HOW DO I HIRE A DESIGN PROFESSIONAL??
- Determine the scope of the project? Is it one room, an entire house make-over, or simply the spruce up of various areas? This will determine the type of design professional you’ll want to hire.
- Establish your budget. It is always smart to have an approximate dollar amount you are willing to spend. This will help your designer to be realistic in what they present to you. A qualified designer is going to be a financial commitment, but worth it. You are paying for their creative vision and expertise,along with managing the project, coordinating deliveries, installations, and workmen on the project.
- Set up an initial consultation. This is the time to discuss your expectations and to get to know the designer. If you don’t feel comfortable with the person there is no point going forward. If it seems like the right fit, be sure you discuss how you will be charged. This can be an hourly fee for design time or a flat fee. Most desogners will ask for a retainer to start the project. You should expect to pay $50-$150.00 per hour in WNY. You can also discuss how the purchasing of furnishings, window treatments, the cost of workmen, etc. will be handled – what is the mark-up, terms of payment, etc. It is always best to have all of these things clear from the beginning to avoid any problems later on in the project. My company has a client agreement which we have all our new clients sign. This is for the benefit of all parties involved and is a good idea.
- Ask for a design plan or scope of work . This can be anything from sketches of basic layouts of furnishings with a suggested color palette, to carefully plotted-out rooms complete with cut sheets of furnishings and swatches of materials to be used.
- Trust your designer. Be honest and up front if you really do not like something. However, try to look beyond what you would normally select on your own. A large responsibility of any designer is to bring you to a new dimension of style and to stretch you a bit beyond your current comfort zone.
Finally, it is important to know that designing even one room is a process and may take several meetings before the “perfect” look is achieved. Remember too that you are getting access to things you could never find on your own, in addition to the experience and knowledge of your designer. In all hiring a design professional is the right way to go to achieve the optimum results for any project, large or small.
Call us for all your design needs. 716-627-4697 or contact us at www.schaperassociates.net