Is Hiring an Interior Designer Worth It?
Real estate is probably the most expensive investment most people will make in their life. Every dollar spent is not only a cash investment but also an investment of energy and time. This is one of the many reasons why many homeowners decide to hire an interior designer and leave the whole interior design process in the hands of an experienced professional who knows their job and will make the most out of their space and finances.
Ideally, interior designers should be hired at the very beginning of a project so they can help and guide you on how to speak and what to ask architects and builders. Many people wonder whether it’s worth it to hire an interior designer. However, as much as we’d love to help them out and give out a straight answer, it all comes down to your preferences and plans.
Some people wouldn’t even think about starting a project without hiring professional help first, and others want to do everything themselves. In which category you’ll fall depends solely on you. However, we won’t leave you hanging. Here’s a list of questions you can ask yourself before deciding whether you want to leave the interior design process to skilled professionals or do it all yourself.
What’s Your Budget for the Project?
Your budget is the first and foremost factor to consider before even starting this project. Think about how much you’re willing to spend and also whether you want to pay everything at once or go step by step and spend the money over a certain period of time.
If you decide to design the space on your own, you can put each room together piece by piece. if you don’t have a large, lump sum of cash available. On the other hand, different interior designers have their own fee structures. Some designers charge a flat fee for what they do, while others work on an hourly basis. If you’re considering hiring an interior designer, make sure you’re comfortable with the way you’ll need to pat before signing the paperwork.
Which Services Do You Need?
The next to do is decide what you would like to get out of that project. The interior design process involves much more than just buying new pieces of furniture and painting the walls in a new colour. You need to balance out aesthetics and function and consider how each item will go together and make the space look as a whole. Most designers offer various services to cover these needs:
- Design consultations
- Site measurement and assessment
- Space planning
- Creating a design concept
- Purchasing furniture
- Project management
Do You Have a Personal Style?
Whether you decide to go through the different interior design phases on your own or hire a company you should be happy with how everything turns out in the end. The best way to ensure that is to have an idea of the type of aesthetics that appeal to you and your design vision. Having an end result in mind is very important if you plan on hiring a designer to take full charge of the remodelling. They will base their decisions regarding style based on the ideas and parameters you’ll share with them.
You’ll definitely need to have a design style in mind if you decide to work on your own, and you’ll also leave more space for error that way. Interior designers will know in an instant whether certain pieces of furniture go well together or not (think that dining room table you love and those artsy chairs you’re not so sure about) and whether certain styles can be mixed. Be honest with yourself about how comfortable you are making decisions and go from there. If you need someone to help guide you in the right direction because you’re not sure about certain aspects, you’ll greatly benefit from hiring an interior designer.
Do You Like Making Decisions?
This might seem like an odd question but you need to be honest with yourself when answering it. Some people just love making decisions, while others tend to procrastinate and keep prolonging things as much as they can. If you’re a procrastinator, hiring an interior designer will promote you to become a decision-maker.
Your designer will come to you with various options for the different aspects of your home and you’ll need to be able to decide on an option. They will need your approval before moving forward to a different aspect and ultimately, everything will get done much faster than if it were all left out for you to decide.
The bottom line is, that hiring an interior designer is a very personal decision. Some people truly love the idea of having the workload taken out of their hands, while others don’t want to give up that much control. If you’re still hesitating about whether working with a designer is the right choice for you, keep the questions we discussed above in mind. Take the time to carefully consider them and we’ll sure you’ll come to a decision that’s right for you.