Hiring an Interior Designer? The Top 3 Questions To Ask for Success
Thinking about about hiring a professional full service interior designer for your dream space transformation? Smart move! 🌟 Scouring Pinterest for inspo is fun, but turning that dream into reality? That's a whole different story. With a gazillion options out there, making it work in your space can feel like a daunting task.
But don’t feel bad! Designing a space that meets your functional and aesthetic goals, all while staying on budget AND feeling confident that your choices are, in fact, ones you will love forever, is not an easy feat for most people. Interior designers, on the other hand, have access to a multitude of resources and can put together a cohesive vision that meets all of your goals AND will withstand the test of time. Simply put, when you hire a designer, you are hiring an expert to solve your problem.
There are many benefits of working with a professional full-service interior designer. We have extensive expertise and knowledge that allow us to hone in on solving unique design challenges. We have access to a vast range of products not available to homeowners, and we have connections to reliable contractors and skilled tradespeople.
When it comes to hiring a full-service interior designer, you will likely have a myriad of ideas about how the whole process will unfold. So you can be an informed consumer — and to ensure an effective working relationship with your chosen interior designer — it’s important to ask the right questions.
While your interior designer should know and be upfront about the project costs, billing and payment terms, and project timelines, there are a few key questions we think are the most important to ask your interior designer to better understand what the collaborative process will be like
1. What’s your design process? How much time does each part of the process take?
This question is critical to understanding what to expect as you move forward working with an interior designer. Although most designers follow a similar process, it is important for you to understand your designer’s particular progression from initial ideas through completed space. Here’s what you can expect when you work with Gatewood Designs:
BEFORE YOU’RE A CLIENT:
Discovery Call - In this 15-20 minute call, we get to know your project, needs, budget, and timeline, ensuring we are a great match for your project.
Consultation- In this 30-minute phone consultation, we get the chance to get to know you, your home, and your project. At Gatewood Designs, we believe the secret to great design is all in the relationships we develop with our clients. Our goal is for everyone to walk away with confidence and clarity for moving forward.
Preparation of Scope of Work & Contract- (2-3 days after consultation) This meticulous process involves a comprehensive analysis of your project requirements, needs, and aspirations. Our team outlines the project scope, ensuring clarity and precision in every detail. We prioritize collaboration, consulting with our skilled professionals to align vision with feasibility.
ONCE YOU’RE A CLIENT
New Client Onboarding- (upon receipt of signed contract + design fee deposit) -We'll schedule your kickoff meeting and send over additional details to help us understand your design style, lifestyle, and goals, which will then move us to the design phase!
Design Phase- (4-6 weeks after we officially kick off your project we’ll be ready to present your design) - This is where we create or look over the floor plans and elevations, Sourcing appliances, plumbing, fixtures, finishes, and furniture, Meeting with trades to prepare estimates, host the design presentation.
Management Phase/Support Phase - (once you’ve approved the design, the management phase can take 12- 20 weeks for furniture-only projects or 4-12 months for projects that include construction) Our team will begin purchasing, tracking, and double-checking that each item arrives correctly at the site and furnishings arrive at our white glove delivery receiving warehouse. You receive weekly email updates on the status of your project.
Installation/Walkthrough - This final phase is where the magic happens - your installation! We'll coordinate the delivery of any items ordered through Gatewood Designs and be on-site on your install day to ensure everything is in its place. We'll bring accessories selected specifically for you to add the finishing touches to tie it all together, leaving you with a complete space ready to enjoy.
2. Have you done a project like mine before?
Make sure your type of project and end goals are in alignment with the services your interior designer offers. Some designers specialize in kitchen and bath remodels, others concentrate on furnishings-only projects. Some may only do new construction projects, but not remodels.
At Gatewood Designs we specialize in New Construction and Furnishing Projects. Our favorite projects to design are custom home builds. Crafting unique, one-of-a-kind spaces allows us to bring our client's dreams to life from the ground up. From the architectural nuances to personalized interior details, each element is a bespoke masterpiece. Custom homes let us blend practicality with style, making homes that go beyond expectations. The joy of seeing dreams come true and the satisfaction of making a unique masterpiece make custom home builds our absolute favorites.
3. What will you need from me, and when will you need it? When will you need me to be available?
You’ll want to know what your time commitment will need to be throughout the interior design process. Every interior designer offers different services with varying levels of support and access so you’ll want to make sure you fully understand whether you’ll need to be hands on or hands off, or if there are certain parts where you’ll be more involved than others. Yes, you are handing the bulk of the work off to a professional — that’s the whole idea, so the design process will be easier on you and your family. But to ensure your interior designer has everything they need to design the perfect space for you, your involvement in providing key information about your needs and your vision is critical.
And, at other times you will need to make your home available so that the designer can take measurements, tradespeople can do the work, and all of the finishing elements can be brought in and installed. You will want to have a thorough understanding of when you will need to devote time toward getting your project completed.
At Gatewood Designs, our clients are the most involved at these key phases:
Onboarding- We want to know all the details about your lifestyle, design style, and functional needs. This is what will allow us to fully understand your style and goals to ensure we design a space you love. Typically, during the onboarding phase, our clients will fill out a design questionnaire, send over your interest board and or inspirational images, and meet with our team to do a kickoff meeting.
Design Phase- During the design phase, you’ll want to set aside time for one to two showroom meetings (if new construction) and attend the design presentation. We allow our clients to give feedback and any change requests to us within 3 days of their presentation.
