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 you lack the skills for 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?
– Are you too busy with work and family and can’t find the time for home projects?
– Are you at odds with a spouse, roommate or someone else when it comes to the way you want to decorate?
– Are you not exactly sure of what your personal design is or even what type of design would favor the interior space in question?
If you’ve answered yes to any of the questions in this article, then it is possible you could use the help of an Interior Designer. You won’t regret your decision I promise.
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!
Of course not all Interior Designers are alike each one is uniquely qualified in my opinion, but if you ask five Designers to design an interior space, you will get five different design concepts.
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.
Many Designers will advertise their services on the internet. Some will offer free consultations, which is an informal meeting to get to know your Designer, as your Designer will want to meet and get to know you.
You will want to be clear about your design intentions and express exactly what your ideas are and how you want your interior space to look. Even if you don’t know exactly what you want, a good Designer will always bring it out of you.
A good Designer will feel what you feel and understand your true desires it is not about how long a Designer has been practicing, but about being on the “same page” or connecting with your Designer.
Ultimately the goal of the Designer is to keep the client on track. But the connection or “synergy” must exist between Client and Designer and so personalities must work well together.
Interior Designers will bring together special vendors to the table to help get your interior project done. They are invaluable because they know who to go to and most importantly who not to go to. This in-depth knowledge is exactly what the Client needs. Most consumers are not privy to this information and may end up hiring the wrong team of people.
You can ask for referrals from your Designer, although some may not give that information out due to client privacy.
You can ask your Designer what types of projects they have completed and if they are experts in home or office design, residential or commercial. Prices will vary so don’t think you can’t afford one. Even if you are on a budget, many Designers will work for you. Most charge by the hour and it can range from $50 to $300 an hour and upward depending on the design project.
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