deeply rooted in how a home actually functions.
That is why we believe the Interior Designer belongs at the table from the very beginning.
Ready to Begin With the Right Plan?
Vanessa Empire Interiors offers full-service Colorado luxury interior design for clients seeking homes that function as beautifully as they look.
If you are planning a home renovation Boulder project and want thoughtful guidance before construction begins, we invite you to begin the conversation.