How to Get the Best Out of Your Commercial and Residential Interior Designers

How do you get the best out of an interior designer? What do commercial and residential interior designers actually do? And are they a luxury for the good times only or do they offer benefits even in an economic downturn?

Decorating your home can go several ways - a thoroughly enjoyable creative project or an absolute horror of bolshy builders, late deliveries and misjudged fabrics. Obviously, there is also the middle road where the project starts out as exciting and fun but somehow ends up 'not quite how I wanted it to turn out'. An interior designer would be able to help, but are they really a necessity or an expensive luxury?

Expense

Let's deal with the money issue straight away. Designers vary dramatically in cost depending on their experience and reputation. However, they shouldn't be dismissed as only for the wealthy as designers can frequently save money on projects. A talented and experienced designer will work to get the very best out of a budget regardless of its size and their regular dealings with various trades people - upholsterers, curtain makers, decorators and fitters - meaning savings can be made. Avoiding expensive mistakes is another bonus. Flooring, wall coverings and curtains can be costly, and if they don't end up working how you envisaged them and need redoing, it can be disappointing as well as damaging to the budget.

Research

To find the right commercial and residential designer for you requires some research. A good place to start is with a professional body such as the British Institute of Interior Designers, which provides an opportunity to peruse portfolios.

Some designers have their own signature style, which will be obvious after seeing a few rooms of their work, but most are more interested in creating a design to match your needs and taste rather than trying to enforce theirs upon you. However, if the majority of their work is not to your liking, it is probably best to leave them off your list and avoid wasting both your time and theirs.

Consultation

Once you have a shortlist of designers, you can arrange a consultation with them. This can be at your home or in their studios and may or may not be charged for, depending on their practice.

This consultation is an opportunity to explain what work you are looking to have done and to discuss your tastes. Collect examples of rooms you admire from magazines and work out your favoured colour schemes before you meet. This will not only be helpful for the designer but will give you a good sense of control. This briefing will also give them a clear understanding of how you live in your home and what your lifestyle entails, which is important to make sure their designs meets your needs.

Understanding

After this meeting the designer will write to you listing the scope of work that has been discussed. At this stage you can assess how well they have interpreted what you have told them and make your decision as to whether they are the right designer for you.

Hiring a commercial and residential interior designer does not mean giving away control. In your contract, a good designer will have pre-established a number of meetings to take place for decisions at key times in the design process. Your approval of progress and purchases is the objective of these meetings so there will be no surprises to you when you see the work finished, as you will have signed off the decision for every purchase and seen every sample of fabric and roll of wallpaper long before it has been made into curtains or pasted on to your walls.