Two Mistakes People Make When Hiring/Working With An Interior Designer

Whether you’ve never worked with an interior designer before, or you have, and it wasn’t quite the right fit, there are a few things to know before embarking on the journey. Interior designers are all different. They have different niches, experience, personalities, costs and availability, therefore comparing apples to apples is difficult. One designer may be wrong for you, but right for someone else, and some simply aren’t cut out to working with a designer at all, regardless if they think they are. (That topic may be worthy of another post.) There are however a few things to be mindful of that, in my humble opinion, would make a difference regardless of who you work with. Ultimately, the right fit is important, and should set the stage for a successful project. Before you set out to find your dream designer, it’s important to be aware of things YOU can do to help keep your project on track, and running smooth to the end, resulting in a home you’ll love for years to come. We’re sharing two mistakes we see people make when hiring, and working with an interior designer.

1. NOT HIRING AN INTERIOR DESIGNER FROM START TO FINISH

We’re often asked whether it’s best to bring a designer into a project throughout the entire process or whether only for certain phases. The answer is, without a doubt, from start to finish. It may sound overwhelming, and even expensive, to consider having a designer as part of your team from the beginning, however here are, but a few, benefits.

Your project will have cohesion from room to room, carefully considered from finishes and materials, through to furniture and styling.
Designers have the ability to think ahead, considering details throughout the projects where one may affect another.
You may find yourself compromising, or not understanding the full implications of a decision, in the absence of a designer.
It may be hard to believe, but a designer can save you money. There are areas where a creative save/splurge approach will benefit the bottom line, as well, the expertise of a designer avoids costly backtracking, and situations of regret.
Designers spend a lot of time getting to know their clients, (or at least they should!!). The time spent in information and inspiration gathering is critical in the early stages to ensure the result is a direct reflection of you, and your family.

2. NOT TRUSTING YOUR DESIGNER

This is a doozy, and often where projects derail. Every time I get on a plane, I trust the pilot is going to get me from point A to point B, without ever meeting them. While this may be an unfair comparison, my life is essentially in the pilot’s hands, whom I’ve never met. If only for a few hours, it’s still a huge amount of trust I have in this person to reach our destination safely. A client/ designer relationship last for months at minimum, often years, so trust is, and should be a huge part of ensuring you have the right person by your side. Any new relationship requires work, open communication, and time to get to know each other. The early stages are much like dating, but there must be an established trust factor right from the start, in order for a project to take flight.

An overlap of work may be created whereby a client makes decisions, or source product outside of their designer. Too many cooks in the kitchen is never a good idea, and simply put, confusion breeds errors.
When there is a lack of trust, a designer simply can’t do their BEST work on behalf their clients. The overall design will be compromised because a client is inclined to make decisions themselves, without the knowledge and expertise of their designer.
There’s a good chance design fees will escalate due to trust issues.
Resentment builds, which is never good. When bad vibes start to make their way into a project, it’s a sure sign things have derailed.

Hiring an interior designer is one of the most important investments you’ll make, whether building a new home, renovating or simply updating with furniture and decor. Having an understanding of these key points before you get started will certainly help kick off the project in a positive way!

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I'm so thrilled to meet you. It means the world to me that you've decided to follow along on our journey here at Nyla Free Designs. We'll keep you up to date on all things design.