How To Get It Right When Working With An Interior Designer

For many of us, it is a dream to be able to create our future dream home. However, our dream homes do not magically appear, and usually, we will require additional assistance in turning our dream home into reality. That’s where an interior designer comes in handy! With the vision that you have for your dream home, an interior designer can be the key to helping you bring it to life by transforming your space into a haven to go home to every day.

However, before reaching out to an interior designer, it is essential for you as a homeowner to know what your interior designer expects of you to ensure that both parties enjoy a smooth-sailing partnership. Having worked with numerous interior designers over the years, we have gathered some tips for you on how to work effectively with your interior designer to turn your dream home into a reality. 

1. Finding the right one

Similar to dating, not every interior designer that you meet is going to be the right one for you and your dream home. Each designer has their specialization and business practices, thus to ensure that the project is plain sailing, it is vital that you and your designer are always on the same page. If your initial appointment with the first interior designer do not work out, you may need to meet a few designers before identifying one that you feel most comfortable communicating with and whose previous work is similar to the design that you are after.

2. Having a clear end goal

Before you embark on the journey of creating your dream home together with your interior designer, a good start would be to convey your needs to them. Which part of the house would you like to work on? How much are you willing to spend on the project, and when is your desired dateline? What design theme are you going for? Sharing your vision that you have for your home will give your interior designer a better understanding of the parameters that they are working with, which is crucial to nailing the project and completing it on time and within the agreed budget.  

3. Clarify your terms of payment

Besides the various design specializations among interior designers, the payment procedure varies for different interior designers. Thus, you must understand their payment schedule before agreeing to work with them. The more common pricing structure is typically paying 30%-40% upon confirmation and the remaining amount in a progressive manner. By understanding the payment procedure of your respective interior designer, you will be aware of what and when to pay.

4. Realistic Expectations

Ever tuned in to a home design show and wondered how the interior designer managed to complete the entire project in such a short period with an inadequate budget and hoped that the same would happen for your home? Well, the truth is, in reality, there is often a team of workers working behind the scenes to complete the renovation work on time, and homeowners are usually only required to pay minimally with sponsorships from various parties, thus the low budget. It is also important to note that more often than not, these television shows attempt to show how a seemingly impossible dream can come true, for the purpose of gaining viewership. In reality, the timeframe and budget of the projects are not practical. It is advisable to consult the interior designers with regards to the expected duration and budget of the project to get a clearer picture of what to expect in practice.

5. Communication is Key

The key to any long-lasting relationship is to have excellent communication skills, likewise, when working together with your interior designer to create your future dream home. Interior designers often tell their clients to provide them with as much information as possible in the beginning to allow them to have a better understanding of their likes and dislikes, be it visual or verbal. By always sharing your honest opinions with your interior designer, it will be more convenient for them to make the necessary changes earlier and produce satisfactory results in the end.

Although it is crucial to always share your honest thoughts with your interior designer, we should also remember that our interior designers have specific working hours. As such, we should respect their working hours as stated and not flood them with text messages when they are off duty.

Hopefully, with our tips, home renovation no longer sounds like a daunting task, and you will be better prepared when working together with your interior designer to design your dream home.