Working with an interior designer on a home improvement project can be a time- and money-saver — if you plan the collaboration carefully. Admittedly, it can seem overwhelming, like a project all its own. Here are some tips for hiring an interior designer.
1. Find the right interior designer
The first step is to ask around for referrals, says Denver interior designer Gail Doby, co-founder of Design Success University LLC, a business mentoring service that offers a free report for consumers with tips on working with designers.
“Real estate agents are great, [along with] your neighbors and friends … whose homes you’ve seen that you like. Also, if you see something in a magazine or an article online, those are great places to start,” Doby says.
Once you have a list of interior designers you’d like to check out, head to the computer. Doby estimates that most interior designers these days have websites, although the extent of the information they contain will vary. Pay close attention to the visual samples on each site.
“With the photographs that are on the website, you can get a good idea about style and whether you like what the designer is doing,” says New York interior designer Judy Sheridan, author of “How to Work with an Interior Designer.”
Consider hiring designers whose services fit your needs. Some specialize in renovations and remodels, while others prefer to work with new construction projects. Some designers focus on kitchen and bathrooms, others make a specialty out of window treatments.
2. Research your interior design project costs
If you’ve never done an interior design project before, you’ll need to do a little homework to get a sense of its price. Contractor search service sites, such as Angi, HomeAdvisor, Thumbtack and Fixr.com, often offer articles describing national average prices and ranges for particular projects.
Another helpful resource is Remodeling magazine’s annual “Cost vs. Value” report on some of the most popular home renovation projects, describing their typical cost and the value those projects retain at resale. The most recent report covers costs and values updated as of 2021. It gives figures both on a national level and for particular regions in 150 U.S. markets.
If you want a real-life sense of what local costs are, there’s no substitute for asking around. Friends and neighbors who have done makeovers similar to what you have in mind — and are willing to discuss what they spent — can provide a good basis for a ballpark number.
It’s good to know these numbers, because the interior designer’s fee will be in addition to them, or tied to the project price.
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Source: https://www.bankrate.com/homeownership/5-tips-for-hiring-an-interior-designer/