While it is important to run through the curriculum vitae of an interior designer before commissioning the work, it is important to know your personal space aspirations that you’d then share with a professional whose credentials positively speak and match the working style of quality deliverables, writes Winnie LAU.
We NOW KNOW THE IMPORTANCE OF HIRING AN INTERIOR DESIGNER. This follows the insights shared in the previous edition of this magazine. Now what next? Before you start planning your “reveal” party, you’ll need a basic understanding about the process to ensure that you get the most design for your hard earned shilling and that you have an enjoyable and fabulous experience, no matter what type of project is ahead of you.
Looking at an interior designer’s portfolio and talking to past clients are two ways of learning about the professional credentials and working style. That being the case, not every designer’s talent is right for every project. Well, hopefully that sounds a bell.
With the consideration that projects vary is important to dig deeper before engaging that or the other interior designer. If your goal is to create a more personal, more functional, more comfortable home, a designer’s ideas about how to approach your project may be more important than reviewing a portfolio of previous projects. You will want to choose someone whose portfolio “speaks” to you in a positive way.
Well, among the aspects that you as a client should consider before formally engaging services of interior designers include:-
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Consideration of the needed lifestyle or project needs
Your living or work environment should complement and support the way you and those who occupy the space really live – or really want to live. For example, if you’re starting a home-based business, you might turn your cluttered garage into a functional office.
To ensure that your designer understands how you live now and how you want to live, share as many details with them as you can. Also share your personal tastes so they can incorporate them into the designs. After all, you hired this person for their experience, talent and vision!
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Do Your Homework
It’s often recommended that you begin to accumulate photos from magazines of rooms and furniture you like (and those you dislike), and the activities that will take place in the room, since this will give your designer a place to start in creating a design specifically for you. In this respect, it is important to choose the right interior designer.
For one, professionally trained Interior Designers have enormous experience. They’ve undergone extensive training in the various elements of modern and historical design, art and architecture. This knowledge allows them to develop concepts that range from traditional, contemporary, art decor, eclectic – or a combination of several styles.
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Establishing a Realistic Budget
A well-run design project will enable you to get the most for your money. It will also help you see what you can expect from your designer and how to plan for extra costs. Initial discussions about budgets and costs ought to take place at the first meeting. If you have absolutely no idea what you need to spend then it may be a case of requesting three proposals or quotes. Either way, it is beneficial for everyone to be up-front about your available budget.
Design fees are usually quoted as an estimate, fixed price or on a ‘price-not-to-exceed’ basis. Although some of the bigger design consultancies may have a minimum project fee, many designers can – and often will – accommodate smaller budgets rather than dismiss a project entirely. But it will help if everyone has a clear understanding of how much money is available and a realistic idea of what could be achieved with it.
Equally, you should expect any proposals from your designers to include a detailed breakdown of all their charges, including standard day rates, possible additional fees and what is and isn’t included.
It may also be worth reserving some of your total budget for additional requirements that could develop either during or at the end of the design project. The design costs should therefore be broken down into three areas that include: Design fees – quoted in advance; usually related to the amount of time a consultancy will spend on a project and probably charged at a daily rate. The other amount should touch on expenses – costs such as travel and accommodation incurred by the consultancy in connection with the job. Lastly, implementation costs – payment for materials and services used to complete the project.
Remember: It is agreed good practice to pay the designers for any time they spend preparing creative work and you should not expect them to undertake such work for free.
So, if you’d like to see some initial creative responses to your project you’ll need to factor in to your budget, say, a day’s worth of time for each designer who will be making a creative pitch. The designers will be able to tell you what their day rates are, so you can work out whether this is feasible
