Working with an interior designer - what you need to know before you start
Working with an interior designer is an exciting prospect to add those personal touches to your home. But the excitement is often tinged with a little bit of overwhelm too - how does the process work? Will you like what the designer produces? What if you don’t? It’s natural to have questions about the design journey ahead of you.
In this post, you’ll discover what to expect when working with an interior designer and how to manage the process so you feel confident and comfortable to get started.
Working with an interior designer - five valuable bits of advice
Like anything, it's best to be prepared to get the most out of your design experience. You can then be sure that you get the outcome you’re hoping for and that your home truly feels like a place you can enjoy - and feel proud of.
To help you, here are five valuable tips to consider before picking up the phone and getting an interior designer on board.
1. Do your homework
Before you make any decisions about your interior designer, it’s essential to do your research to find the right person for your project. Of course, you may have friends or family members who can give you recommendations, but take the time to find a designer with whom you feel comfortable and have a good rapport.
As with any professional relationship, it’s a two-way street. You should get to know one another, ask for testimonials and check out their website and Instagram profiles to see if this person speaks your language. What other projects have they worked on? Most designers will showcase their previous projects on their website or social media channels, giving you a flavour of their work.
If you like what they’ve done previously, you’ll likely enjoy what they do for you, too.
2. Communicate
To get the best interior design experience, communication between you and your designer is the most crucial part of the process. You should feel listened to - and have your ideas taken into account.
Avoid designers with a one size fits all approach. Your home is an extension of your personality, so this type of design won’t feel right, and once the designer has finished the project, you won’t be completely satisfied. It’s worth gathering examples of the design styles you like so you can share these with your designer to give them a good idea of the look you’re going for.
Keep lines of communication open throughout the project; things will run far more smoothly.
3. Trust their experience and judgement
If you’ve researched the best designer for your project, you’ll undoubtedly have found someone with the experience and expertise you’re specifically looking for. But, at the same time, you want your home to look exactly right and may find it hard to relinquish control of the process to your designer.
You’re not alone if you feel this way, so don’t worry. But a designer uses their experience and judgement to consider the nuances of your home and the spaces available. From the numerous projects they’ve done, they’ll have a good idea of what’s likely to work best in terms of space and budget. Again, keep the conversation going at all times.
4. Be open-minded
Leading on from that, be prepared to have your boundaries pushed. You're thinking of working with a designer because you're unsure how to tackle your home’s design yourself. The designer's fundamental job is to explore and present ideas that will tick your boxes and make your home feel perfect.
And these ideas may be different to what you expect! But that’s part of the process. Often, a designer will show you an idea you’d never have thought of before - and it can take you a little out of your comfort zone in terms of style.
Before rejecting it, sit with the idea for a while. Sleep on it. Revisit it and consider what your interior designer is suggesting. Talk with family or friends if it helps. If it still doesn’t feel right, at least you’ve given it some serious thought. Often, time is all we need to consider a different idea.
5. Give clear feedback
Be bold and say what you want and what you don't want (the don't likes are almost more important). This makes a designer's job so much easier. Working with an interior designer is an investment, and you want the outcome to be something you genuinely love.
You can feel a little let down by the finished design if you're unclear with your feedback. Ask any designer, and they would agree that all they want for their clients is total satisfaction with the end result. But that only comes from clear feedback and honest conversations. This, of course, takes us full circle back to finding a designer with whom you have a good rapport and connection at the start of the design process. And we very much hope that will be us, Willow & Bert Interiors.
If you’d like to discuss your interior design project, contact us, as we’d love to hear from you.