"Finding" a Reliable Interior Designer in Johor Bahru Could Start with You.

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Personal interactions matter. Whether you’re looking for a reliable interior designer in Johor Bahru or elsewhere, your attitude changes the way they'll work with you - and the more they like you, the more likely to be fairer in their dealings with you. Feature image: Modern Japanese home design by Kava Décor, an interior designer in Johor Bahru.

With so much going on during a renovation it isn’t surprising that we sometimes take for granted the professionalism of interior designers and contractors. But maintaining a healthy working relationship goes both ways - and the best way to keep it that way is to adopt a good attitude in your interactions with others.

In short: be nice, and people will reciprocate. It’s a strategy that has worked for most of our evolutionary past, which makes for a strong case itself. Building a fair and healthy working relationship is the same with anyone, including interior designers. So here are six things that you can do to achieve that:

    1.     Make a good first impression

First impressions count, and the first few minutes of meeting someone could make or break his or her opinion of you.

So always be polite and punctual. When meeting the contractor, be sure to be on time and introduce yourself professionally yet in a friendly manner. Mind your body language; smile, make eye contact and face the person you’re speaking to.

Also, be mindful of where your feet are facing: feet turned toward the person you’re speaking to sends a subliminal message to their monkey brain that you’re genuinely interested in meeting them; turned away sends the message that you’re itching to get away as quickly as possible.

Second, do your homework. Find out what goes into the job. For example, the approximate cost of materials and labour, average projected work timetables and basic architectural considerations.

Knowing the basics can go a long way in impressing whoever you're talking to, and to an interior designer, it gives the impression that you want the job done right. He will also appreciate that he will have less explaining to do, plus it will give you some important insights into why and how things are done.

     2.     Don’t inconvenience them

Be considerate in your dealings with your interior designer and don't make decisions that will inconvenience them unnecessarily.

Have an idea of what you want done and take note of your core considerations for your design needs: will it have to be safe for children or elderly? Will there be a specific theme? What's your budget? Nobody expects you to be an expert, but interior designers and contractors will appreciate if you didn’t change your mind every step of the way.

Plus, an experienced interior designer will often have more job offers than they do time, and are therefore interested in working with clients who won’t give them a hard time. Every minute they spend accommodating your fickleness costs them! And if they like you they’ll probably be the ones asking you for referrals instead of asking to be referred…

Classic marble bathroom accents with golden shower frames and taps. Design by Kava Décor, an interior designer in Johor Bahru.

     3.     Lend a helping hand from time-to-time

Don’t shy away from helping out with small jobs if whenever you have time. It never hurts to help out every now and then, the payoff can be big.

Plus, you get two stars if the job was something the contractor specifically dislikes or finds especially inconvenient. For example, wall-hacking is laborious and dirty work and no big guy would like to force himself into tight spaces to perform even a simple task.

Even if it’s in their job description, helping out can only make a contractor look at you more favourably - who in turn would feel obliged to help you out in return in the form of prioritizing your project over others and performing the best work he can muster.

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     4.     Don’t Lose Your Cool

Despite your best efforts relations can still breakdown, leading contractors to deprioritize your project. But responding in an antagonizing manner doesn’t help most of the time, and could even worsen the situation.

Instead, play it cool. Draw your wildcard and use additional monetary incentives to entice them back. More often than not, the reason contractors start to withdraw is their realisation that they've made a mistake of agreeing to a deal that's not worth their time and effort (note: some research into the market can be helpful in determining if uncompetitive pricing is the case for their lack of motivation).  

Promising your contractor an additional payment on completion of work, therefore, is a sensible solution to get your renovation project back in the pipe, with contractors accepting that the additional payment justifies their involvement.

Also, remember that the average renovation contractor in Johor Bahru isn’t a bad person, and it makes sense to assume that this will compel them to return to the job and give it their best.

It therefore makes sense that, even when relations appear to be unsalvageable, it is still in the best interest of everyone to attempt to re-establish a tit-for-tat relationship. Not doing so could result in passive-aggressive behaviour, exploitation, cheating and other forms of violence – and nobody wants that.

Commercial interior design by Kava Décor, an interior designer in Johor Bahru.

     5.     Accept the best deals, not the cheapest

When signing a contract remember that it is quality work that you want and not necessarily the lowest price.

Naturally, the services of a reliable contractor in Johor Bahru or interior designer (who provides quality workmanship and materials) come at a price. In Malaysia, the typical cost of a renovation can be broken down into; 50% for materials; 30% labour costs; and 20% profits.

With such a large portion of the cost spent on materials and labour, to cut the price down further (without it cutting into their profits) a contractor will have to substitute high quality with low-quality materials and labour.  

     6.     Build a working relationship that lasts

Even after completion of a project, it is still a good idea to maintain good relations with your contractor/interior designer. Finding another reliable contractor in Johor Bahru that you like to work with quickly may prove difficult, if not impossible.

For example, you might find yourself needing their services again a lot sooner than you think - maybe could be that you’ve decided to install an additional light in the living room, or a design oversight leaving you with the bedroom in a colour that your child dislikes.

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For more reading:

Interior Designer vs Contractor - How are they different?