3 Questions to ask before hiring an Interior Designer

Looking around your space, you notice its lacking life and personality. You know it's time to hire an interior designer. It's about investing in your business and expressing your originality through your brand and personality.

To find the right interior designer who suits your needs and you suit their needs, here are three interior design interview questions to ask.

1.) What is your interior design process?

All organized and experienced interior designers will have an interior design process for each interior design project. Their process should also include how they communicate throughout your project. Finding out their company's core values will also give you an idea of what to expect during each project phase. For example, Brass Rose has an internal core value of communicating with clarity. We like to break things down that allows the client to quickly understand how their interior project is going without using industry terms that are foreign to the general public. The company's core values become a checklist throughout each interior design phase. In general, the phases break down into some steps. Some of these steps include the following:

• Programming. We like to call this the Sherlock Holmes Phase. Interior Design Programming is the collection of all information on the project. Some examples would be investigating the project's space, budget, lead times, and all things you want to achieve.

• Schematic/Concept Design. The interior designer is now starting to design your space based on the information collected in the Interior Design Programming phase. At the end of the interior design phase, there will be a presentation with colors, materials, and sometimes 3D renders.

• Design Development. You approve of the overall design direction. Now it's time to go more deeply into the design and start drawing specific details.

• Construction Drawings. This interior design phase is when the drawing pack is created for the builder/General Contractor to price off. If required, this drawing pack would also need to go to the City or County to get Building permits.

• Construction Administration. The interior design project is now permitted (if required). The Builder/General Contractor is on-site doing whatever is on the drawing pack. If within the scope of work, this is also the time the interior design orders items such as furniture or decorative light fixtures for the project.

These are the interior design work stages for a fully complete project. Depending on what you need, might change the interior design process above. Suppose you are looking for a designer to select colors and furniture. The interior design phases are fewer.

2.) How long will the process take?

Most Interior Designers will be able to give you an average for what your project will take based on the scope of work. The process times will always vary due to how many other projects they are currently working on. The timeline of an interior design project typically starts after the contract is also signed.

3.) Will an interior design work within my budget?

Hiring an interior designer on a budget is doable. Still, it would be best to find the right interior designer to do this. Some interior designers only take on projects that cost a certain amount. The actual professional fees for interior design do not take up a large percentage of the overall budget. Before hiring an interior designer, prioritize what you really need in the space. Also, consider doing your project in phases. An excellent creative interior design can make anything look good, no matter the budget. That is what we call a budget interior designer.