So, you’ve decided to hire an interior designer for your new home. Great choice! But before you do that, make sure that the designer you’re going to hire is going the best for you and your home. The idea can be daunting, but when you know the right questions to ask a candidate, the process gets easier. Read on to learn about the ten most essential questions to ask before hiring an interior designer.
What You Should Know Before Hiring an Interior Designer
Before you start looking for the perfect designer for your home project, you need to consider a few things. The whole interior design process becomes a lot easier, more fun, and most of all, successful, if you’re a prepared client. Doing your homework also gives you a better idea of what your home needs, which will also make it easier for you to determine what kind of interior design best suits your project.
Know Your Budget
It’s possible to hire an interior designer even if you’re on a budget. Be realistic and honest, and carefully plan how much you can afford to shell out per month based on your income. Having a realistic and proper budget is a crucial part of the whole process. If you think your funds are not yet enough, come up with a savings plan and be on the lookout for interior design services that can fit your target budget. You can use an expense tracker to monitor your expenses once the project starts. It’s also essential to compare the prices of interior design services when deciding on who to hire.
Set A Project Timeline
After setting a budget, you should set a realistic timeline for your project. The length of time you should set for the completion of the project will highly depend on the scale of the interior makeover that your home requires, so set a reasonable timeframe. Hiring an interior designer will require careful planning and a big chunk of time. You may even have to live somewhere else temporarily while the project is ongoing. Sprucing up one room can take a day or a week, so be prepared to make the necessary temporary adjustments and sacrifices for as long as the project requires.
Research Interior Design Companies
When choosing an interior designer, you have to decide whether you want the interior designer to come into your home, or you just want to work with them online. Where do you want the interior design to help? If their job will include layout changes, lighting relocation, electrical rewiring, and plumbing, the cost of their service will also increase. When you hire an experienced interior designer, they can help you find the right contractors who can do these services for you.
Figure Out Your Interior Design Style
How do you want your home to look? Take into consideration the rest of the house even if you’re only revamping one room to prevent it from looking out of place. If you’re still unsure what your Interior Design Style is, collect inspiration from magazines or online websites. This will help you and your designer in creating the right look for your project.
Seek Inspiration
Finally, collect all your favorite interior styles, color palettes, layouts, and furniture, and save them in an inspiration folder. You can get a lot of excellent ideas from Pinterest, but make sure not to overdo it.
Things to Ask Interior Designers Before Hiring Them
Now that you’ve prepared everything, you can start looking for the perfect interior designer to help you complete the look of your home or room. To make sure you hire the best person for the job, it’s also important that you know what to ask them. Below are some of them:
References & Credentials
Ensure that the interior designer you hire has legitimate credentials and references. If you have a limited budget, you may want to hire an inexperienced interior designer. However, make sure to double-check their work samples and references.
Services Offered
Every interior designer offers unique service packages, so make sure to research what your interior designer offers. The services commonly offered by interior designers include:
- Design consultation
- Site assessment and measurement
- Design concepts
- Procurement
- Project management
Process
You will get an idea of how the designer manages her time and the project itself with the way they structure the project. At Elle Design Co., we always start the process by identifying and analyzing your needs and goals for your space and evaluating any existing documentation and conditions, before we jump into the design process. We create designs for your space and present them to you for review and recommendation before we begin with the project.
Cost
The cost of the interior design services directly relates to your budget, so you should know how the designer charges for the project. Do you need to pay them by the hour, or do they have a flat rate? Some interior designers also charge a percentage of the project cost. If you think you will always be calling for your designer during the project, try to negotiate to pay a flat rate instead of an hourly rate. But if minimal consultations are needed, then you may benefit from being charged with an hourly rate. For big projects that require a lot of consultations and overseeing, designers usually charge a percentage of the total project cost.
Network
Designers who have established a good relationship with contractors can help you get a discount. But discount aside, a highly recommended contractor can be a good asset for your project.
Portfolio
A designer’s portfolio can show you how experienced they are. If you need to revamp an apartment, then a designer who has previously worked on other apartments will be beneficial. If they have done similar projects before, try to request photos of the process to see if you like the outcome.
Interior Design Style
It’s crucial to know your prospective interior designer’s style because even though they should be able to work in any style that a client wants, that’s not always the outcome. The whole process will be much smoother if the designer’s styles match yours.
Most Recent Projects
The designer’s most recent project will give you an idea of how they adapt to the latest trends and innovations. You may also contact the designer’s last client to find out what they think about the designer’s work.
Non-Negotiables
You can get an idea of the interior designer’s intuition and natural style by asking them what they consider as the interior design must-haves. For some designers, it’s using a neutral palette or certain wood types, while it’s the color and stone for some. Their preferences will give you a glimpse of how detailed they can get when they work on a project.
Smart Living
You can also ask the designer for suggestions on how you can live better in your home. This can help you determine whether the designer is knowledgeable when it comes to smart living. Now that you know the things to consider before hiring an interior designer, you can start looking for the perfect person to help you make your dream home come to life! Schedule an appointment with Elle Design Co. today! Call us at 316-641-6321, or email us at elledesigncollc@gmail.com today. We’re looking forward to creating spaces that will help you thrive!
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