After all the expense and disruption of a home remodeling project, the last thing you want to do is ruin all the progress with a poor decor design. You dream of your home filled with style and items you love and you need someone who can take your vision, mix it with professional design skills, and deliver your dream home.
Choosing the right interior designer takes more than a search through local business directories, although that is a great place to start. Always look for those with higher reviews from previous clients. To find the one that truly suits, take the following things into account.
Location, Availability, Communication
An interior designer near your town or city makes sense for multiple reasons. A short drive from their office to your home means they are available more readily, can schedule appointments at shorter notice, and have more knowledge of neighborhood styles and local trends. Even the most visionary designer is not right for you if they are two hours away and almost fully booked.
Check for responsiveness with communication as well. Those with the highest reviews online probably have the most clients. It may take some patience to get your job scheduled. Those that keep this process before, during, and after the design transparent instill more trust. Those willing to listen as well as suggest help make the process more successful.
Their Vision vs. Your Style
The best interior designers have no interest in taking over your home and doing whatever they want with no input from you. Talk with every expert you consider to find out how they learn about what you want, your favorite colors, styles, and any must-have design elements. Ask if they are open to looking at online pictures or magazine cut-outs you like.
You hire this person to bring their expertise and creative ideas to the table, but they need to respect your wishes and compromise on design elements. Ones that are too precious about their opinions or the latest trends may not deliver a look you are comfortable living with.
Their Existing Portfolio of Work
Professionals have websites and also share their portfolios or photo galleries on business and review sites online. These have largely replaced design magazines as the way to find inspiration and a company to bring it to life. In your quest to find the right interior designer for you, take the time to peruse as many as possible. Focus on those in your geographic area.
If one has finished projects that closely align with your goals, you have hit the jackpot. Most may have some elements you love and others you do not want in your own home. Remember that some design choices may be the homeowner’s and not the decor expert. Look for a variety of styles instead of a cookie-cutter sameness that may indicate lack of creative vision.
Budget, Contracts, and Work
After all the artistic questions get answered, handle more realistic matters. A designer who can deliver your perfect room fails to suit if they charge twice as much as you budgeted, are not available until next year, and only work on weekends every other month. Whenever you hire any service providers and invite them into your home, you need a high level of trust and contractual backup just in case something goes wrong.
In the quest for the right interior designer, consider everything from how aligned their creativity is with your preferences, how much they charge, what types of reviews they have, and whether you simply feel comfortable communicating with them. After all the trouble and expense of a home remodeling project, you only want to best to finish your interior space.