Questions to Ask Your Interior Designer

Your relationship with your interior designer can make the difference between a home that you’re reasonably satisfied with and one that you really love. It’s not enough that your designer is good; they have to be the right fit for you. To achieve the very best result, personalities must mesh and design philosophies and work styles need to be in alignment. You have to ask the right questions.

Before you engage someone to compose an interior that will be with you for years, take the time to learn something about the person you’re entrusting with this important assignment. Here are ten questions to assist you in how to choose an interior designer.

1. What interior design services do you offer?

Not all designers do everything. Make sure that yours offers a comprehensive list that includes all the services you need. In fact, you might discover that they will do some things you didn’t know you wanted until they told you about them! Typical services include design consultation, site measuring and assessment, space planning, furniture arrangements, lighting and color consultation and furniture and decor selection and/or procurement. They might redesign existing spaces, decorate a new home or work with a contractor on a remodel. You’ll want a designer with the expertise and experience that relates to your specific project.

2. Can you work within my budget?

A good interior designer can help you break down the budget and determine what is really needed for the interior you want at the price you are willing to pay. They should have priorities when budgeting, i.e., they should understand what’s critical for a successful design vs. what’s just nice to have. They should offer alternatives for different price points. You should also ask about their pricing structure: some will charge an hourly rate while others will quote a flat fee for the project.

3. How much involvement will I have?

Some designers will take full creative control from beginning to end and deliver a finished product. Others will work with you every step of the way, and still others will have limited touch points during the project. None of these is right or wrong, and you should choose a designer who will solicit whatever degree of involvement you desire. For example, if you’re furnishing a rental property or a second home, you might prefer a turnkey solution.

4. How will you work with my architect or contractor?

If you’re adding a room or redoing a kitchen or bath, the interior design works best when it goes hand in hand with the construction. If you’re building the home of your dreams, you’ll want the interior design to be baked into the architecture and not added as an afterthought. In either case, the designer can assist with overall layout and specify requirements for flooring, fixtures, cabinetry, lighting and paint color. A healthy collaboration between designer and builders is vital to the outcome.

5. What process do you follow?

Project management is critical to a winning design. Some individuals will present the entire plan at once, while others will share the overall idea before providing the details. Designers should follow a timeline that includes decision points, approvals and managing ordering and delivering (if delivery is part of the agreed-on service).

You should ask about communication: when and how they will update you, and how you should get in touch to ask questions. You should also understand what will happen if your expectations are not met either during the project or with the final product.

6. What is your preferred interior design style?

A professional interior designer should be able to work in any design style, but projects tend to run more smoothly when the designer’s style preferences match yours. You can investigate their taste in more detail. Do they have any flourishes that act as a signature? What colors do they prefer? What’s their opinion about the latest trends in the style that you’re likely to be working in? Where does the designer find inspiration for each new project they undertake?

7. What do you consider to be your strength?

What have clients said they most appreciated about their work with the designer? What do they think of as their area of greatest expertise? What makes them strong in that aspect of their work?

You might also ask which was their favorite out of all the rooms and homes they’ve done and why they liked it so much.

8. Describe a time when you encountered a mistake.

What did you do? Everyone wants the process to run faultlessly from start to finish, but we all know that doesn’t always happen. They can be crises caused by a misunderstanding, a designer mistake or by the failure of a vendor to deliver in a timely manner. In most cases, the problem itself isn’t as important as what the person did about it. Ask them how they handled the situation, what they learned and whether they changed the way they operate to prevent it in the future

9. What is the most challenging aspect of an interior design project?

This will give you some insight into their personality as well as their strengths and weaknesses. If you do engage this person, this answer helps you gauge when in the process it’s most vital to communicate and for you to understand the current progress of the project.

10. What are your qualifications? There are industry credentials that some interior designers have acquired, and you will meet those who have earned a degree in interior design or a related field such as fine arts. However, you can’t beat references and work examples as a measure of the designer's ability. They should be able to show portfolios with some samples of their designs. It’s ideal if there are clients that are willing to talk to you about the experience and the result.

These are revealing questions, but do you know how to find an interior designer so you can begin asking them? A great starting point is Gabberts’ online designer profiles. There you will find all the Gabberts designers along with their experience, their credentials, their portfolios and a summary of their design philosophy. Call us during business hours or set up an appointment online to meet with someone who aligns with your philosophy. Or just drop into one of our showrooms. However you choose to arrange it, you can have a consultation and ask your questions with no obligation.