You want the kind of home that you see in the magazines. They always look so beautiful. At the same time, you’re not a designer. You need help with the minutia. What you need is an interior designer. But, a good one is hard to find – especially in the UK. Here’s how to sort through the pack and pick a winner.
Look For Qualifications
If you’re going to pay for help, the person ought to be qualified. Ask for some sort of interior design qualifications like an interior design degree or accreditation. But, aside from the academic qualifications, you want to know your interior designer is good. That means experience. It also means you should be leery of working with “green peas” – people new to the industry.
Finally, you can look up your prospective designer in a database of the British Institute of Interior Design to see if they are a member. This organisation has a pretty rigorous entry requirement, assessing the training, education, experience, and professionalism of every designer that wants to join. You can also be assured that your designer is up to date on all of the current laws and regulations if he or she is a member here.
Ask What Services They Provide
Before paying your designer, find out which services he or she offers. For example, will your designer do all of the measuring of all of the rooms, or will this be left up to you? Will she provide you with height recommendations for picture frames or just a general guideline to use for hanging pictures? Will you get specific furniture and brand recommendations, like Swivel UK, or will you have to figure out where to buy everything on your own?
These are things you want to know, because it may affect your decision to hire the person. For example, if you’re looking for a “soup to nuts” service, you’ll be disappointed if the designer doesn’t do staging or hand-pick interior elements and furnishings.
Ask About Cost
How much will this cost you? It’s a question you obviously want answered before you sign any contract. Most designers charge between £30 – £100 per hour, though some of the upmarket ones charge at least £100 and often more.
Realise that the cost of the services often also plays a role in the types of services you receive. For example, a cheaper designer may not do specific brand recommendations or help you with the exact placement of art, lamps, plants, and photos on the wall.
Ask About Time To Completion
The last thing you want to know is how long it’s going to take for the job to be completed. Some designers dig into a project and work all day. Others work only a few hours at a time while juggling several projects at once. You want to know how long your home will be tied up for, and at what hours of the day he or she will be there.
Get everything in writing before work begins so that there’s no confusion about when work will be done.
Jessica Andrews is a retired interior designer with a joy for blogging about inspirational design. From knowing how to decide to revitalize a space to finding your inspirations, she often writes about the basics for interior design.
