How Do I Pick an Interior Designer?
Aby and her designer friend, Drew, answer readers’ questions on upholstery, design, and everything in between. Email them at hello@abysupholstery.com and follow them both on Instagram @abysupholstery & @drewalbo
Amy Asks: I’ve seen so many ads since I started looking into hiring an interior designer, I’m stuck. I don’t know who to choose, which firm to work with, or whether I should look into online interior design, especially right now during COVID. HELP! How do I begin picking an interior designer?
This is actually a really good question! Hiring an interior designer can be a really challenging thing for a lot of people, especially when you haven’t, necessarily, ever done it. Typically, whenever I begin working with a new client, I like to tell them that my ideal working relationship begins with trust. If a client can trust a designer, and where they are going with the creative vision and direction—you’ll start to see creativity, beauty, and imagination unravel in a really unique and stunning way. If a client can’t seem to trust, then maybe you need to ask a bit more questions in order to find out if this will be a fruitful working relationship.
SHARE YOUR STYLE
By this I mean, share your collaboration style. Are you wanting to be more hands-on? Meaning, you want to be a part of every decision process that goes into the final project, and, you need constant communication.
OR
Are you more hands-off? Do you want to be surprised or don’t necessarily care about the minor details, just, the overall vision?
Communicating this at the start will set the tone for the rest of the work that you will do together. Some clients I’ve worked with don’t know, and they start off hands-off, but as soon as the project begins, they get excited, share their opinions, and all of a sudden are interested in every detail.
GET TO KNOW EACH OTHER
As cliche, and possibly, simple, as this sounds, it’s so important to get to know one another. Talk to each other as friends, communicate openly, and build mutual respect for one another. I only work with clients that I want to work with and don’t ever take jobs that I feel are going to be too challenging. For Interior Designers, the creative process is one that is inspired, artistic, and not necessarily a linear process, so it’s important that the client and the designer are able to share common appreciations and aesthetic elements.
COME PREPARED
I can’t emphasize this enough. Please come prepared. I’ve worked with so many people that have no idea what they like, or want, and expect me to read their minds and set the tone for their space. AND, while it is possible, it can really delay the process for weeks on end. If you set time to build, dream, and explore your aesthetic with an ample supply of inspiration images and ideas, then your designer will have a good framework for pulling your space together. Show as much as possible at the beginning, this isn’t dating after all.
BUDGET! BUDGET. BUDGET?
Do some research, is all this means. Having a clear budget for your designer will really help lay the framework for the scope of the project. I always start off by telling a client that a sofa can cost anywhere from $1000 - $27,000, to set-up an approximate numerical value. Also, consider the designer’s fees as well. Don’t think of interior design as a frilly, artistic, or creative venture that only free spirits do. Design influences life and the way we live, and designers deserve to be paid for the value they bring to space.
Article by Drew Abo