Where and how to find a designer: 9 steps to an ideal interior
Content:
- Start your search for a designer early
- Define the purpose of contacting the designer
- Calculate your budget
- Define stylistic direction
- Select search direction
- Contact your friends
- Look for a designer on the Internet
- Hold personal meetings with designers
- Sign up an agreement with the designer
Today, the services of interior designers are becoming increasingly popular, because thanks to professionals, apartment and house owners have the opportunity to save time and budget, and most importantly, avoid annoying mistakes and get a space in which to live comfortably.
The choice of specialists on the market is large, so we have prepared recommendations that will help you find an interior designer for fruitful cooperation and get the desired result.
Start your search for a designer early
The worst idea is to start choosing a specialist when repairs are already underway and need to be saved, or when builders are ready to start renovation work and are asking for a project to calculate the estimate.
The search for an interior designer should begin 2-3 months before the renovation, since it will take several weeks to create an individual project, coordinate and make adjustments.
Define the purpose of contacting the designer
When you start looking for an interior designer, you need to determine the goals of cooperation: to decorate existing housing without remodeling, to functionally and competently distribute space, to select and organize the purchase of materials, to delegate communication with builders.
Often a design project involves the creation of a planning solution, but if the apartment is purchased with a mortgage, you will have to forget about redevelopment, and you will not need this service.
Calculate your budget
A preliminary calculation of the total budget that you want to spend on repairs will allow you to find out whether the designer is ready to create within its framework, as well as understand the cost of a specialist’s services that is acceptable to you. Most often, designers base the price on 1 m², while the total cost of services averages 5-10% of the entire budget.
When choosing a designer, you should not focus on low cost - a good professional will not set a price lower than the market price. When meeting with the contractor, it is important to discuss all payment terms, specifying in advance:
- is the price final, and under what conditions can the amount be reduced or increased;
- can the estimated budget accommodate all the customer’s ideas and wishes;
- do I need prepayment, advance payment, additional travel expenses, etc.
Define stylistic direction
Before selecting candidates, look at examples of different interiors to determine the most suitable style. Select photos that reflect your vision - the designer will need them later to understand the task.
When looking through a specialist's portfolio, make sure that the styles that the designer uses suit you. If you are not well versed in interior styles, focus on the internal sensations of viewing. In the work of interior designers there is a signature that you either like or not. If most of the projects evoke positive emotions and inspire, then you can move on to the stage of meeting the designer.
Select search direction
Interior design services are offered by freelance designers and studios. The main difference is in the format of work. In the first case, the project is led from start to finish by one specialist, in the second, its creation is carried out by a team in which each employee is responsible for his or her own area of work.
In addition, most freelancers work from home, and meet with clients in cafes or other public places. The studio has an office where you can come to resolve work issues.
Decide for yourself which format of cooperation is most convenient for you, and start searching in this direction.
Contact your friends
The easiest way to find a designer is to contact friends, relatives and acquaintances who have recently done renovations and ask them to share their contact information. The advantage of this method of finding a specialist is that you can clearly evaluate his professionalism and find out how comfortable it is to work with him.
It is worth considering that the designer your friends contacted may not suit you in a number of ways - approach to work, communication style, methods of implementing ideas, so you should not agree to enter into an agreement without a preliminary conversation.
Look for a designer on the Internet
You can search for a designer on the Internet. It is better to combine different methods - enter a query through a search engine, use specialized resources, read forums and reviews.
What you need to pay attention to:
- Website design. If the site is inconvenient and you don’t like its design, you should not contact such a designer.
- Works in the portfolio. It should contain not only three-dimensional visualizations, but also photographs from real objects.
- Customer reviews. It is worth looking for detailed comments from customers, which will indicate what exactly the designer did.
- Diplomas, certificates, certificates, attestations. They say that the designer is constantly developing in his profession and improving himself, attending exhibitions, tracking trends, participating in seminars, professional competitions, etc.
Hold personal meetings with designers
Make a list of designers you like and have personal meetings with them. You need:
- Make sure that you and the designer speak the same language. If disagreements arise at the first stage, it will get worse.
- View an example of a finished project. You will see what is included in the project and what working documentation is attached to it.
- Ask for contacts of previous customers. You will be able to communicate with real clients and learn the specifics of working with your chosen designer.
An experienced designer will ask a lot of questions during the meeting: he will definitely clarify the composition of the family, ask about favorite ways to spend leisure time, hobbies and hobbies, rhythm of life, stylistic preferences.
Sign up an agreement with the designer
Professional designers work on the basis of an agreement, which specifies in detail the terms of cooperation and the composition of the project: the number of options for planning solutions, visualizations, drawings, deadlines for completing work stages, a list of additional services, etc. A formal agreement serves as the key to successful cooperation for both parties.
Garda Decor interior designers are professionals in their field who will competently think through the layout and design, help you profitably purchase materials, designer furniture, textiles and decor, and take into account many details. Our priority is the interests of the customer - this is the only way to create an interior that best reflects the tastes, preferences and lifestyle of the client.