When it comes to deciding on a new look for your house, the second step after coming to a decision is to hire an interior designer or get to work yourself. You could also decide to work WITH an interior designer rather than leave the work to only one person. There's a lot to learn about this process since until the 20th century, interior designers hardly existed, and this guide will help you understand some basic things.
Of course, it can be difficult to change the old habit and mindset that one should style their own house. Most people think that only those living palaces can afford to hire an interior designer. However, that’s not the case nowadays. Interior designers are not as much of a high-class service as people think, and they can be very useful in helping people express their design tastes and preferences in their homes.
Choose between a designer or a decorator
Before you hire a professional, you must choose between a designer and a decorator. They may sound similar, but they are different in a few key areas:
- An interior designer focuses on the base design of a house and will consider changing its very structure. This includes things like expanding doors and windows, moving walls, moving staircases, and altering the fundamental structure of your house. They also help you make your new space more functional in this way. Moreover, they will assist you with working with architects and contractors to make those transformations happen.
- An interior decorator will only engage in the furnishing aspects of your house. He or she will be responsible for planning and designing the most suitable interior for a room.
Select your style
Many people find it difficult to determine the style of their new house. There’s nothing to panic about though since you won’t have to select just one style and stick to it for life. Here are a few things you should know about choosing a style:
- It’s important to try exploring the things you like and identify what the commonalities between them. By identifying these commonalities and giving them a name, you might find that your preferences match an already existing style (or is a combination of numerous aspects from other styles).
- Assigning a name to your style will help you and the decorator learn what you like and how various elements should be together. For instance, if you give names like Urban Glam or Industrial Chic, you will be mentally sturdy and be able to interpret a style easily.
Create a budget
It seems quite difficult to decorate a house by making a budget and limiting your work accordingly. After all, decorating a house can be costly, especially if you are doing so while inspired by professional designs in a magazine or a book. If you make a budget, you can follow your inspiration while staying within realistic spending.
Here, we have a few tips and tricks for you:
- Be honest about your expenditure while determining the total amount of money that you can afford to invest in this project. This will help you identify the quality and kind of design services you can afford for your new house.
- There are no fixed charges for hiring an interior designer. Instead, you need to determine their fees as per the type of services you require. Also, an interior designer may charge you on an hourly basis that varies based on their experience, skills, and location.
- When meeting an interior designer, it’s best to go through their fee structure properly to get an idea about the services that you will be getting charged for.
- Keep in mind that the payment you will make to the designers will not include the furnishing cost.
- If you think there’s too much work to do, you can hire an interior designer for a few hours and do you’re a simple consultation. Afterwards, the rest of the work can be managed by yourself.
Do your research
- If you are confused about choosing an interior design, you should research online databases like Houz.
- With this database, you can search based on your location for an interior designer.
- You should spend considerable time searching for an interior designer, otherwise you may not find a designer that suits your style.
- It's a good idea to visit a home and furnishing store and inquire about designers who often purchase items from there. By doing this it’s highly likely that you will find a designer of your choice.
- You can check the state and national associations of interior designers to obtain data and recommendations about them.
Question the designers
Finding a designer that suits your style doesn’t mean you will hire them. There’s more you need to consider before deciding:
- You must ensure that your personality matches the designer or that you two can understand each other since both of you will need to work together.
- An interior designer that you choose needs to know you well. For example, they must be aware of your living style and how you live in your house.
- Know that it is usually necessary to spend a lot of time with the designer since you both might need to visit design stores or centers.
- You don’t need to be great friends with your designer, but you need to make sure that the working relationship you develop with them is good.
List the important items
You must prepare a list of important items before you collaborate with an interior designer or decorator. Every person may have something from which they can't separate, examples including an exclusive art piece or a family heirloom. Here’s what you need to know:
- Check your house for items you’ll want to use in your new house and prepare a list for them accordingly.
- Inform the decorators regarding the items that you’ll want in your new house and ensure that they consider those items.
- Get ready to give away a few items that can’t be used effectively in your new space.
Benefits of hiring an interior designer
Save energy and time
- An interior designer will help you streamline your design process, thus helping you save both time and energy versus if you tried to start from scratch without help.
- A designer will work based on your budget, likes and dislikes, and general objectives to create a happy place for you to live. If you like traditional designs and need assistance in selecting preferred designs within your budget, it would be a good idea to hire an interior designer.
- With professionals, you can avoid making major mistakes since designers will ensure that everything is in its right place.
Optimize space and functionality
- An interior designer will fully utilize the benefits of each of your rooms and make sure to optimize the space and functionality of your new house.
- These professionals will create personalized areas and decide on perfect spots for your furniture. Moreover, they will help you decide which renovation style would be worth it for the long-term investment.
- Enjoy good quality products and maximum discounts
- Typically interior designers work with a reputable company that has exclusive discounts for designers which means you might be able to get certain pieces at a lower price.
- If any new products are launched on the market, the designer will know about it before the general population does. This can help you get pieces that you may not have been aware of before.
High resale value
If a home reseller opts for a professional shoot and staging of their house, it will likely get sold within a few weeks on the market. Also, they might get access to multiple offers that aren’t possible without professional assistance for photoshoots and staging.
Drawbacks of hiring an interior designer
Basic investment
The biggest disadvantage of hiring an interior designer is that its cost is based on the project's capacity. But if you have a budget and work accordingly or have hired a professional who will not charge much, you might not face any difficulties.
Instability
Be prepared to see your expectations fail if you choose to hire an interior designer. In the end, you may notice the design is conventional, edgy, or even customary. Sometimes, the end design may not align with your taste, likes, and dislikes no matter how much sense the process made. Overall, it's a huge risk working with design professionals since design is subjective.
Tastes and preferences
Another big drawback of opting for an interior designing professional is they have their likes and dislikes and can possibly impose their tastes on you.
Cost of hiring an interior designer
Here we will discuss the basic cost of hiring an interior designer. This will be just a rough estimate and not the fees of every designer.
A few interior designers may charge you somewhere around $2000 to $5000, while others will charge you $100-$500/ hour on an average. This charge will include the cost of furniture or any other upgrades you require.
Apart from the basic price, here are a few other aspects for you to consider:
- Size of the house- If you have a bigger space to decorate, you will have to pay more per square foot.
- Services you need- Based on the services you require, costs may increase if you need any renovation or an additional service.
- Experience- If you hire a highly experienced interior designer, they will charge you more than less experienced interior designers.
- Kind of materials- If you need exclusive or high-quality materials, you must be ready to pay a higher price.
- Construction type- The more number of constructions you need to do, the greater your cost will be.
Overall, hiring an interior designer is a personal decision. An interior designer who seems good to you might not be suitable for your friends or neighbors and vice versa. We suggest you don’t contract an interior designer until your vision aligns with their skills. You must be confident that your tastes and preferences suit the skills and understandings of the designer you have chosen.
Meanwhile, if you need any assistance regarding moving to a new house, you can contact us at movers.com or any other professional movers. You may request quotes from a few moving companies and choose according to your budget.