Working with an interior designer on a home improvement project can be a time and money-saver if you plan the collaboration carefully.
But first you need to understand that for all the expertise and creative ideas that an experienced interior designer can offer, there are two questions that only you can answer. What do you want, and how much do you want to spend? Once you’ve figured those things out, you’ll be ready to begin the process of hiring a designer.
Denver interior designer Gail Doby says the first step is to ask around for referrals. She is also co-founder of Design Success University LLC, a business mentoring service that offers a free report for consumers with tips on working with designers.
“Real estate agents are great, (along with) your neighbors and friends … whose homes you’ve seen that you like. Also, if you see something in a magazine or an article online, those are great places to start,” Doby says.
Once you have a list of interior designers you’d like to check out, head to the computer. Doby estimates that 75 percent of interior designers these days have websites, although the extent of the information they contain will vary. Pay close attention to the visual samples on each site.
“With the photographs that are on the website, you can get a good idea about style and whether you like what the designer is doing,” says New York interior designer Judy Sheridan, author of “How to Work with an Interior Designer.”
Consider hiring designers whose services fit your needs. Some specialize in renovations. Others prefer to work with new construction projects. Some designers offer nothing but window treatments. Others focus on kitchen and bath design.
If you’ve never done an interior design project before, you’ll need to do a little homework to determine a reasonable budget. Friends and neighbors who have done makeovers similar to what you have in mind — and are willing to discuss what they spent — can provide a good basis for a ballpark number.
On the mid-range scale of luxury, a major kitchen remodel averaged $58,367, according to Remodeling. The average cost of an upscale kitchen remodel was $113,464. The cost of a mid-range bathroom remodel averaged $16,634, while the upscale version averaged $53,759. A master suite addition averaged $108,090 in the mid-range and $232,062 for an upscale project.
For the complete article and more thoughtful tips by Sonya Stinson at Bankrate.com, please click here.
I recently bought a 1959 home in Ft Myers for retirement. I am currently leasing it until I retire. When should I start planning to do some renovations. The kitchen is really small. I am planning to come out in about a year. Thank you for your advise.
You made a good point about how determining a reasonable budget would be important before beginning an interior design project. It would probably be a good idea to include the price for a designer of some sort in that budget, especially if you are planning to sell the home after you redesign it. The service you choose to use would probably affect your ability to sell the house.
It’s great that given the proper plan for the collaboration getting an interior designer can be a time and money-saver. Thanks for the in-depth article. I’ll be sure to give hiring an interior designer a try.
After my fiance and I moved into a new home, we have decided to look into getting a residential design service. We have not done this before and open to suggestions and tips. Both of us will look into a reasonable budget for this project.
My wife and I are talking about redesigning our kitchen next year, but we aren’t sure where to start. I like that you suggest taking inspiration from magazines or online articles. I’ll have to check some of these out so I can get ideas on what to include in the new layout.
That’s good to know that there are interior designers that specialize in renovations or construction projects. This is helpful since I’m planning to remodel my kitchen and living room to give them a more modern, open look, so I’m looking for an interior design service. I’ll have to call around and find one that works with renovations so I can make sure I can get what I want and have it done correctly.