SETTING EXPECTATIONS WHEN HIRING A DESIGNER
Have you thought about working with an interior designer but aren’t sure what to expect? Hiring an interior designer could be the game-changing ingredient to transforming your home renovation dreams into a stunning reality. Whether you want help adding some décor to a space or are ready to jump into a full-blown remodel, we’re here to help!
If you haven’t done it before, the idea of hiring someone to undertake this task can feel intimidating and overwhelming – that is, if you don’t know what to expect from the process. That’s why we’ve put together a list of key factors to keep in mind and some tips to help you set expectations and work effectively with your designer.
PROJECT MANAGER? THERAPIST? FRIEND? OR DESIGNER?
How about all four wrapped up in one? Your home is such a personal and private space that it's really no wonder that designers end up wearing so many hats. It’s also the main reason that it’s so important to make sure you and your designer are a good fit.
Make sure to evaluate an interior designer during all ‘getting to know you’ opportunities. Here at DS, we offer a free 15-minute Discovery Call so you can get a feel for our personalities, how we work, and we can learn a bit about your project. From there we move to an in-person paid 90-minute Design Consultation, where we do a full walk-through of your space. You can get a feel for how we communicate and we’ll go over your wants and needs, start building your scope of work, and provide you with ideas for your home.
During these introductory opportunities, make note of how the designer makes you feel. Interior design projects can be emotional so you want a designer who will be there to guide you through the ups and downs, keep the project on track and get you the home of your dreams.
HAVE CLEAR GOALS + REALISTIC EXPECTATIONS
It’s okay to not know exactly what you want, after all that’s probably why you’re hiring an interior designer – but it’s crucial to start by defining the scope of work. Think about what space(s) you would like to work on. How much construction is involved? Do you have a specific timeline you need to work within? What is your budget and how would you like to allocate it? All these details will set the stage for the design, development, financial, and logistics phases of the project. This will also assist your designer in understanding your project holistically, which is essential to developing and executing a stunning finished product.
Designology provides every client with a questionnaire to help gather these details. As we tell you to think about these goals, we also want to let you know the next key ingredient to a successful interior design project – know that no matter how much we plan and try to get ahead of everything, there are just too many moving parts for all things to go perfectly. It helps to have realistic expectations that not every piece of furniture or plumbing item will come in on time, or that something unexpected won’t pop up and burst the budget. A general rule of thumb is to know that a home project will usually take longer and cost more than you expect. That’s also where we come in – we’re here to help you understand these potential delays and setbacks.
Most clients are unaware of how much projects normally cost – and as much as we all love to watch home design shows, their prevalence has done the industry a bit of a disservice when it comes to setting realistic goals and expectations. The projects that we see on TV are getting done with tiny budgets and even smaller timelines which just isn't reality, it’s TV magic. We do our best to help inform you based on our experience, but it’s good to keep in mind that estimates are only estimates and there’s no way to 100% accurately know what a project is going to cost until we’re at the very end.
In these ever-changing times, our industry has seen a huge increase in backorders, sourcing issues, and material costs. Whatever budget you have in mind, we always remind our clients that they also need a contingency plan for unforeseen overrun. We recommend allocating anywhere between 10-25% of the overall renovation budget towards a safety net.
You never know when you're going to run into hidden electrical problems, structural issues, or moisture damage...sometimes not until your designer’s foot unexpectedly goes through your subfloor during the site measure. Yes, this actually happened to a client – but now they have a beautiful new (and structurally sound) bathroom!
And finally – designers might sometimes be referred to as miracle workers, but know that every project has constraints. Most designers are natural problem-solvers, and as such, we love a good puzzle and thrive on making sure all the pieces fit together. However, it’s important that a client realizes that a designer can only make a space be the best version of itself; they can’t make that space into something it is not. So it’s also important to be realistic about your project and what can be achieved with the resources at hand.