Over time, everyone gets tired of the way things are in their home. Seeing the same thing day in and day out can wear on you, until you can’t stand the way your home looks and feels on the inside. After years of living in the same house, your living room, your kitchen, your bedroom and even your bathroom can all begin to feel worn out.
When you begin to feel like you’ve reached this point in your life, it might occur to you to change some things about your home, perhaps by renovating or switching out some of your furniture or decor for new additions. These are solid options, but they may fall short of your dream home goals. You might find that, no matter how hard you try, you just can’t make your home look like the pictures from the magazines.
There are a number of reasons that this may happen; for starters, you probably have many more belongings than those who live in model homes. While you can certainly reduce clutter with a bit of organizational effort, without getting rid of the lion’s share of your belongings you’re unlikely to achieve the aesthetic of a model home on your own.
This is where the services provided by an interior designer can come in very handy. Sure, you might not be able to create a cohesive interior design aesthetic all on your own, but you might be able to with the help of a professional. In this article, we’re going to talk about the ins and outs of hiring an interior designer. Let’s get into it!
Should you hire an interior designer?
Unless you have a large excess of available capital, hiring an interior designer might be a somewhat difficult choice. When you have to choose between the aesthetics of your home and basic necessities or even other luxuries, hiring an interior designer may not seem like the best way to spend your material resources.
In situations like these, you’ll need to assess how important your home’s aesthetics are to you, and how much you’re willing to sacrifice in order to improve them. How your home looks on the inside can affect how you feel when you spend time in it, which can in turn affect your mental health. On the other hand, there may be other expenditures that take priority over this. Ultimately, it’s up to you.
If you decide you want to take this step but don’t have the cash for it, you might want to consider getting your finances under control, and eliminating unnecessary spending. This may seem like a daunting challenge, but with some careful budgeting you might be able to save yourself quite a bit of money that can then be used to pay for an interior designer. If you’re dead set on a remodel, you might even want to consider taking out a home equity loan.
How can an interior designer help you?
Once you decide to hire an interior designer, you might find yourself wondering how exactly their skills fit into a home redesign or renovation. Sure, they design things; but what does that look like in this context? How involved will the interior designer be throughout the process, and how much of the work will they do personally? Let’s answer some of these questions!
Interior designers are professionals, meaning they do a job for payment. This makes you their “boss” as long as they’re working for you; they do what you pay them to do. While you’ll certainly have to discuss with them exactly how they’ll fit into your home redesign or remodel, this is ultimately up to you. If you don’t agree with the direction they want to take things in, you can simply find another designer.
During this process, communication is key. You won’t get very far with any interior designer if you aren’t amply clear about your goals for the renovation or redesign, and you’ll need to keep channels of communication clear throughout the entirety of the process. As with many other things in life, it’s all about making sure everyone understands everyone else.
How much will an interior designer cost?
While the benefits provided by an interior designer are manyfold, there are drawbacks, principle among them being cost. Interior designers don’t come cheap, and their time is worth a lot. While some are certainly cheaper than others, you should definitely plan on substantially increasing the overall cost of your renovation or redesign.
If you’re looking to hire a home designer on a budget, your best option is probably a junior interior designer. This will likely be a recently graduated, less experienced interior designer, without the resume or portfolio to charge a higher price. Despite their comparatively limited experience, they will likely be more than qualified to conduct your project. You can expect to pay at least $50 an hour for their time.
For those who have the money to spare, a more experienced interior designer is likely to have a more developed sense of cohesion and style, with an eye for detail that a less experienced interior designer might lack. We hope your wallet is loaded, though; with hourly rates that are often up to $450, you can expect to pay over $10,000 before your project is finished.
How to find an interior designer
Now that we’ve discussed a few of the most commonly asked questions on the topic of interior design, you may be wondering how to actually find an interior designer. The answer to this question is simple and complex at the same time; in short, it depends entirely on a few factors such as the extent to which your redesign or remodel will go and whether or not you already know an interior designer.
Here, we’ll detail some general tips for finding an interior designer, and cover some of the most commonly utilized strategies for finding and hiring an interior designer, as well as some of the ins and outs of working with your interior designer once you find one. Don’t worry; with a bit of time spent searching, you’ll find an interior designer that suits your needs, we’re sure of it!
Search the web
The simplest and easiest way to find an interior designer in your area is to simply search the web and see what comes up. You may not strike gold in the first few search results, with some persistence you’ll find a designer in your price range. It might be easier to find a compatible designer if you live in a big city, but you should be able to find one eventually regardless of where you live.
If you aren’t successful with Google search results, you can try searching one of the many freelance websites available on the web. While this isn’t guaranteed to find you a viable option in your area, it’s a good place to start and searching won’t cost you a thing. This also opens up the possibility of virtual interior design services, but that’s a topic for another day.
For situations in which neither of these options works, you can always browse LinkedIn for suitable interior designers. This will give you the added advantage of being able to review the portfolio and resume of each individual candidate, to gauge how well they’ll mesh with the style and atmosphere of your project.
Working with your new interior designer
Once you’ve found a suitable interior designer, it’s time to start the process of renovation. When you’re working with an interior designer, this can be a somewhat lengthy process, but you can rest assured that your project will be done right the first time. No matter how long it takes, the end result will be an immense improvement over your previous interior aesthetic.
Over the course of your project, your interior designer will likely provide you with templates and instructions on how to best utilize the spaces in your home. They’ll advise on which articles of furniture need to be replaced, and which can stay. They’ll help you choose a color palette that suits the room, and if you’re repainting, advise you on the best paint for the task.
On most matters, your interior designer will take point, resolving all the little details and minor concerns that may arise. You’ll still have administrative control over the project, but you’re best off leaving most decisions up to their best judgement. If disputes arise, make sure your interior designer knows what your goals are, so you can decide how to best approach the decision.
Conclusion
If you’re doing a remodel or redesign project, you might be able to do everything yourself and still manage to pull off a somewhat coherent look; but why leave it up to chance? Hiring a professional provides you with the assurance that your project will be done right, and when you’re finished you’ll be happy with the outcome.
Of course, some homes just can’t be improved, no matter how extensive you get with the remodel. In cases like these, you might want to consider moving! If this sounds like something you’d be interested in, find a real estate agent near you and ask them what’s on the market. With a bit of searching, you might find something that suits your needs and your budget!
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Nicely explained!