Avoid Interior Design Nightmares – What You Should Know Before You Hire An Interior Designer

 

You’re ready to personalize your home and you want to hire the right professional to work with you.  You worked hard to earn the luxury and privilege of personalized service and you want to hire a trusted advisor who really cares about creating your signature and not theirs.

Interior design services are as unique as the individuals who provide them.  Many interior designers provide full-service turn-key design including purchasing on your behalf and even project management of your renovation project, and some prefer consulting for a few hours on colors or space planning. 

 

Perhaps you have an interest in design, but you don’t have specialized training about scale, proportion, balance, proper application of materials and finishes, construction scheduling, custom furnishings and window treatment design, etc.  Designers spend years honing their knowledge and stable of reliable resources. 

A great designer also balances the left and right brain with attention to detail and creativity.

Before you interview an interior designer, decide what kind of services you need and want:

·     Maybe you don’t have a team of craftsmen or knowledge of materials and finishes to create an interior that represents all that you have achieved and the style and personality that you’ve developed. 

·     Or, maybe you know what you like when you see it, but you don’t know how to accomplish it.

·     Are you too busy and focused on your work and your family activities to research and decide on the thousands of details it takes to create the scrapbook of your life?

·     Perhaps you just want a few hours of advice so you can do it yourself.

If you want a beautiful home that reflects your generous, warm and gracious personality and you don’t feel confident you can do it without expert guidance, it’s time to call a seasoned interior design professional.

What you don’t want is to hire the wrong person who doesn’t listen to you.  

You probably don’t want a designer who treats you like an open checkbook either.  A runaway budget is a recipe for disaster.

You want someone who understands that you have limits, and that you want a great result.  A great designer makes recommendations based on function, beauty and results that fit your personal investment limit.   And, a great designer is skilled at problem-solving which is a necessity with the complexity of construction and custom design.

Avoid the nightmare of an intimidating, overbearing personality.  This is a stereotype that is generally an exception. Luckily, most designers today are friendly, supportive and caring.

You will be working with your interior designer for several months, and in some cases, several years.  It is important to have a connection with your interior designer.  Personality and rapport are as important as design skills because it takes extensive experience and intuitive understanding and collaboration to interpret your vision.

A great interior designer knows the secrets of creating your masterpiece by bringing together creative ideas with masterful control over the details, budget, schedule and personalities of your team.

It is an exciting design journey, and having the right orchestrator makes a complex job seem easy. 

The ultimate goal is to have your home reflect your special taste with the unique flair and personalized signature that is all yours.