Make yourself at home: How to hire an interior designer?

There is no place like home. Although we, as human beings, have four essential needs, we probably do not get emotionally attached to any of them as much as we become attached to our home, the place we long to go back to at the end of the day.

We never want to take a risk when it comes to setting up how comfy and safe our house is, even in the smallest details; and hiring an interior designer always comes as the cherry on top that could either finish the painting we imagined for our home beautifully or ruin it. Thus, it is important to learn how to hire an interior designer that would turn your house into your dream-like safe haven.

In this article, we are going to demonstrate the reasons why you should hire an interior designer. Additionally, we will explain how to hire an interior designer and the main factors you need to consider to make sure you are making the choice that will suit both  your financial abilities and your needs.

Why do I need to hire an interior designer?

• Efficiency: Unlike what many people think of it, using the aid of an interior designer – if done correctly – can help you save money instead of wasting it. A professional interior designer will make the best out of your favorite place and spare you seemingly basic mistakes that could cost you time, money and effort that were better spent somewhere else.

You can inform your interior designer about your budget limit, and they, using their knowledge of the market prices and the specifications of the offered products, will help you getting what suits both your needs and abilities best in a time period that is much less than what you would have probably taken if you decided to do it on your own, and with a margin of error that is significantly smaller.

• A professional liaison: Like many other people, you might be concerned with the hassle you would need to go through while refurbishing your home with the contractors and the workers. Hiring an interior designer will save you all this hustle not only because they are the one who will be dealing with the contractors directly, but also because they know the best and most trusted contractors in the market which will all add to your benefit.

• Expert eyes: the interior designers, by definition, are trained to see the smallest details of your living place that you usually would not notice and creatively utilize these details as embellishments to your house’s overall appearance and coziness.

• Good imagination: it is normal to refrain from hiring an interior designer as most people would want their homes to reflect their preferences without any intervention. However, more often than not, people might not know what they really want their house to look like.

This might be attributed to multiple reasons including the possibility that they would not take their time to explore the different products and which of them would suit them better or would be closer to the image they have in mind of their refurbished place.

With their knowledge and experience of the latest trends and decoration best practices, an interior designer will help you find the best choice for you; more often than not, it would be something you would have never heard of if you decided to do your home decoration on your own.

Now that we discussed the reasons for hiring one, we need to know the factors you need to consider while hiring an interior designer.

How to hire an interior designer:

• Identifying your need and budget: similar to what you did while searching and choosing a realtor to help you find a good house, you need to answer two crucial questions before taking any step: what do I want? And how much am I willing to pay for it?

You need to research the costs of everything you want to include in your house’s renovation process. Write down everything you would like to do or purchase and find out their estimated costs; try to ask your relatives or friends who have refurbished their houses recently about what procedures and purchases were included and which of them match what you want to do with your house.

Also, try to test the market waters by asking contractors and manufacturers for the prices of what you would need.

• Involve everyone: if you are married or a family man, you need to involve all of your family members in the changes you are intending to implement to make sure everyone is on the same page from the beginning and avoid a hassle that could have been easily spared.

• Researching a suitable designer: similar to what you would do while hiring a realtor, the first step in hiring an interior designer is narrowing your choices to designers who would suit your budget and personal preferences. This comes after an extensive search in the market and a thorough examination of the designers’ portfolios and their quotas. This might seem basic, but when it comes to learning how to hire an interior designer correctly, it is indeed the most crucial step.

• Stay on budget: before you even budge the smallest chair in your living room, make sure that you and your interior designer are on the same page when it comes to the budget you are assigning for the renovation. As attractive as home renovation and decoration might be, its costs can quickly spin out of your control if you have not set financial limits for yourself and prioritize the things that you need to do.

Another important point in knowing how to hire an interior designer is the designer’s billing method. Some designers charge an hourly fee, while others simple charge a total fee for the entire apartment renovation. This will help you make sure you are staying on budget.

• Alternative Residence: it is hectic – and sort of impossible – to live in a house which has all of its rooms gutted out. If the place you are renovating is the same place you are living in, you would need to secure an alternative place for yourself till the work at your place is complete. If possible, try to find a family member of a friend who could host you meanwhile.

Finally, we understand that knowing how to hire an interior designer correctly could seem costly and hectic. However, if you considered your budget, needs, abilities and the desires of the people who share the same place with you, the end result certainly does pay off.