Hiring an interior designer is an important first step in building the home of your dreams. With so many design and functional choices available, it’s difficult to decide just what you want your home to say about You. That’s where a qualified, professional designer like me comes in handy.

A great interior designer will take the time to listen to your needs and wants, consider your current use of the space and make every effort to understand what you want, as well as considering what you don’t know you want. You wouldn’t believe the options I have just for wall treatments!

Here’s a few important items to consider when hiring an interior designer:

Know and Have a Budget

More often than not, I’ve had clients approach me without a budget for their design. The importance of a budget is for you and I to prioritize what’s most important and to set foundation of our project together. The difference between Silestone countertops and natural granite is pretty minimal in design and quality, but the price difference can be astronomical!

Set Your Expectations Up Front

This is such an important topic that a single paragraph may not do it justice. You will have the best overall experience during your design project, if you explain what you need and want from your designer. You may just need a color consult and some living room furniture options and then you’re off to the races. You might need a personal shopper that can find the right items for your space and place them for you. Or you might need your designer to come in and space plan your entire home or commercial space, which would require plans to be drawn up and contractors to be hired. Each of these scenarios represent big differences in the time and money spent in reaching your new design goals.

Understand Your Designer Costs

Most interior designers have an established hourly rate that covers their time while working on your design project. Here are a few important questions to ask when hiring your designer regarding their fee schedule.

Are all hours charged at the same rate? An example of this could be, while your interior designer makes all the space planning decisions on your behalf, maybe the accessory shopping is done by his or her well qualified assistant, and if so are you paying different rates as a result?

Another important question to ask is what’s the markup on the items ordered? It takes a lot of time and effort to find just the right piece for a client’s home and often times these items are being sourced by trade only outfits. The benefits to you the client in going this route are numerous. Interior designers establish relationships with these vendors and are able to get you exactly what you want. Designers often get a discounted price that may get passed down to you the client. No matter how it’s handled, you the client, do have the right to understand how you will be charged.

Have a Realistic Timeline

Thanksgiving is next month and you just have to have a brand new kitchen to show Grandma Betty! Yes, yes, I know you’ve been busy and have been meaning to take care of this since February. Good design takes time, there’s no substitute. Don’t fall for quick gimmicks. In the end a rushed job is just that, and nothing more. This is your home; this is your dream. Give your dream home the time it needs!

Have Fun

Honestly this is the part I really can’t stress enough. Yes, do your homework upfront! Do find the right designer for you! Do understand how much you are going to spend! But enjoy the ride. This is new design is going to be fun and exciting!

Each and every design I create is different and new. Tailored to your home, life, and business. I can help you build the dream that is your newly designed living or working space and have fun while we’re building it. Give me a call at (928) 719-7714 to get started on your new design today.

–Tiffany

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