Revolution in interior design

By HUMPHREY ODHIAMBO

Equipped with proficiency in actualising appealing visual impressions of spaces, interior design sector players are today proving their worth as they optimise and harmonise the uses of living environments.

It has, however, been a long road for sector players to be appreciated, as their role in real estate was considered inferior up until ten years ago.

Transformation

Fast track to five years ago when location, tastes and styles became the selling points of high-rise buildings and townhouses in Nairobi, and Kenyans started warming up to trendier interiors ready to pay anything for the same. Even so, all was not rosy.

Self-made developers ventured into the building sector with the sole purpose of building and selling quick, caring little about interiors. The result was inferior standards of interior characterised with constant breakages owing to substandard fittings.

Home-buyers have learnt that it is not about having a hyped up real estate marketplace that adds value to properties. They instead stand to gain more when their housing units are aesthetically designed, technologically sound and fitted with creative fittings, quality furnishings and at secure locations.

There is need for sharing experiences, educating homebuyers, government and peers in the building fraternity. Sector players want authenticity and quality workmanship appreciated. They want counterfeiting stemmed and other ills crippling the sector addressed.

The bottlenecks sopping wet the construction industry have not spared the interiors marketplace. They gag talents slackening the sector’s anticipated growth.

Meaningful impact

Banks have also a reason to rethink why they should finance projects that bypass the input of an interior designer. It is time the financing institutions re-interrogated themselves why they should associate themselves with projects that may not stand the test of time.

Since interior design includes a scope of services performed by a professional design practitioner, it boggles the mind why various city and county councils and State corporations such as the National Environmental Management Authority, entrusted with the wellness of the public, have not seen it necessary to require a signature of an interior designer on building designs and environmental impact assessments.

Recently, Assistant Minister for Housing Margaret Wanjiru encouraged sector players to consider formulating an alliance. The Kenya Property Developers Association is also encouraging its members to consider working with interior design sector players as the move would enable them up their stakes in the now very competitive real estate market.

The writer is the chief executive of Real Wealth Limited, organisers of East Africa’s annual Ideal Interiors Expo