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From the benefits of hiring an interior designer to how does hiring an interior designer work, we answer all your questions.
Buying a house is an important milestone in everyone’s life, but it becomes a ‘home’ only when it expresses the personality of those living in it. Home is where you feel at ease the most, and it’s a true reflection of your lifestyle. Interior designers spend years studying space management and mastering the art of transforming a space to fulfil your needs. This is why you should consider hiring an interior designer for your home.
When you’re hiring an interior designer, it’s crucial to find a qualified one because not only are they responsible for creating the right vibe for every room, but also for doing it within your budget. Hiring the right interior designer will ensure you get a space that is practical, multi-functional, and a haven you would love to come back to after a busy day at work.
If you’re still contemplating why should I hire an interior designer, listed below are the top benefits of hiring an interior designer.
8 Compelling Reasons To Hire An Interior Designer
1. They excel at space planning:
One of the most important reasons to hire an interior designer is that they know the fundamentals of space management and how to best utilise the floor space in your home. This involves a functional analysis to determine the size and shape of each room based on its usage. Without efficient space planning and management, you will be left with an inadequate floor plan that leads to a cluttered and unattractive home.
2. They have the right qualifications and experience:
When you want your tooth extracted, you don’t research it online and do it yourself. You go to a certified dentist because they possess the necessary skills and knowledge to do it correctly. Similarly, designing a home is an interior designer’s job. They come with the right qualifications and work experience to deliver a home design that is true to your preferences.
3. They help you identify your style:
When you start designing a home, it can often get confusing to identify if a design aligns with your personal style. This is where an interior designer plays a major role. They’ll have detailed discussions with you to help you define your style and offer solutions to incorporate it into your home interior design. And while we’re on the topic of style, check out these stylish living room designs created by the interior designers at DesignCafe for our clients:
4. They are like a one-stop shop:
When you start designing your home on your own, it seems pretty straightforward at first. Then you begin to realise that it requires networks with various vendors and hardcore knowledge about materials. Doing it on your own or collaborating with a contractor can be time-consuming. Instead, when you choose to work with an interior designer, you get everything in one place — expert advice, creative ideas, resources, detailed planning, and qualified liaison.
5. They ensure things stay within your budget:
For most people, this is the biggest advantage of hiring an interior designer. They keep your budget in mind right from the beginning and offer solutions tailored to fit that budget without compromising on quality. In fact, they ensure that you don’t make any costly mistakes which in turn saves you a lot of money.
6. They save you valuable time:
Interior designers stay abreast with all the current and upcoming trends in their industry. They also know the right vendors to get in touch with to execute your finalised design. They invest time in finding high-quality materials and products within your budget. All these factors save you a lot of time and effort.
7. They present fresh ideas:
You can research online for home interior designs and try to replicate them. But an interior designer brings unique ideas to the table that you may not be aware of. They are trained to create designs that make a space come alive and to utilise it optimally. Chance a glance at some of the freshest bedroom design ideas by DesignCafe interior designers.
8. They maximise functionality:
The end goal is never to have a home that just looks pretty. It is to have one that’s equal parts stunning and functional. Interior designers know how to ensure everything in your home functions in a way that makes your life easier. They use their creativity and modern solutions to use every corner of your home efficiently.
Is Hiring An Interior Designer Worth It?
Of course, the reasons to hire an interior designer seem convincing, but do they justify the cost to hire an interior designer? Absolutely! Designing your home on your own with the help of a contractor seems like the easy solution but it can lead to a lot of unwanted expenses.
You can pick a beautiful design from the internet and ask a contractor to replicate it. They may agree to execute the design but will not be able to personalise it to fit your space. This will lead to additional expenses trying to rectify the mistake or worse — doing it up again completely.
Jessica Fernandis, one of DesignCafe’s most talented interior designers, helps clarify the difference between working with a carpenter as opposed to an interior designer. She says, “A carpenter can help you create modular furniture but only an interior designer can help you bind all the elements together like soft furnishing, paint, wallpaper, artefacts, etc to make your dream home come true.”
Interior designers invest countless hours coming up with creative solutions and modern designs that enhance the value of your home. Be it the colour palette, the furniture material or the room layout — they offer professional advice on everything. When you choose to work with a brand like DesignCafe, our talented interior designers create highly detailed renders to show you how each room will look.
If you are wondering how much does it cost to hire an interior designer, the charges are anywhere between INR 3.5 lakhs to 7 lahks for a 2BHK apartment based on the designer’s experience. This allows you to sit back and relax while the designer works on transforming your apartment into a home. You’ll get everything right the very first time without having to hustle for it. So, hiring an interior designer is certainly great value for money.
What To Know Before Hiring An Interior Designer
- Know your budget: It’s a myth that hiring an interior designer on a budget is an impossible task. But you need to be very clear about your budget from the very beginning. Because once the designs are finalised, it can get very difficult to change them just to cut down costs.
- Be clear about the timeline: Another important thing to know before hiring an interior designer is the timeline for your home interior project. You will have a fuss-free experience if you are on the same page with them about the time it will take to finish the project.
- List out what services you need: An interior designer can help you with a multitude of things, but do you need everything? Mostly no. Gain clarity about the services you will require so you don’t end up paying for irrelevant things.
- Understand what suits your lifestyle: Make sure you differentiate your absolute must-haves from the good-to-haves and communicate this to your designer. This involves identifying what your lifestyle demands and what aspects are non-negotiable for you.
- Do your research: Lastly, look out for things that you would love to see in your dream home. Be it the colour palette, a piece of furniture, a kitchen cabinet or a bookshelf – collect images of everything. This will help you easily convey your taste and aesthetics to the interior designer.
Questions To Ask An Interior Designer Before Hiring Them
Getting your home interiors done is a costly affair so it’s important to know your interior designer well in advance to ensure the end results are true to your aspirations. Here are some questions to ask an interior designer before you bring them on board:
1. Do you have any experience designing projects similar to mine?
The cost of working with an inexperienced designer is far too high because of the amount of money you will spend on making corrections later. So ask them this question to discover how experienced they are. Listen to them when they share their background as it will be telling of their way of approaching a project as well as their work ethics.
2. Can you show me some of your latest work?
It will become very easy to hire an interior designer if you can see their body of work. Ask for the before and after images, the client specifications and the budget. This will help you understand if the designer was able to successfully translate the client’s needs into reality. It also reveals whether they are aware of the latest trends and are able to personalise them successfully for the client’s project.
3. What are your references and client feedback?
A talented interior designer will be backed by strong references and positive reviews. Find out what their previous clients had to say about their work. Do they have people vouching for their skills, qualifications, and achievements? If they are new to the industry and don’t have any references to share, verify their credentials before you pick them.
4. How will you be sharing your ideas?
Before hiring an interior designer, make yourself familiar with their design process. How and when do they share their design concepts? What if you don’t like a particular design? Do they create renders for each room or sketches? Good interior designers are transparent and will ensure you have clarity about everything related to your home interiors.
5. How much do you charge and what can you offer within my budget?
It’s always best to know if a designer is capable of offering services within your budget before you get into deeper discussions. Ask them what exactly they can do for the charges they are quoting for their services. Of course, they will not be able to give an exact number until all the designs are finalised but the price range they quote should fit your budget.
Tips For Hiring An Interior Designer
Want to know how does hiring an interior designer work? We hear you. We know how daunting it can be to find the perfect match for your home. Tasneem Arsiwala, one of the top interior designers at DesignCafe, shares some important tips that will help you make the right choice:
1. Is the designer as excited about designing your home as you?
It’s important to work with someone who shares your enthusiasm as it will determine the kind of effort they eventually put in. It can be dismaying to work with a designer who doesn’t show any passion for your project.
2. Do they actively listen to understand your needs?
Steer clear of interior designers who don’t take into account your specific needs while planning the entire project. If they don’t effectively listen, they will not be able to create a space that aligns with your vision.
3. Is their design sense in line with your expectations?
What if you want a minimalistic design but the designer aims to create a very elaborate look? If your design senses don’t match, you may not be satisfied with the end results.
4. Do they believe in saying no when required?
A lot of times, designs look great on Pinterest but may not make sense in your space. Or a certain piece of furniture is better suited for your home than the one you want to buy. In such situations, the designer should be able to tell you an honest no and why it is not a good choice.
We hope this has helped resolve your doubts about how to hire an interior designer. Now that you are eager and excited to start your home interior project, book a free consultation with our talented interior design experts at DesignCafe today!
