What does an interior designer do?
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I recently bought a house in need of modernisation. i was thinking of employing an interior designer, but i am unsure as to what there process is or what they do exactly.
would they provide me with plans/ drawings of proposals for each room that needs work?
how detailed would this be?
Do they just suggest curtains etc. or would they design an area?
how much would they charge for a consultation and working on a job?
What is there working process?
What services would one provide exactly?I am a little unsure as to what exactly they could do for me, but any guidance would be appreciated in relation to the above and any additional information would be greatly appreciated.
Regards,
MoMa
- Paul Clerkin wrote:I think they pick out cushions and curtains… ]
Yes mostly soft furnishings,lots of talk about your horizontal and vertical surfaces,inflicting their taste on you and all for a nice fee for not doing a whole lot………….and then it has to be re-done 2 years later as its suddenly “So zero six”:)
Work out what proportion of your budget you are happy to spend. eg 10%
Pick a house or hotel that you like the design of then contact the designer.
Find out if she’ll do anything for your budget. Agree exactly what they will do for the money.
They should be asking you what kind of effect you want to achieve and the practicalities of your needs like whether it has to be baby-proof etc. If they don’t do this you are paying an artist and anything could happen. Part of your fee goes on paying them to listen to you and come up with ideas.
Some provide you with a sheet of paper (sometimes framed) with bits of fabrics, wallpaper and paint that they intend to use so you can see how they go together. You can ask them to draw you up a sketch of how the room will look. You can ask them for a few choices as with any designer.
If you are loaded you can then let the designer execute the design, buy materials, hire contractors and project manage the job. They will make commission on this and you can get badly screwed during this stage. The designer may not be so hot at project management.
I reckon it’s definitely worth paying for the ideas stage A lot of designers enjoy this stage most.. You could spend your decorating budget and end up with something that doesn’t work well practically or aesthetically.
I have been in about 8,000 houses in London where the proud owner with thick rimmed specs showed me his or her Eames lounger and Corbusier sofa. You don’t want that.
An interior designer is a person employed to impose taste upon the tasteless so that they can boast about having had an interior designer “do” their house. Mind you, they’re handy when you want to get on with the cladding package and keep a client at bay. Can I suggest that you go and buy a few interior magazines or get a catelogue from Habitat, Ikea or Siematic, find something you like and buy it. You’ll feel better.
@Frank Taylor wrote:
Work out what proportion of your budget you are happy to spend. eg 10%
Pick a house or hotel that you like the design of then contact the designer.
Find out if she’ll do anything for your budget. Agree exactly what they will do for the money.
They should be asking you what kind of effect you want to achieve and the practicalities of your needs like whether it has to be baby-proof etc. If they don’t do this you are paying an artist and anything could happen. Part of your fee goes on paying them to listen to you and come up with ideas.
Some provide you with a sheet of paper (sometimes framed) with bits of fabrics, wallpaper and paint that they intend to use so you can see how they go together. You can ask them to draw you up a sketch of how the room will look. You can ask them for a few choices as with any designer.
If you are loaded you can then let the designer execute the design, buy materials, hire contractors and project manage the job. They will make commission on this and you can get badly screwed during this stage. The designer may not be so hot at project management.
I reckon it’s definitely worth paying for the ideas stage A lot of designers enjoy this stage most.. You could spend your decorating budget and end up with something that doesn’t work well practically or aesthetically.
I have been in about 8,000 houses in London where the proud owner with thick rimmed specs showed me his or her Eames lounger and Corbusier sofa. You don’t want that.
Thank you Frank you seem to know a fair bit about this stuff. i was wondering what you meant about the project management stage of the job – what do they do for me at this stage, what should I expect and how could i get ‘screwed’?
Say you get to the stage where you have a drawing of how your rooms will look and the designer has picked out the fabrics, paints and furniture. Now you can either walk away and do it yourself, buying the materials yourself and hiring contractors for the hard parts or you can just tell the interior designer to organise all this.
If you choose the latter then the interior designer has to manage the contractors and find the best deals for the materials. If you are happy with this and trust the designer then that’s OK. You could get screwed if the designer is unethical and chooses materials and workers based on the commission she can earn from them rather than the best people for the job. At worst they could lie to you about prices and the quality of materials used.
Hi Moma
I read your recent post and I may be able to help you. I’ve completed 1.5 years Rhodec Interior Design advanced diploma course and I work for a leading show house seller at the weekends. I’m very familiar with up and coming house styles, changes in design, space issues, storage sollutions and colour. I’m also an artist and paint contemporary canvas paintings which I thouroughly enjoy doing. I’m extremely creative and would be delighted if you would give me the chance to help you with your task of decorating your new house. I work at the moment in an office(accounts etc) and would love the opportunity to get my carreer moving in the right direction. As the previous posted said you can get “screwed” in this industry but Im will to offer my services/knowledge/contact and some art work if you’re interested(!) at a fraction of the cost. I understand if you would prefer to go with a more qualified Interior Designer but to be honest I can offer you the same advise and design proposals at a much lesser cost…. and by doing this you would be helping me get my career started.
Let me know if you would like to discuss this further…. Im based in Dublin but willing to travel.Thanks
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