How To Choose an Interior Designer That’s Right for You
How To Choose an Interior Designer That’s Right for You
If you’re considering hiring an interior designer to illuminate your personality in your home, the beginning of the search can feel overwhelming. There are probably plenty of designers to choose from in your local area, plus a growing number of designers who claim to offer full design services fully remotely using online tools. The right choice of designer will depend on each individual’s needs and preferences. However, if you take the following four steps, you can find the right interior designer for your own unique needs.
Study Designer Portfolios
If you’re new to the world of design, you might feel like a good designer is one who can take your own unique vision and bring it to life, whatever your personal design preferences might be. Many designers do claim to be able to serve a wide variety of design needs, from CEOs seeking board room design to new parents who want help creating a cheerful play area or nursery. There are some basic design principles that hold true regardless of the actual design need. But as you can probably guess, someone whose experience is designing board rooms might not be the best choice to design a nursery (unless you want that nursery to have a corporate feel). The fact is that the best interior designers aren’t generalists. They specialize in a particular aesthetic of design they love and are passionate about, which allows them to do it really well. By cultivating a point of view of design, they can stay on the cutting edge of that style or design need. They know which artists, materials, tools and trends will be useful in their specific type of work. Specializing also allows them to get a deep understanding of how elements come together, which makes it much easier to anticipate common problems and best practices. So, if you see a portfolio that’s all over the map when it comes to style, it’s generally not a good sign. Your ideal interior designer will have a portfolio of photos with some common elements throughout - not cookie cutter, but a general feel of likeness - then determine if these elements resonate with you personally.
Check For Testimonials
When it comes to choosing an interior designer, ask around. Good designers have ravving rans but not necessarily public ones. So ask your peers, colleagues, and friends to refer you to the designers they had great experiences with or heard good things about. The best part is you and your friends may have similar tastes, as we just mentioned, the best designers tend to stick to a few styles they’re really passionate about. So, you’ll have double the confidence in knowing that you’ll be in good hands. Also, go-ahead and ask the designer to refer you to some of their previous clients. I’m sure they would love to connect you with a former client so you can hear the accolades from someone else. Many designers keep their website blog, and social media channels updated with photos from their past projects & sprinkle in client testimonials, which can give you a good sense of the kind of work and reputation they have.
Ask Questions About Their Process
The best designers have their operational processes, including schedules, invoicing, and other project management tools, down to a science. It’s likely they don’t handle those things personally, but they know how successful projects happen on their watch. Relying on processes and protocols for the business and administrative end of their design work allows them to focus on their client lives and their creativity. To assess how well their system works, ask them questions like these before you sign any contracts:
How do design projects come to fruition?
What will you need from us at each step of the project?
Who’s my point of contact for our project? How do we communicate and how often?
How many projects do you handle at the same time?
How do you handle disagreements, delays, or other problems that occur during projects?
Trust your gut.
This designer is going to be spending A LOT time working with you one-on-one to help bring to life of what you envision for your best life and lifestyle. Above and beyond their signature style, check their values - do they align to yours? It’s going to be difficult to be honest or direct with a designer if you find yourself uncomfortable or irritated during these one-on-one conversations. Choose a designer who has an energy you enjoy, values you appreciate and a style that elevates your own - it will make the entire project more fun for you.
Learn More About Us
The right choice of interior design firm will be different for everyone. If you think we are a good fit, feel free to reach out to schedule a Discovery Call. I’m looking forward to chatting with you!