7 Things You Need to Know Before Working with an Interior Designer
By Jennifer Ribek
Whether you’re thinking about renovating your entire home, building a house from scratch or refreshing a single room, a good designer will bring their expertise to create the home of your dreams. There are so many pieces and moving parts to designing a home that it can be a daunting task for any homeowner. At JRI, we completely understand how overwhelming your project can be. We work really hard to alleviate your fears by offering all aspects of residential design including the building process from beginning planning stages through accessorizing and staging. Below are our top seven things you need to know before hiring an interior designer thats right for you!
Here are 7 tips to help you find your perfect match!
1. Before you set up a meeting, make sure to research the designer’s work. We each have our own vibe and style to our work, so you need to make sure it aligns with yours. Each project might evolve, but there are still common themes throughout. This will make it an easy creative process for all parties involved.
2. Make sure you actually like this person! It’s a relationship and you will be spending a lot of time together over a long period of time. As with any creative process, there will be ebbs and flows and challenges within your project so you must respect each other. Designer also should not take on a project if they don’t connect with the client personally and stylistically. I learned this the hard way over the years.
3. What is their availability and timeline? Do they have the time to give your project the attention that it needs? Are they able to get the project completed in a timely manner? Please keep in mind, no project is ‘invincible’…things will go wrong. It’s a process, but patience and teamwork will get you through it!
4. Know Your Budget Before Hiring A Designer. Budget is key!!!!! Know your budget before going in to that first meeting. Providing the budget allows the designer to know where to shop and how far they can go with the design. Inquire about the difference between trade and retail prices. Trade items are exclusive to designers and even if a designer marks-up their pieces, you are still getting a better deal than retail.
5. How do they charge? There are many different ways in which a designer can charge. Some charge a percentage, some charge hourly, some charge a retainer, and some do all of that combined! But if truth be told, if you’re able to spend money on a beautiful home and to hire the designer you love, getting the good deal isn’t as important as getting the home you love, right?!
6. Always hire subcontractors through your interior designer; they have a strong network of highly vetted and recommended people of the trade. Let them manage the whole job so you can sit back and relax, hey, isn’t that why you hired them in the first place!!
7. Keep in mind that interior designers are experts in their field. They have years of knowledge that they have accumulated through schooling, experience and trial and error. Remember it is not a hobby, it is a profession. Bring lots of inspiration, but don’t try to copy any one design or another designer’s work. Let your designer “shine.”
If you think we might be a good fit, click on the link to review all of our services.
XOXO, Jennifer