How to Interview an Interior Designer Before You Hire Him
Hopefully you’ve found two or three design professionals that appear to be in sync with the requirements of your project. Now you’re at the point where you will have to choose which interior designer you will hire.
Just as it’s important for you to make a correct decision since it’s your money and your home, it’s equally important for a designer to understand the ideas that you have for the project. The designer, if he’s sensitive and intuitive, will get the ideas out of your head and onto paper, so your needs and his talents are a perfect match for your joint success.
Just as every time you play golf the course presents itself in a unique way, so it is also true of interior designers. Although they’re familiar with their trade, every client is unique, both from a design and personality perspective.
Your job is to define as clearly as possible what you would like to see visually at the completion of the project. The designer’s job is to give you everything you want and sometimes a thousand times more. It’s the WOW factor. But if you don’t truly know the look or the feel you want out of a room or space, then you’ll want to define your style more in your mind before you interview a designer.
One way to do that is to look through magazines. You might even need to go to the library to get your inspiration on a grander scale. If you’ve purchased a magazine, then clip out the page and bring it to the meeting with your designer. If you’ve seen several photos in magazines at the library, then make a photocopy or two before you leave. Magazines are a natural visual source of inspiration. Even knowing what you don’t want is helpful at the interview with the designer.
The main thing you want to convey to the designer is a picture that reflects your unique style. When you’re making the appointment, be sure to ask if the designer charges for the pre-screening meeting. You would not want to be surprised with an invoice that you weren’t prepared for on the day of the interview, or in the event you didn’t hire him.
It’s very important to ask a prospective interior designer all the questions that you have on your pre-configured list. However, it’s equally important to determine if you can both work together and communicate in such a way that suits both of you.
Keep in mind that although this might seem like a lot of prep work in advance of starting the redesign project, these are necessary steps that you’ll want to take to guarantee your project’s success.
Next, you’re invited to view a video presentation that appeared on TV which features Michael Mariotti’s interior design tips and portfolio. To learn how he creates beautiful home spaces one green room at a time, and the guidelines his clients used before hiring him, you can visit http://www.michaelmariotti.com/media_tv.html for some very informative strategies.
