Looking for an Interior Designer? 5 Questions to Finding Your Perfect Fit.
Dreaming up the perfect interior is easy. Through the magical portals of our iPhones, Pinterest and Instagram provide us with endless inspiration. Bright, sun-filled rooms, precisely curated with just-right furniture, objects and art. The images of these spaces are so covetable, they easily gain our likes, saves and general adoration.
Bringing these dream spaces to life? Well, that’s a little trickier. When you consider all the facets of a construction project - hiring the project team, setting up the budget, project scheduling, building code analysis, space planning, interior detailing, selecting the right furniture and on and on - the list of tasks can seem endless and overwhelming. Selecting and hiring an experienced interior designer can be the key to your project's success. But how do you know which interior design studio is right for you?
Over the many projects we’ve undertaken over the years, it has become clear that finding the right fit between client and design team is critical to achieving that dream interior. We’ve compiled a list of 5 questions to ask yourself, and the interior designers you interview, when having those initial discussions.
I. Do I like their work?
Check out their website, social media accounts and any publications featuring their past projects to make sure their work resonates with you.
How do you feel when you scroll their Instagram or click through their website?
Do you like their style and their unique approach? Does it draw you in?
Do you feel connected to the spaces they’ve created?
Can you imagine living or working in those spaces?
Any interior designer you work with should absolutely weave your individual needs, tastes, and considerations into your project. But keep in mind, the outcome will always be filtered through their design lens. Their project experience, aesthetic and preferred design methods will impact the end result of your space. 10 qualified interior designers will solve your design problem in 10 different ways. Make sure you connect with their work.
II. Are they qualified to take on my project?
We’ve discussed the qualifications interior designers need in order to use the title Professional Interior Designer (more on that here). To use the term Professional Interior Designer in Winnipeg and throughout Manitoba, a designer must have achieved a combination of education, experience, certification and membership in their professional organization. This means they are both accountable to you as their client as well as their professional organization. For interior designers in Winnipeg, that organization is PIDIM.
Ask potential designers how being a professional (or not) impacts their design projects and their clients' experience. Ask them about their past projects, client relationships and overall experience in the industry. Have they worked on projects like yours in the past? What are some of the key takeaways and recommendations they might share with you?
III. Do I connect with them?
Your design project can run anywhere from a few months to several years. This is why it’s super important you feel connected to your design team - you just might be collaborating for a long time. From your initial meeting with your interior designer, you should feel comfortable talking to them and sharing your project goals. You should feel like you are on the same page with your interior designer and connect on shared values. You should feel seen and heard by your interior designer and trust they have your best interest in mind.
We start every project with a complementary virtual call so we can meet face to face, talk about your project and find out if we are a good fit. Keep in mind, design studios often require that a project meets certain criteria of their own. These might be a specific project niche (healthcare, retail, work place, residential) or a certain project size (small, medium, large). Ask potential designers if your project fits within their area of expertise.
Your designer will be sizing you up as well. They want to determine if you and your project are a good fit in the areas where they’ve seen the best results. There’s so much collaboration that happens in a project and a great connection between designer and client is essential for success.
IV. Do I like their process?
Has the designer communicated to you the steps necessary to get from initial concept to finished space? Do you understand how the project is going to run and how much time and commitment will be required from you as a client?
Each design studio has a different process to execute a project, so make sure you feel comfortable with your interior designers methodology. Ask your potential designer what you can expect from the process. Keep in mind that you’re trusting a professional with your project and often that means handing over the reins. You may only renovate your home or business once or twice in your lifetime, but for your interior designer, this is everyday life. Trust in their process is an essential factor in achieving the space of your dreams. Make sure you feel comfortable with their process.
V. Do I have a good handle on how much my project will cost and how long it will take?
Budget and schedule - these 2 fundamental components can make or break a projects success. We start talking budget and schedule with our clients from the first time we meet them in a discovery call and it's a regular agenda item through to a project's completion. More often than not, a project will cost more than you think and take longer to complete. It’s important to do some research into current market trends in the construction industry so you have a realistic idea of what to expect in terms of time and money.
It’s also important to factor in the time it takes to complete the early stage work of a project, such as design time and project planning. This is why hiring an interior designer is such a great first step. When you invest time in good front end planning, you can save countless headaches throughout your project. Having a good idea of the schedule long before construction begins will help you to plan the rest of your life around your project and ease some of the construction overwhelm.
Hiring the right interior designer can be a transformative investment. By considering these 5 essential questions - design portfolio, project experience, personal connection, design process and budget/schedule - you can feel confident in a successful partnership with your designer, one that is rooted in clear communication and professional collaboration.