Three Real Questions You Should Ask An Interior Designer
You may be thinking about hiring a professional full service interior designer. After all, a pro can create a beautiful, functional space in much less time and with less stress and heartache than most people could do on their own.
Sure, you can scour Pinterest and daydream about the fabulous rooms you see. But creating something similar in your own home? It feels impossible, especially when you consider the millions of options available and the fact that just because something looks beautiful doesn’t mean it will work in your house with your existing pieces and elements.
But don’t feel bad! Designing a space that meets your functional and aesthetic goals, all while staying on budget AND feeling confident that your choices are, in fact, ones you will love forever, is not an easy feat for most people.
Interior designers, on the other hand, have access to a multitude of resources and can put together a cohesive vision that meets all of your goals AND will withstand the test of time. Simply put, when you hire a designer, you are hiring an expert to solve your problem.
There are many benefits of working with a professional full service interior designer. We have extensive expertise and knowledge that allow us to hone in on solving unique design challenges. We have access to a vast range of products not available to homeowners, and we have connections to reliable contractors and skilled tradespeople.
When it comes to hiring a full service interior designer, you will likely have a myriad of ideas about how the whole process will unfold. So you can be an informed consumer — and to ensure an effective working relationship with your chosen interior designer — it’s important to ask the right questions.
While your interior designer should know and be upfront about the project costs, billing and payment terms, and project timelines, there are a few key questions I think are the most important to ask your interior designer to better understand what the collaborative process will really be like.
What will you need from me, and when will you need it? When will you need me to be available?
You’ll want to know what your time commitment will need to be throughout the interior design process. Every interior designer offers different services with varying levels of support and access so you’ll want to make sure you fully understand whether you’ll need to be hands on or hands off, or if there are certain parts where you’ll be more involved than others. Yes, you are handing the bulk of the work off to a professional — that’s the whole idea, so the design process will be easier on you and your family. But to ensure your interior designer has everything they need to design the perfect space for you, your involvement in providing key information about your needs and your vision is critical.
And, at other times you will need to make your home available so that the designer can take measurements, tradespeople can do the work, and all of the finishing elements can be brought in and installed. You will want to have a thorough understanding of when you will need to devote time toward getting your project completed.
At CGID, our clients are the most involved at these key phases:
Onboarding. I want to know all the details about your lifestyle, design style, and functional needs. This is what will allow me to fully understand your style and goals to ensure I design a space you love. Typically, during the onboarding phase, our clients will want to put together a wishlist of all the things they want to have included in their design: Things like a new laundry room, finding a secluded space for the kitty litter box, or even what kinds of appliances you’d like in your kitchen. The more specific you can be, the more this helps me understand your goals. But don’t worry if you’re not sure, I can walk you through typical scenarios and help narrow down what’s possible. I also request that you spend some time thinking about what style and aesthetics that resonate with you the most. I work collaboratively with our clients, so every project is tailored to their lifestyle and personalities. I find that starting with some imagery helps to hone in on function, materials and overall aesthetics.
Design Phase. During the design phase, you’ll want to set aside time for a Design Concept meeting (typically over Zoom), an initial Design Presentation meeting in person, and then around two revision meetings after that. Typically , our clients spend a few hours on their own after the Design Presentation to review what I’ve presented and provide feedback and any change requests within a week.
Construction Phase. Our clients are available as needed during construction to review progress, and answer any questions pertaining to changes from our design plan and anything that requires cost approvals. Depending on the scope of the project, this can range from a few times during the project up to weekly meetings on site with the team. If you’re not able to be in town during construction, no problem! I can be available for phone calls, and can provide video and photo updates to keep you in the loop.
How will we communicate throughout the project? How frequently will I hear from you?
You don’t want to feel left in the dark at any time during your project: why isn’t my interior designer calling me? Is anything happening? Are they even working on my project?
These thoughts can be very anxiety-provoking and in my/our experience with my/our clients, it’s more often that “no news is good news”. But, you’ll want to make sure you understand the interior designer’s process and key milestones so you aren’t worried if you don’t hear from them during a certain phase. Once you know their process, you’ll have a full understanding of all the things they’re doing behind the scenes to keep your project on track.
Another important thing to be aware of is your preferred communication style and your designer’s. If you prefer phone calls but email is how your interior designer and their team communicate best, you may need to adjust your expectations OR find a designer who is readily available via phone.
You’ll also want to know who you’ll be in contact with throughout your project. Is the interior designer the main person you’ll reach out to if you have questions? Or, is there a designated support person at their office who will handle a majority of communication so nothing gets missed?
At CGID, I pride myself on my proactive communication. By providing timely email updates, an open communication channel through email and phone during business hours, frequent site visits, contractor collaboration and provided spec books, and scheduled milestone design meetings, our clients always know what to expect and we are able to minimize surprises and delays.
Who handles all the final details, like hanging artwork, placing accessories, buying light bulbs, removing packaging material and shipping boxes?
It will be helpful for you to understand what you’ll be responsible for when all the finishing pieces are brought into your home. The term “white glove delivery” means all items are assembled and packaging materials are removed and disposed of. But you’ll also want to understand if and when your designer will put items in place (hanging artwork, placing accessories). This is called “styling” and you’ll want to know when this will happen, whether you need to be out of your home, if there are additional fees for it, and what specific last-minute responsibilities you will have to get everything to 100% completion.
At CGID, I offer installation and styling services for our full service projects and can discuss your needs during a Discovery Call. I always recommend our clients budget for this final phase of the project - the styling is truly the magic touch that pulls everything together!
We hope these questions have been helpful for preparing you to hire an interior designer. The relationship between designer and client is a special one. I work closely with my clients for months or years on a single project and they become like family. And, the privilege of designing someone's most sacred space, their home, is an honor I don’t take lightly.