What to look for when hiring an Interior designer?
DRUM ROLL/ CHAMPAGNE POP! …So you’ve made the invested leap to make your space a customized reflection of you and your true personality!
You must be bouncing in excitement to start your new home adventure and start deciding who to hire as your interior designer! You have made a great choice, but now you have to be sure that the designer you hire, is going to be the right one for you and your home! This can feel daunting, but don’t let uncertainty put a damper on your dream! Read on to see the 7 essential questions to ask yourself or the designer before hiring one to make the process fun and easy!
First, before you dive straight into looking for your dream designer, there are a few things you need to consider: A prepared client, makes the interior design process easy, fun, and above all, successful.
Most importantly, once you’ve done your homework, you will have a clear idea of what your home needs and that makes finding interior design help a lot simpler. Hiring an interior designer on a budget is absolutely possible! Stop and think about how much you can spend, not how much you want to spend. Be realistic and honest with yourself. Setting up a proper budget is the most important part of the whole process. Jot down your income and how much you can afford to spend per month. If you don’t have enough funds yet, create a savings-plan and keep an eye out for affordable interior design services. Lily Z Designs offers several flexible services you can choose from for more budget cost-saving options such as our Z Box or Design Consultations.
Here are the 7 things you need to know before you speak or start the interior design hiring process:
1. Budget for your goods and labor versus the designer fee
2. Timeline of the project
3. The choice to go with a local firm or a distant national firm
4. What is your preferred interior style?
5. Gather your interior inspiration images
6. What to ask the designer? Client references, their service options, their design/or project process & what to expect as the client.
7. What type of client are you: are you more hands-off as long as everything is going smoothly, or are you more comfortable as a co-pilot to the project manager? Perhaps a DIY-er who just wants and needs aesthetic guidance?
My advice is to get a feel of the designer’s positive or passive attitude…those that are extremely passionate to work with you are compassionate committed people. As a designer, I always look and regard my clients like family: because they invited me and trusted me into designing their home! Can’t get more personal than that except for becoming hot Spanish lovers rrrrrrrrrrr just joking! Eehmmm we will keep it kosher. ;P
I take my work extremely seriously and personally, where other designers look at you like nothing more than a checkbook. I think Interior Design says a lot about the science of living and human connection from an artistic standpoint. Some designers would make you feel awkward and judge you for even talking about salvaging your grandma’s Indian tapestry that means the world to you. Not me: I love being inspired by my client’s family memorabilia! I also look at it as a design challenge! I love working with the old to bring it to the new or saving things from the past and refurbishing them versus coming with a bulldozer and slapping lacquer on it.
We spend 93% of our lives in our homes/ interior spaces… let’s make it impactful and beneficial if we are fortunate enough to do so!
At the end of the day, it’s definitely an attitude and gut reaction when interviewing your designer! Whichever way your design bug crawls, I wish your dream space is everything and more you can have imagined!
