How to Hire an Interior Designer or Decorator

An interior designer can really help you to create a home environment that offers your comfort and peace, while offering your guests a warm and welcoming space. If you are considering hiring an interior designer or decorator to assist you in decorating your home, here are some helpful tips.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Things You’ll Need:

• Interior Designer
• Home

1. After finding a qualified interior designer, meet the interior designer in person to see if your personalities are a good match. You will be working closely together to create something intimate and personal in your space, so it is important that you get along.
2. Invite the interior designer to come to your home so that you can interview the designer about specific techniques they use, and so that they designer can view your home.
3. Ask to see photographs and specific examples of the designer's work. See if these examples match with your tastes and needs.
4. Once you have decided to hire the designer to decorate your home, sign a written contract that specifically itemizes all services and fees. Some interior designers charge an hourly fee, while others charge a percentage of the cost of furnishings and accessories. You may also be able to negotiate a flat fee for the entire job.

Tips & Warnings

• Interior designers are excellent resources for helping you to choose a paint color for a room. Ask what their hourly fee would be to come to your home and bring paint swatches and recommend a color. I have personally done this (after painting a room 4 times) and now I have used the resulting colors over and over in other rooms and homes. The fee for this was only $55!