Finding an Interior Designer

Whether you’re looking to redesign just one room in your home or the whole house, the process to find an interior designer is essential.  A professional interior designer will help you create the home you have always dreamed of, while reducing material costs, project time, and helping you avoid costly mistakes. The ideal designer will also make the process fun and a hassle free experience.

But how do you find an interior design service to best fit your needs?  Read our top tips to search for and select an interior design firm to help you with your next project.

There’s more to being an interior designer than just helping you pick paint colors.  A lot more!  A professional interior designer will be able to understand the technical and architectural ramifications of space planning decisions.  They will know building code requirements, how lighting can impact the space, various plumbing considerations, and be experienced in choosing among the vast material selections and why different materials should be considered.  Oh …. and they can also help you pick the best colors!

A skilled interior designer will translate your personal decorating style and aesthetic into your home, rather than stamping their own style into your space. It’s important to find an interior design firm that listens to your needs and takes time to learn your lifestyle, your family dynamic, and read between the lines to understand what you like (even when you don’t know it yourself)!  When searching for an interior decorator for your home or office, select one who is able to create outstanding results in multiple styles.

Interior home decorators should understand your budget. No matter if it’s big or small, your interior designer should be able to work with what you’re able to spend and be candid with you about how much you should budget for interior decorating.

Professional interior designers have clear conversations with their clients about the entire cost of an design project including their fee structure and billing policy.  It’s important to make sure you don’t get to the end of the process and have a bill that’s much higher than you anticipated!

Experienced interior designers will have a network of proven resources including builders, contractors, sub-contractors, artists, furniture manufacturers, and accessory lines.  They will have experience working with these reliable vendors and you can have confidence in their quality of work and ensure they will charge you a fair price.

A good interior decorator will keep up to date on new products, surfaces, materials, and technology.  The interior design options available for home and commercial buildings is constantly changing.  Make sure the interior designer you choose is current on all the options available to you and can advise you which options are best for your situation.

Whether you are designing the interior of your new home or looking to refresh an existing home, you will have many choices available.  You will need to consider colors, finishes, tiles, counter tops,  and cabinets.  There is much more to consider than just aesthetics!  Selecting all these elements of your home’s interior is generally a major challenge.

A key advantage of using an interior design service is that they can help guide you through the process of selecting among the various options you have. They have experience with many, many different surfaces and materials and can help you navigate through the options.

A trained interior designer will work closely with the builder on-site.  Working closely with the builder, contractors, and sub-contractors, they can catch any problems early.  They’ll look for things like incorrect tiles, fixtures, and finishes. Catching these mistakes early, avoids expensive rework.

Builders also love it when a new home construction project has a professional interior designer involved.  This enables the builder to focus on building and construction, without having to worry about material choices or change orders.

Professional interior design firms typically have accounts with all major suppliers for granite, lighting, fixtures, plumbing fixtures, furnishings, accessories, and art. They will buy at wholesale, which is generally at least 50% less than retail. This can be quite cost effective especially with a large renovation or redesign project.

An accomplished home interior designer will be someone who you can relate to and who shares your vision of how to decorate your home. There should be an instant “rapport” and connection.  Consider if this is someone who makes you feel at ease and comfortable enough to be honest about who you really are and what you really like?

You need to be able to give them honest opinions in order for them to help create spaces that reflect you. Don’t work with a designer you can’t say no to! Instead, find someone who you feel like is on your side and wants to help make your dream a reality. Because at the end of the day, you’re a team.

In fact, hiring the correct Interior Designer is like finding your new best friend!