Homes & Gardens: 15 Questions You Should Ask Before Hiring an Interior Designer
These are the 15 questions you should ask before hiring an interior designer to ensure a smooth and stress-free project.
Featured by Homes & Gardens | Article by Abby Wilson
Tackling an interior design project can be made much easier when you bring in an expert, but open communication is key to an enjoyable experience. This is what designers wish you'd ask them before the project begins.
Image credit: Future
Hiring an interior designer to manage your next home refresh is a smart decision – though you can probably picture what your dream home entails, the experts can handle the details and make those dreams a reality. But if you've never worked with a designer before – or if it's simply been a while – you might not know where to start.
Approaching an expert can be intimidating on its own, and even more so when you're not sure what questions you should be asking. Getting all the details down before jumping head-first into a project is essential – and open communication from the moment you meet with a designer will make the entire process smooth and stress-free.
How do you handle pricing and billing?
Not every designer handles pricing and billing in the same way, so whether you're a first-time renovator or have quite a bit of experience under your belt, it's always smart to take a second look. Some designers factor additional services into a single tab, while others factor in costs in other ways.
'There are many different ways for a designer to run their business. Before signing on with a designer, you should know exactly what is included in your contract. For example, some designers work off a flat fee but cap the hours or the number of revisions and don't reduce the fee if the hours are not needed; others will track their time and charge by the hour. The more information you can provide about your level of expectations the more accurate the design services fee will be,' says Trish Knight, interior designer and co-founder of Knight Varga Interiors.