1) Designer’s Portfolio
When hiring an interior designer, you should feel confident that you know what you’re getting into. Fortunately for you, Interior Design isn’t an area where you would have to be completely dependent on another person’s opinion.
You should make sure that you get the opportunity to go through the portfolio of some of the past work done by an Interior Designer you are considering hiring. If only everything in life had portfolios!
2) Interior Design Education
It is important to check out the education and qualifications of your prospective hire. This is a simple and quick way to make sure that you are working with a professional who has the requisite training and educational background to instill a sense of calm and confidence in their services.
3) Consultation with the Interior Designer
The initial meeting or ‘Consultation’ is a chance to sit down and discuss your specific project, and address any questions and concerns you might have. This way you can get a more accurate idea of, for example, how much your project might cost, how long it may last, and it can enable the Interior Designer to gather information about your project in order to give you an estimate or a proposal.
Often there will be a fee for a ‘Consultation Appointment’. However, some designers might waive this fee and simply treat the project as having commenced.
4) Consultation Questions
Make sure to take some time before the initial meeting in order to think of any questions you want to have addressed in that first meeting. Some questions include:
a) What are your fees and methods of charging?
b) Have you ever worked on a similar project to mine?
c) What is a projected timeline for a project like mine?
d) Will any consultants be required for my project?
e) What kinds of consultants?
f) What are their typical fees?
5) Responsiveness
Given that design projects can span a period of months, it is important to know that you will have a designer who is responsive, one whom you are able to get in touch with should you have a question or concern. While there is often great enthusiasm displayed in landing a client, it is the designer who will maintain their responsiveness that you want to be working with. Chasing after someone for months, for each problem that arises, can be a tiring ordeal.
