There are lots of reasons why hiring an interior designer can help to make your project go smoothly. Not only that, they bring practical and creative ideas that you may not have thought of.
But not everyone needs an interior designer or full-service interior design. It’s true! While an interior designer can bring so much to the table, not every project or remodel needs one. So how do you know?
There are some key signs and scenarios that suggest you shouldn’t hire an interior designer. Let’s explore these!
Bargain Hunting
This is one of the biggest signs that you shouldn’t hire an interior designer.
If you crave clearance deals and a bargain over quality and longevity, especially for projects like your bathroom remodel, you shouldn’t hire a designer. Instead, you should consider hiring an interior designer for a consultation for some professional advice. This will equip you with the right information and ideas before going straight into a project.
A huge part of the design magic a designer brings to the table is in sourcing and procurement, so it’s important that you are open-minded to this for it to work with an interior designer. With the design consultation route, this doesn’t include sourcing. When I’m working on a project, I’m paying close attention to how the space will perform over time and balance quality and value together in a way that makes sense for my client’s values. If they plan to be in a home for many years, my approach is different than if they are flipping the property. Each application requires a specific approach that’s tailored. Sometimes that means a tile accent that’s $75 a square foot is right, other times, $5 a square foot is a better fit. If you trying to invest as little as possible, then a designer may be a hindrance as opposed to helpful.
The client I worked with for this bathroom wanted a fun yet relaxing space to enjoy. They didn’t know how to transform this previously dark bathroom into a space they loved, so they hired me to create this beautiful bathroom! I worked through all the details to make sure they had a space that matched their fun personalities.
“Crowd Source” Solutions
An interior designer will work with your personal tastes and lifestyle – no one else’s. So if you’re known for hiring someone and relying on your friends and family for their opinion, then you’re probably going to pull your hair out working with a designer.
People hire me because of my knowledge and expertise. It’s ok to reach out for opinions, but don’t let others (who don’t have experience designing a home) sway you. This will only add confusion to the mix. You will also experience overwhelm due to the number of different opinions and not quite knowing what is best for you because of it.
As your designer, I design for you and your tastes. Often, well-meaning friends and family offer guidance and advice based on their personal tastes and preferences – and not yours. To work with an interior designer successfully, you need to trust their judgment and expertise. After all, we live and breathe design!
You may also enjoy reading about Kitchen Lighting, 5 Ways to Style Your Powder Room and our guest spot on Why to Hire a Designer.
Detail Oriented
Are you the sort of person that needs to know each and every detail? Or the reasoning behind each specification over something else? Hiring a designer might be cost-prohibitive for you. This is because of the sheer amount of decisions that get made during the design stages of a project.
As a designer, I literally make thousands of decisions for each project. While I dive into the technical data for each specification, I don’t always share all my findings with my clients. This is one of the reasons why homeowners do hire an interior designer – our knowledge of product specifications – but sharing each and every detail is extremely time-consuming. Some decorators play 20 questions with their clients. They ask them to make decisions regarding the smallest details of the project. I’m here to make those decisions for you. I don’t expect you to understand the increased maintenance requirements of a widespread faucet over a single lever, or to know if you want a ceramic floor as opposed to natural stone. It’s my job to understand your lifestyle and design accordingly. I’m not a personal shopper, I’m a curator and design expert. My clients hire me so they don’t have to weed through all the small details that need to be considered and they avoid costly mistakes as a result.
Small Enhancements
Does your space function relatively well, but you just need a few small enhancements? Often if you’re working with a strong base, you don’t need to hire a designer for the project purely because of the minimal changes and upgrades you need.
If you’re not sure about your selections, then a consultation may be just the ticket, but you won’t need full-service interior design support. It is worth reaching out to designers to check what their consultation rate is and what is provided for this so you can decide whether it would be helpful for you.
For this powder room project I worked on, the client already knew they wanted a fun wallpaper but needed help narrowing down options. I worked with the client in a design consultation to work through this. This was one small part of a 2 hour consultation so my client was armed with design expertise to pull her home together.
Considering help from an interior designer? Reach out today! We’d love to help!
I’d love to hear about your experience if you’ve worked with an interior designer before! Drop them in the comments below.