How to Work with an Interior Designer: 7 Key Points for a Great Working Relationship
S o you’ve decided to work with an interior designer, good move! Embarking on an interior renovation journey is both exciting and daunting. From selecting the perfect fabric to ensuring every lighting fixture, furniture piece, paint color, wallpaper, and accessory aligns with your aesthetic, the process involves countless decisions. Hiring a designer can transform this intricate process into a seamless experience. They will save you vast amounts of time, money, and stress by helping you to navigate the multitude of design decisions and help you to avoid costly mistakes. To ensure you develop the most positive and productive relationship with your designer, I’m sharing the 7 key tips for working with an interior designer and developing a great and enduring working relationship!
Here are Lara's 7 Key Points:
1. Establishing Trust and Communication.
- Trust: Your interior designer will be in charge of the look, flow, and quality of one of your most important investments. So, it's crucial you trust that they'll make the hundreds of detailed decisions that go into the home design process correctly and to your liking. You’ll need to trust that they have the experience and design knowledge to handle the design questions and challenges that arise during a project expertly and efficiently. You’ll need to trust that they’ll work seamlessly and professionally with your architect and other members of your design team, and also bill you appropriately and to the terms of your agreement. That’s a whole lot of trust going on!
- Trust Takes 2: I also must note…like with any good relationship, trust goes both ways! Designers also need to trust that their clients will keep their end of the agreement too. For example, if a client agreed to have their designer do all the purchasing for their home and they start to make purchases on their own, this could create tension in their relationship. Or, if the client doesn't take the designers design advice, second guess them, or overrule them without a discussion first, it’s sure to cause friction.
2. Do Your Vetting Homework Thoroughly Upfront.
- Interviews: As I mentioned before, it’s so important to take your time and ask lots of pertinent questions during your interviews and consultation with your prospective interior designers to make sure they're a good fit. To uncover the key questions to ask a prospective designer during your interview, please read my incredibly insightful post on How to Work With an Interior Designer – The Interview.
- Portfolio & References: It is important to also call their references and view their portfolios to learn as much as you can about their experience, style, processes, and billing practices. Doing this part well will enable you to feel secure about your decision and super trusting in the designer you select before work even begins.
3. Adhere to the Agreed Upon Terms of Your Contract.
-
Communicate Issues Promptly: If something in your designers contract is really bothering you, get in touch with your designer quickly to discuss it. Many designers are flexible and very willing to accommodate reasonable requests. Addressing money issues can sometimes feel uncomfortable, but discussing your concerns in a calm and rational manner is usually all it takes.
-
Don't Shop Your Designer: If it states in your designers contract that they make your design purchases for you, make sure not to purchase items for your home without their knowledge. So much time is spent creating and shopping for the best possible items for your home design. Being respectful of the terms of your contract will make for a great relationship.
4. Believe in Your Designer’s Design Decisions, They Really do Know What They’re Doing!
- Have Confidence: You hired your pro designer because you loved their work, have extensive design experience, and got rave reviews from their references. Constantly second guessing their decisions, or worse over-riding them, is sure to cause a slow death to your relationship and could harm the outcome of your project.
- Ask Questions: If you’re uncomfortable or don't like something, contact your designer to let them know and ask them to further explain their design plan. Sometimes some additional information is all that is needed to see that they have good reasons for their suggestions that may be integral to the design concept. Don’t feel embarrassed or intimidated to ask questions, even if you think they’re silly. A good designer should educate you and keep you in the loop on everything that’s happening with your home!
- Big Picture: Remember, interior designers always have the big picture in mind. Our unique talent is that we can piece together all the little details while bringing your vision to life. It's about all the small pieces coming together that makes your space special.
5. Learn the Financial Aspects of Working With a Designer.
- How We Charge: The first thing to know is that all designers charge differently and that their rates vary with no specific guidelines for designer rates or what interior design cost. Therefore, a professional designer should clearly communicate to you up front how they charge and what their fees are for their different services. They should also let you know what forms of payment they accept, what their terms of payment are, and how they will bill you. All of this should be spelled out in their contract, fully understood by you, and signed by both parties before any work begins. This is essential to avoid any disputes or loss of trust down the road.
Although how much an interior designer cost and charges varies, here are the various ways interior designers generally charge:
- Charge a flat rate for a specific scope of work.
- A designer hourly rate (design fee per hour)
- Charge a commission on purchases they make for your home or simply charge you the retail cost of purchases and keep the difference from their discounts.
- A percentage of the total construction cost
- Charge a management fee for construction oversight
- Charge per square footage of the space (although this is less common)
- A combination of any of the above is very typical
- Have the Budget Conversation: Some designers, especially those who work on a commission only basis will require they do all the purchasing for your interior design project. Interior designers often also have a minimum budget requirement for them to accept your project. It’s best to have a ball-park estimate of what your overall budget will be. That way, they will be able to advise you if your budget is realistic for your project goals and can formulate the best game plan for it. They may charge for reimbursable expenses as well such a blueprints, express mail services, and samples.
- Learn More: Understanding your designers pricing and knowing what to expect when working with a designer are two crucial steps in setting the stage for a long lasting and trusting relationship. To read more about what a designer costs, check out my extremely informative blog post, How Much Does an Interior Designer Cost?
6. Don’t Take Too Long to Make Decisions.
- Great Designers are Experts: Sometimes clients are afraid of making mistakes and therefore will have trouble making decisions. This is when you really need to trust your designers talent and knowledge. It’s also a main reason why you’ve hired a great designer in the first place! Not being able to make timely decisions will cause delays of your project and can ultimately sabotage your schedule.
- Focus Your Attention: Whether you're trying to decide on items like furniture, rugs, or paint and wallpapers, your designer will be there for you to help you decide what works best in your living space. Again, if you’re unsure about something your designer is specifying, communicate your concerns and allow them to explain the reasoning behind it. It’s worth reiterating that since we designers always have the big picture, or “end game” in mind, there’s usually a good reason behind all our choices.
- Feel Secure in the Process: They'll likely spend time creating mood boards, drawings, and renderings to help you visualize their aesthetics, ensuring the space is both beautiful and functional, while also helping you bring your vision to life. Effective space planning and functionality are crucial, and your designer should oversee the project to ensure cohesive spatial arrangements. They should be able to offer insight on the process of working with contractors and tradespeople, and explain lead times for sourcing materials and installation from start to finish. They will help you every step of the way to make you feel secure in your decisions in order to keep the process smooth and moving along stress free.
It's imperative to hire an experienced designer!
7. Be Patient.
- Don't Rush the Process: Whether you're building, renovating, or designing, it can a long, messy, and often stressful process. Sometimes it seems that progress is not happening or things are even moving backwards. Experienced interior designers are used to the ebbs, flows, and surprises that typically occur during home design projects. Therefore, designers create a realistic project timeline for you. This can help you immensely to manage your expectations and reduce stress.
- Construction Can Be Unpredictable: We are not magicians, but we can (and should!) educate you on the interior design process so you know what to expect and therefore will enable you to be patient with the process and trust that it’s moving along at the appropriate pace. Backorders, delays, and construction issues will always happen. We are experienced at dealing with these unfortunate issues, and can manage them the best. Trust me, we are just as frustrated and unhappy as you are when this occurs, but we always have your projects best interest at heart!
I hope you found this post helpful! I’d love to hear about your interior design experiences, thoughts, or relevant questions in the comment box below ☺
Happy Designing!
2 Comments
Great tips to know, very insightful thanks
So informative I will def use this info thnx