Anyone who has ever been dissatisfied with a home remodeling job knows how costly fixing design mistakes can be. To avoid such scenarios, one particular designer has adopted a radical approach: Jodi Lesniakowski lets her clients see the finished project before hammer ever hits nail.

Based in Peters, Lesniakowski specializes in using an advanced computer design program – a computer-generated, threedimensional rendering, similar to that seen on HGTV’s “Hidden Potential,” which allows clients to visualize their new room.

Photos - Top:A computer-generated image of a proposed home office.
Bottom: How the room looks in reality.

“A designer can walk into a room and tell a client, ‘We’re going to put the desk over there and the wall color will be this and the fabric will be that,’ but the designer is the only one who can see it,” Lesniakowski says. “If [clients] could visualize it themselves, it would already be done.”

The process starts when clients provide a house plan. Once the virtual room is designed, clients can take a virtual tour of the space, enabling them to see into the room from any vantage point — the photographic blueprint can even include digital pictures to show the outside views from windows and be used to create exterior jobs.

One advantage of this process is that it can help clients to get a detailed answer to questions that can be costly after construction: What would it look like if we knocked down that wall? Will the new addition blend into the old structure? What kind of furniture will create the easiest traffic flow?When it comes to decorating the space, the program provides access to entire color palettes. The designer, going farther, can also import fabric and tile samples and go on to create an entire layout in full color.

“This allows the home owner to move walls and change wall color without allowing a paint brush to be picked up. It avoids expensive re-paints, job overruns and change orders,” Lesniakowski says. “The cost of doing this can save literally thousands of dollars in construction mistakes and cost overruns for unplanned items.”

For example, in one case, the client didn’t realize the look she liked best for her bathroom addition was a vessel-style sink, which would require the faucet to come out of the wall instead of up through the cabinet. She avoided what could have been a costly change had she gone shopping for a cabinet and made the decision after the drywall had already been finished.

In addition to remodeling jobs, the program also is helpful on moving day. Lesniakowski suggests printing out a blueprint of each room and taping it to the door so movers can see exactly where the heavy furniture should be placed. The designer did this when her family moved into their new home.

Originally, Lesniakowski wanted bright oranges and greens in her first-floor office. But once she entered it into her software, the shades proved too loud to create the atmosphere she desired.

Instead, she opted for a rich khaki color on the walls and light tan carpet. The neutral shades are highlighted by a bold red chair, dark desk unit and wrought iron wall hangings.

Because the family enjoys traveling, Lesniakowski mounted several maps in warm muted tones onto cork board, and plans in the future to frame them without glass, allowing her three children to push pins into the locations they've visited each year. A floor globe and model of an antique flagship add to the theme.

To accomplish splashes of color, orange hued accent pillows casually lay on the chair and touches of green are brought in through strategic placement of several plants. “It’s important to remember that you have one of two choices: to let the colors speak or the furniture speak,” she says. “If you don’t have great furniture, let the colors speak.Therefore, if you can’t afford to do anything else, at least paint.”

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