May 2024

How to choose an interior designer.

Gone are the old days when the choices for finding professional services were Yellow Pages, local printed ads, or the word of mouth. In a digital universe, we Google, we scroll, we search on social media, check the websites, reviews, and the list goes on. How do we evaluate of a potential professional using these sources? Let’s talk specifically about interior designers.

Usually, you will find the following information, though you may need to go to several sources: project photos, company’s history or designer’s bio, terms of service, and reviews. I will address each one separately. Bellow I list the questions that you may want to ask.

Project photos:

1. Does the level of taste that you see in photos match yours? Are these interiors tasteful from your point of view? I believe, this is one of the most important criterium for compatibility between clients and interior designers. If you and your designer are not on the same wavelength on tastefulness, you are not going to be a happy client.
2. Do you see originality and creativity in the designs? Or are they merely reiterations of what you have seen already a million of times? Is it important to you that your interior designer is able to create and not just coordinate. Former is not necessarily better than the latter, it all depends on your needs, but that difference should be a consideration for the fees. There are many more designers who do an excellent job at coordinating interiors, than designers who can create original conceptual designs. Very soon, if not already, AI can produce a decent design with perfectly coordinated furnishings.
3. Does it look like the company posts photos of all projects on the Internet? There are companies that post photos of every project. Some may require that you grant them rights to photograph your home and use the photos as they wish. Would you be comfortable with that? While this is not the most important factor, in my opinion, it is required a consideration prior to signing a contract.

Company’s history or designer’s bio:

1. Does the company list their interior designers and their bios? You should be able to review qualifications of a particular designer who will be working on your project. If the company advertises “a team of highly qualified professionals”, you may want to request more detailed information. Ambiguity may be masking lack of formal education, insufficient experience, or something else.
2. Does a designer have a formal education? In this field, it is, generally, not a requirement. There are many who think that interior design is more about talent than a degree. While someone with an innate talent for decorating, may do a wonderful job designing their own space, doing the same for other people is a totally different game. That game has rules that are learned through studying various facets of design. Of course, that knowledge can be acquired via various paths, including self-study. Interior design often requires an interdisciplinary approach that combines design-specific knowledge, e.g. the theory of color or history of period styles, with applied psychology, cultural awareness, and other relevant areas. You will likely benefit more working with designers with higher education who could bring this level of knowledge and skills to your project.

Terms of service:

1. Are terms of service published with clear information about fees? I, personally, always prefer to deal with professionals who publish their rates and with workrooms that have a price list for their services. In addition to possible confusions and surprises later, I don’t like to be subjected to a sales pressure before a price is named. I also don’t like to be “qualified” for what I may or may not afford. For these reasons, I recommend exercising caution if prices are not published.

Reviews:

The reviews have become one the most important qualifiers for a decision to hire someone. You can uncover a trove of useful information but there are pitfalls as well. Here are some questions to ponder.

1. If a company has few reviews, does is it mean that it is not a good company? Not at all! The company may be new. Or it can be well-established and generates clients by referrals, has enough following, and prefer not to pester their clients with requests for reviews.
2. What if the company has too many reviews? Perhaps, not all reviews are really from the clients. I would be suspicious if there too many review that are very general, e.g., “They did a great job, on time and within the budget. I enjoy my new kitchen. Thank you!”. If you suspect any dishonesty, I would not recommend contacting such a company.
3. What if the company has mostly good reviews but there are also several that are negative? If there are ten excellent reviews and two bad ones, I would not worry, unless the negative reviews have specific information that concerns you. Our negative bias makes us focusing on the bad stuff even when it is very small proportionally.
4. How do I evaluate reviews? Look for authenticity and details, specifics – facts that can help you envision what working with that designer would feel like. Are there any comments from the company? How did they solve the problems, complaints?

This list is not all-inclusive, but it should give you a good start in you journey to your beautiful and happy home.