The REAL Questions You Should Ask an Interior Designer-Part One
You may be thinking about hiring a professional interior designer or decorator. After all, a pro can create a beautiful, functional space in much less time and with less stress and heartache than most people could do on their own.
Sure, you can scour Pinterest and daydream about the fabulous rooms you see. But creating something similar in your own home? It feels impossible, especially when you consider the millions of options available and the fact that just because something looks beautiful doesn’t mean it will work in your house with your existing pieces and elements.
But don’t feel bad! Designing a space that meets your functional and aesthetic goals, all while staying on budget AND feeling confident that your choices are, in fact, ones you will love forever, is not an easy feat for most people.
Interior designers, on the other hand, have access to a multitude of resources and can put together a cohesive vision that meets all of your goals AND will withstand the test of time. Simply put, when you hire a designer, you are hiring an expert to solve your problem.
There are many benefits of working with a professional interior designer or decorator. We have extensive expertise and knowledge that allow us to hone in on solving unique design challenges. We have access to a vast range of products not available to homeowners, and we have connections to reliable contractors and skilled tradespeople.
When it comes to hiring an interior designer or decorator, you will likely have a myriad of ideas about how the whole process will unfold. So, you can be an informed consumer — and to ensure an effective working relationship with your chosen interior designer — it’s important to ask the right questions.
While your interior designer should know and be upfront about the project costs, billing and payment terms, and project timelines, there are a few key questions I think are the most important to ask your interior designer or decorator to better understand what the collaborative process will really be like.
What’s your design process? How much time does each part of the process take?
This question is critical to understand what to expect as you move forward working with an interior designer. Although most designers follow a similar process, it is important for you to understand your designer’s particular progression from initial ideas through completed space.
- BEFORE YOU’RE A CLIENT:
- Discovery Call, a complimentary 20-minute phone call to discuss your project goals, timeline and budget. We’ll share about our process to determine if we are a good fit and answer any questions you have about us working together
- Consultation, during this one-hour in-home consultation, we’ll walk through your space, take notes, and gather the information we need to prepare a proposal for your project
- Preparation of Scope of Work & Contract, 2-3 days after consultation, we’ll prepare a detailed proposal to outline the scope of work, suggested project budget, and estimated timeline. Once approved, you’ll receive a contract and invoice to officially confirm your spot on our design calendar
- ONCE YOU’RE A CLIENT
- New Client Onboarding, you will receive our Welcome Guide, complete a design questionnaire, and hold a 1.5 hour kick-off meeting, upon receipt of signed contract + design fee deposit
- Design Phase will take place in two phases. The first phase is where there is creation of floor plans, sourcing of furniture, fixtures and samples, meeting with trades to prepare estimates (if applicable) 6-8 weeks after we officially kick off your project, we’ll be ready to present your design. The second phase, is the revision phase. This is where we will make any necessary revisions to the design.
- Management Phase/Support Phase begins once you’ve approved the design, the management phase can take 12-16 weeks for furniture only projects or 16+weeks for projects that include construction
- Installation/Walkthrough, if selected, includes coordination of white glove delivery, onsite management by our team on install day, hand-selected accessories to complete your space, styling of your finished spaces, and post-install design support. This typically takes 1-2 days.
