How to choose an interior designer
Choosing an interior designer can be a little daunting, especially if you’ve never worked with one before. Where do you start? What should you look for? Is hiring an interior designer a smart budget move? We can answer these questions and more!
Why should you hire an interior designer?
You’re finally ready to tackle a project in your home, whether it’s a big renovation or just refreshing some of your more outdated spaces. Choosing an interior designer can help you get from “where do I start?” to “let’s get started!”
While you probably have a general budget in mind for the work, a professional interior designer can help you refine it and find ways to get the most bang for your buck. We not only create a cohesive vision, but also aid in prioritizing your needs and wants in a way that tailors your space to your lifestyle. To that end, we look at the project as a whole and work through each step with you. We prevent wasted time and money by thinking ahead and striving to get it right the first time. Here are just some of the ways we help, from the big things to the little details:
- Developing the right furniture plan to determine the best arrangement, both aesthetically and functionally.
- Determining the right materials for your budget and lifestyle (kids? pets? low maintenance? no problem!).
- Creating the perfect lighting plan, both decorative and functional, for your needs and aethetics.
- Working with your audio visual provider to get all the right details needed to integrate technology into your home design.
- Choosing area rugs and carpets, especially when it comes to which rugs will hold up and which will only last a few years.
- Selecting accessories to add the finishing touches that make a space complete; we think of these as the icing on the cake!
Another huge upside to hiring an interior designer is our expertise and contacts. We advocate for you with contractors and vendors, and can make recommendations based on our relationships with them. For instance, if you fall in love with a wallcovering, we’ll recommend a pro whose work we know and trust to ensure that installation is seamless (no pun intended!). Is sustainable living important to you? We’ve cultivated sources for ecofriendly counters, tile, upholstery, and rugs. This enables us to present you with those options over the course of our collaboration.
How to find the right designer for you
Now that you know the “why” when it comes to choosing an interior designer, you’re wondering how. This is when other people’s experience comes into play. If you have friends, family, or neighbors who have worked with a designer, ask for a recommendation. You can also search for local interior designers online and browse their reviews and websites. Luckily, the internet allows you to look at designers’ portfolios and testimonials from the comfort of your home.
Once you narrow down a few interior designers whose aesthetics fits with yours, give them a call or send an email inquiring about their services and their process. We are always happy to hear that our projects inspired potential clients to get in touch! Connecting one on one is an excellent way to feel out if your personalities mesh and the partnership will be a good fit. We talk with all client inquiries via phone to discuss the project details and review our design process and fee structure. If it seems like a good fit, we provide a complimentary meeting (often onsite) to discuss the project in greater detail in order to develop a detailed proposal for design services. During this meeting we review our detailed proprietary design process so you can get a detailed idea of what it’s like working with us.
We have honed our design process over the past 10 years to what it is today. It’s clear and detailed, and we like to have some fun, because this should be an exciting and enjoyable process! We can’t wait to get started on your next project!
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Glenna Stone Interior Design is an award-winning Philadelphia interior design firm serving Philadelphia, the Main Line, and surrounding cities. Utilizing her background and training in interior design, architecture, and engineering, Glenna specializes in creating interiors for residential and commercial design settings. We invite you to visit our website, view our portfolio, and catch up on the latest interior design concepts on our blog!