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Why Hire a Professional Designer?

In addition to their in-depth knowledge of products, materials and finishes, professional designers have the training and expertise to plan, schedule, execute and manage your project from start to finish. They know and work closely with many vendors, contractors and other service providers, coordinating and orchestrating the entire design team. Designers also provide specification and purchasing services to procure materials, furniture, accessories and art, some of which you might not be able to find on your own.

When you hire an interior designer, you get the benefit of an experienced professional who can solve problems, help you avoid costly mistakes and, most importantly, create an attractive, affordable space designed specifically to meet your lifestyle needs.

Residential Designers

Whether you’re building a new home or remodeling a single room, you want the finished space to be attractive, comfortable and functional. It needs to fit the way you live, as well as reflect your personal style and taste.

Interior design addresses all these concerns and more. Images of beautifully appointed and arranged rooms are usually what first come to mind when one thinks of interior design. Color, fabric, furniture, art and ornamentation are indeed important elements in the overall design. How the environments we inhabit look and feel greatly affect our mood and sense of well-being.

But interior design also involves many practical and technical considerations that affect comfort, function and safety. Among these are lighting, acoustics, space planning, organization and storage, scale, accommodation of special needs, fire safety and compliance with local building codes.

Interior projects include new construction, renovation, historic restoration and model homes. Specialty areas within the home include the kitchen, bath, home theater, home office and home health care and fitness areas.

Professional interior designers can do so much more than recommend furniture, fabrics and colors. They have a creative eye and artistic flair, but that’s only the beginning. An interior designer has aesthetic, practical and technical expertise in all the elements that make up an interior environment. He or she understands how people use and respond to these elements, not just individually but as the elements interact with one another. Any number of services and suppliers can provide and install items for the home. Some offer advice on selecting colors, patterns and materials or on arranging the furniture and accessories in a room.

When you hire an interior designer, you get the benefit of an experienced professional who can solve problems, help you avoid costly mistakes and, most importantly, create an attractive, affordable space designed specifically to meet your lifestyle needs.


Commercial Designers

Whether your project involves new construction, leased property, remodeling, renovation or preservation, an interior designer can help you get the most out of your investment. Of course, an interior designer will make your interiors look great, but he or she can provide many other services as well. In addition, because client and end-user needs vary among industries, commercial designers tend to practice in certain specialty areas, bringing an in-depth knowledge of markets, applicable codes, products, technologies and trends from their research, education and experience. A designer can work with you to not only address your immediate business needs, but also support your longer-term objectives and goals.

Specialty Areas

It is common for interior designers to focus their practice in certain specialty areas, as each has its own unique requirements and design challenges. Within the interior design industry, these specialty areas are generally known by the following names:

•Office (large or small) / corporate
•Hospitality (hotels, motels, resorts, spas, country clubs, restaurants)
•Health care (hospitals, clinics, rehabilitation facilities, hospice care)
•Medical (doctor and dentist offices and patient rooms, day care facilities)
•Education (K-12, college, university)
•Government/institutional (government offices, courthouses, train and bus depots, prisons)
•Retail
•Entertainment (night clubs, casinos, theme parks)
Many interior design firms undertake projects in multiple specialty areas, although not usually all. In addition, some practice in sub-specialty areas that have particular technical requirements, such as

•Libraries (public, academic, legal)
•Law offices
•Yachts / cruise ships
•Private planes

A number of interior designers also practice environmental specialties, such as sustainable design and accessible design that address special needs.



Selecting a Designer

When you're ready to select a designer to work with on your project, the number of individuals and firms to choose from can be daunting. How do you know if you’ve chosen a professional designer? In general, you want a designer with the following characteristics:

•Is accredited as an interior designer (If required in your state, be sure the designer is licensed.)
•Has experience in the type of project you are doing
•Has demonstrated creativity, talent and resourcefulness
•Is attentive, responsive and communicates well
•Has a record of reliability and good work habits.


Costs and Fees

Designers, like other professionals, are different from one another in their combinations of talents, skills, knowledge, experience, personalities, specialty areas and reputations. What and how they charge will vary accordingly.

There is no such thing as a “typical” or "customary" fee for an interior designer. Many factors, including those mentioned above, influence what a designer may charge for his or her services. Most residential designers and many commercial designers use one of the following methods, or combine methods, to set their fees and may negotiate to suit a client's particular needs:

•Fixed fee (or flat fee) -- The designer identifies a specific sum to cover costs, exclusive of reimbursement for expenses. One total fee applies to the complete range of services, from conceptual development through layouts, specifications and final installation.
•Hourly fee -- Compensation is based on actual time expended by the designer on a project or specific service.
•Cost plus -- A designer purchases materials, furnishings and services (e.g., carpentry, drapery workrooms, picture framing, etc.) at cost and sells to the client at the designer's cost plus a specified percentage agreed to with the client to compensate for the designer’s time and effort.
For larger commercial projects, costs may be calculated on a per square foot basis, based on the area of the project.

In addition to the fee structures outlined above, designers may require a retainer before beginning a design project. A retainer is an amount of money paid by the client to the designer and applied to the balance due at the termination of the project. The retainer is customarily paid upon signing the contractual agreement in advance of design services.

At one time, cost plus was the most widely used fee structure for residential designers. It is becoming more common now for designers to charge an hourly rate for design services and cost plus for products and services the designer is asked to purchase or a fixed fee for the entire project.

In addition to the designer’s fees, there are other costs to consider. Only you can decide what a reasonable budget for your project is. If you have concerns about price, discuss them with the designer. Don’t be shy about asking the designer to help you optimize your budget. But be realistic, too. You may need to scale back your project or consider having the work done in stages. If you are concerned about the quoted cost of furniture or furnishings, ask the designer to provide you with a list of options.

A final word about cost: How you choose to furnish your interior and how you work with your designer will have tremendous impact on the final cost of the project. Items such as antiques or custom-made furniture, and modifications that involve altering or moving load-bearing walls or beams will significantly increase the cost of your project, as will requesting changes mid-project or making excessive demands on the designer’s time. The more research and planning you do before you start, the more you will be able to help keep costs down during the project.