Many have asked me over my years of design practice what they should know when they are ready to hire an Interior Designer. My hope is that after reading my article you will take from this the answer you were searching for.
Always ask yourself the 5 questions contained in this article.
– Do you feel inadequate when it comes to home decorating?
– Have you made home purchases but they are still in the closet or garage because you don’t know what to do with them or where to put anything?
– Is your day just too busy and you can’t find the time to even think about decorating or designing?
– Do you and your spouse or roommate disagree on design styles when it comes to home or apartment decorating?
– Are you unsure of your personal style and exactly what you like when it comes to home decorating?
If you’ve answered yes to any of the questions you read about in this article, then you may want to think about hiring an Interior Designer. Believe me, it’ll be one of the best decisions you can make. They can help you immensely.
Interior Designers are skilled at designing interior spaces and space planning. They also have the expertise on form and function, balance and harmony, color concepts, lighting design, furniture selection and more. Why should you hire an Interior Designer? Simply because you may lack the necessary skills of design and secondly, mistakes will cost you money!
One key point to keep in mind is that all Designers are different with unique talents, education and experiences. Interestingly, if you asked five Interior Designs to render an opinion or a space-planning project, you will get five unique answers even though each will adhere to the core concepts of great design.
So how do you hire the right Interior Designer? First ask friends or family. Word of mouth is great advertising for any Designer. Perhaps a co-worker has had good experience with a Designer.
Many Designers will offer a free consultation to discuss your design project. At this informal meeting you will get to know about your Designer and the array of services he or she will offer to bring your interior space alive.
As a part of their consultation, they can provide you with an array of services that will bring your project alive. These services may include: space planning, color concepts, furniture selection and a number of key elements you need to harmoniously come together to accomplish your objectives.
A good characteristic to look for in a Designer is confidence in his or her abilities. Also a Designer should be a good listener to your desires and needs for your design project. State clearly what it is you are hoping for and your Designer will know exactly your personal style.
It is not so important as to how long the Designer has been in practice, rather that he or she is on the “same page” as you.
Of course, the Designer must keep the Client on track because they will inevitably fall off track for lack of skill. So the two must join as one, and be on the same page so to speak. This “synergy” must exist between the two personalities do matter.
Interior Designers are also valuable because they have a variety of special vendors at their fingertips that can help get the job done. They know the “Who’s Who” in the industry, who to go to, and more importantly, who not to go to. The consumer does not have this in-depth knowledge, so therefore this is invaluable.
You can ask for referrals from your Designer, although some may not give that information out due to client privacy.
Most Designers charge by the hour and work with many budget levels so don’t think you can’t afford one. You’ll see a range of prices from $50 dollars an hour to $300 dollars and hour or more. But don’t assume that because the Designer is charging the higher end would make them any more qualified or better.