Any tips on hiring/using an interior designer?

[anners11]

Hi! So I'm breaking ground on my new house next week. Yay! It's a custom home that I've helped design and I've picked all of the finishes in the house so far. I have a few big things left like finalizing flooring and lighting. I have a pretty good idea of what I want for those, so I'm not worried about that. What I AM worried about are wall colors, rugs, furniture, mirrors, bedding etc. This is my dream house, my forever house. It has to be amazing. I have a good idea of the look and feel that I want in the house, I just have no clue how to go about getting it. I have realized that I am going to have to hire an interior designer. I've never used one before and don't really know how to go about the process. So any advice or experiences you might be willing to share would be greatly appreciated!

 

[bebe]

anners, if there is a design center close to you, you can call and they can give you a list of designers that you could contact. Or contact a ASID chapter for a list. Chances are neither of these would make a recommendation. Is there a local magazine or publication where you could see some examples of their work. It's great you have a vision of what you like! Find pictures and have those ready to show rather than rely on just talking about the look. You might have to "interview" several designers before you find someone you click with. And you should discuss how they charge, it will likely vary. Some charge by the hour and extend a discount on furniture, some charge full price for goods and no hrly fee. I've seen all kinds of fee structures.

 

[kgizo]

Check out Houzz.com. You may find someone's work you like. If not, start a notebook with all the pics you like. It will save time and money if you can easily communicate to your interior designer what you like and why. Are you into art? Go thru it and determine what is a keeper or donate piece. Look at your closet and jewelry box to see what colors you like to surround yourself with. The designer needs to know what colors to work with. Bebe makes a good point about the wide variety of fee structures so think about what the total job will be and if you want to do it in stages. Very important is their list of contacts. If I've interviewed a couple of designers and I can't decide I use the contact (upholsterer, fabric source, furniture maker, etc) as the deal breaker. Interview references about being on time and budget. One of my fav interview questions is "what was the most surprising thing that didn't go well during your project"; it's very revealing if it was something within the designers control (they asked for something low maintenance and didn't get it) or not (manufacturer discontinued fixture). Lastly, be clear about your lifestyle. If you are into sports and the massive TV has to be in a specific spot be upfront about it.

You can also try Angie's list.

Good luck!

 

[partgypsy]

I also second Houzz. You can search by type of room, but then once you get the name of a designer, by designer (of course no guarantee they will be nearby). But there are so many designers there, maybe there is a way to search by location.

My sister worked for an interior designer. She was worked as independent contractor for painting/faux finishes.
I'm not in the price bracket to be using interior designers! but if you do, it is good to have inspiration photos of rooms, favorite colors, etc. Or even an overall theme, hollywood glamour, french country, mission, etc. If you have existing furniture that you want to make sure is included, be sure to have pictures with dimensions. Lastly be honest with how you will use the various rooms. If you have kids and pets you want to keep that in mind for the type of fabric, materials used.

But other than that, oftentimes the people will just let the designer go, and they can do everything, from painting to wall treatments to floor covering to furniture.

If you are not sure if you are ready for that level of commitment, discuss with designer, maybe have one room done and the wall colors planned out for rest of house, and do the rest slowly.

The good thing about designers, is that is is one stop shopping. You can have one person vett and source everything. They also have access to fabrics, wallpaper, furniture, etc that is difficult as a regular consumer to source. The downside, is the cost, or if you want to be personally involved in picking out pieces, such as at flea markets, etc the time cost is usually not compatible.

 

[yennyfire]

I worked with a designer for the first time 3 years ago to completely finish an unfinished basement and again this year to furnish an empty living room/dining room. In both cases, I told them my budget (which, while not lavish, was more than reasonable for what we were doing). The basement project went over budget by 15K and while I was happy with the result, I was NOT happy with the price tag. So, for the living/dining room, I went with someone else (whom I found on Houzz). Again, she went WAY over budget. The issue was that we ordered the casegoods first and were within budget. Then, we ordered fabrics and wallpaper. OK, still in budget, but running a bit tight. We discussed it and she said she could get rugs and accessories that would keep us within budget.

Nope, it didn't happen. We couldn't find rugs that worked with the fabrics she'd chosen and we were forced to either go without rugs or go over our budget. I wanted the d_mn project done so I went ahead and purchased the rugs.

What I learned the hard way is to under report your budget. If your budget is $50K, tell them it's $35K. That way, if you go "over", you'll still be within the budget you set for yourself and you won't be so stressed about it. I ended up having to end the project before we selected any accessories because we were already over budget (about 12.5K over) that I was afraid to continue. It's not that we physically didn't have the $$, but that we gave the designer a totally reasonable budget and she (easily) should have been able to stay within it. I think that the problem lies in that both of the designers I worked with got a percentage of whatever I paid. They usually got a 50% discount on a piece. They'd charge me cost + 25%, so we both gained something from the discount. However, the more you spend, the more they make, so it behooves them to find the most expensive pieces possible. And, if you haven't priced out everything from rugs to lighting to fabric to accessories up front, it can get out of hand very quickly.

So my best piece of advice is to low ball your budget so that you'll end up spending no more than you planned to and to insist that you select everything before you order anything.

Good luck!

 

[Enerchi]

Do you need a DESIGNER? Would a DECORATOR be sufficient? A decorator can assist with the finishing touches, if you have already committed to the interior finishes. They are usually less costly and can do the things you are looking for well within their scope of practice. If you were in Canada, you can go to www.cdeca.ca (Canadian Decorators Association) so I'm sure there would be a similar governing body in the US, if that's where you are located.

What you are looking for help with can easily be accomplished by an interior decorator. I am a decorator not a designer, so that's why I suggest going that route as an alternative.

Great advice above but mainly, speak with a few people, get a feel for how you connect with them/their philosophy/their cost structure/get references... When I work with people I want them to feel like it is *THEIR* home, not mine. I always say, they have to love everything we've put together with no second thoughts, because at the end of the day, I leave and they have to live there!

Good luck! Sounds like an awesome project!

 

[anners11]

Hi ladies! Thanks for the replies! I'm very familiar with Houzz and have used it extensively to show my builder what I want for architectural finishes for the wood work, cabinets, moldings, and bathrooms. I have just started looking at it for decorating purposes. I'll definitely search for designers/decorators and see what I can come up with. I have no idea what a reasonable budget would be for a project like this. I think that's part of my problem. I'm mainly looking to use them for the living room, dining room and master. In my head I have a budget of around 30k for the whole house but maybe that isn't realistic, especially if I'm going to use a professional.

Anyway, thanks for the advice. It looks like I've got a lot of research to do