How To Choose An Interior Designer

With the rise of the TV show and the increased interest in home design and home makeovers more and more people are choosing to put their home designs in the hands of a professional interior designer.

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But How do you go about choosing an interior designer and what do you need to do in order to get the most out of the fees that they will charge.

Whether you're going to ask them to help you with one room or an entire home makeover hiring the right interior designer is really important if you want to get the results that you desire.

What do Interior Designers do?

They will help to match your wants, needs and personality with colours, fabric and furniture to create an environment that works for you.

Hiring the right Interior Designer can make all the difference to the success of the project.

Before you begin looking for an Interior Designer, evaluate the room yourself. The more organized you are before your hire your designer, the more likely that person will be better able to assist you in decorating your home.

Before you approach any designers - Interior design ideas

1. Defining Your Needs

Take a notebook and make a grid.

The top row will list all the people who live in the property. The left column will list the rooms.

For each person & each room make a note of:

What that person needs to do in that room.
Essentials that must be considred – new bath suite, new fridge/ cooker/ washing machine.
The style that that person likes and wants to live with.
Fixed functions and features of the room.
The budget that you have to spend.

If it is just yourself or just yourself and your partner this task is fairly simple, but as the number of people in a property increases, the combinations become more complex.

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2. Finding Your Style

Of course you are employing an Interior Designer to help you find inspiration, but to make their task easier and more efficient…this will save you time and money too…you can begin to prepare information that will help them build an idea of what you are trying to achieve in your home.

Do the following:

Take a note book and some post it notes and make yourself comfortable, good music playing, a glass of wine or hot drink and give yourself a couple of hours to leaf through a selection of the following

Interior design & home magazines.
Fashion magazines – men and womens.
Other magazines that you have around the home.
Interior design books.
Internet websites that have lots of lovely pictures of home interiors on them.

What you are going to do is flick through quite quickly, riping out, post it noting or just making a note in your notebook, of anything that appeals to you…not just interiors.

Colours
Designs
Shapes
Patterns
Texture
Even scenes like those of farmland or city scapes or anything that just appeals to you visually

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What you are doing is just creating a library of visual items that an interior designer will be able to look at and find common ground in. Don’t worry if it appears that some ideas are conflicting. Here is where the interior designer will help you.

Don’t forget to make note on items you already own that you particularly love. These could be:

Pieces of furniture.
Momentos.
Items of clothing.
Photographs.
Art work.

3. Create a design budget

Next, create a realistic budget and write the amount down in your notebook. This will help you better communicate with your Interior Designer or Decorator so that spending limits can be defined up front and you can avoid stressful situations later.

So we haven’t even touched on the subject of how to choose the Interior Designer.

Once you have completed this prework you are in a position to start looking for an Interior Designer or Interior Decorator. An Interior Designer is usually specially trained and even licensed in Interior Design. Often, they have a background in architectural drawing and hold a wide expertise in building and contract lingo. An Interior Decorator may or may not be professionally trained, but they have a flair for home décor. In either case, choose a person who is highly experienced, a strong listener and able to build a solid rapport with you.

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How to find the right Interior Designer or Decorator

There are now many ways to find and contact Interior Designers that work in your area. By far the best way is by personal recommendation, but this does rely on knowing people who have used, and been happy with, the designers. One word here. Don’t be too swayed by your friends style. If they are recommending a professional who came up with the goods, within the budget and on time then remember that your friend gave the Interior Designer a brief that he or she would have stuck to. A good Interior Designer will be able to work with your style too:

Ask family, friends, neighbours and work associates for a reference.
Search the Internet.
Browse listings in the phone book.
Call your local Chamber of Commerce.
Visit area showcase and model homes.- look in the property press for adverts of show homes in your area.
Note Interior Designer and Decorator's names listed in decorating magazines.
Consult an organisation like Interior Design Society www.interiordesignsociety.org Design Directory UK www.designdirectory.co.uk ARIDO - Association of Registered Interior Designers of Ontario at www.arido.on.ca or ASID - the American Society of Interior Designers at www.interiors.org for an Interior Designer reference in your area.
Local colleges – for budding, and often cheaper designers.
Today many large shops offer home interior design services – Pottery Barn, Habitat, Laura Ashley etc. You do not have to furnish your home using only their musrchandise.

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Interior Design Checklist

Once you have created this list prepare to hit the phones and the keyboard to get more information.

You will want to prepare a list of questions typed out and printed in advance of the call. At the top of each interview sheet, list the name of the Interior Designer, phone number and contact person. Questions may include:

Their Interior Design experience.
Do they have time in their schedule to meet your deadline.
Are the Interior Designer's subcontractors insured.
Charges for products and services.
Are they available.
Can meet your budget.

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Also, be sure to discuss the project and see if they express a genuine interest in it.

Once you have made your short list, meet with the Interior Designer or Decorators in the room you wish to decorate. Ask the Interior Designer or Decorator to bring a portfolio of their work to the meeting. They should be able to produce examples of low and high-end rooms with a wide array of styles to show their versatility. Be prepared to share your notebook of magazine clippings and notes you have made so he or she might be able to get a feel for your taste.

As you are meeting with each designer or decorator, there are important details to note. If he or she arrived on time can indicate future adherences to the deadlines you have set. During your discussions, observe if you feel he or she is listening to you and there is an even exchange of information. Ask yourself if you feel a chemistry with the Interior Designer or Decorator.

Once you have made the decision to hire an Interior Designer or Decorator, be sure to put your agreement in writing. This document should include an explanation of the steps he or she intends to make, deadlines and all costs including the design fees. This step can save a lot of future disappointments and extra costs.

The most important aspect of choosing an Interior Designer or Decorator is that you feel comfortable with that person as he or she will be spending a lot of time in your home. Using your knowledge from these steps should help make that process a bit easier.

Useful Resources

British Interior Design Association
Interior Design Society
Design Directory
American Society of Interior Designers

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There are loads of good ideas on how to 'Use What You've Got' or buy and use second hand furniture and furnishings in The Property Coach 'Home Staging Handbook'.