How to hire an interior designer
Interior designers are the first place many homeowners start when they’re ready to refresh or renovate their space. And they can be a valuable resource in providing ideas and direction when you feel stuck or uncertain about how you want your space to look and feel.
That said, hiring the wrong interior designer can be incredibly expensive and frustrating. Most of the custom kitchen projects I work on for clients have involved making massive changes to interior designers’ work and sometimes reworking them entirely — just to make them practical, buildable, and affordable.
In this article, we’ll talk about the role of interior designers in a construction project, what you should know before you hire, and some tips for how to find, interview and hire a great interior designer for your renovation or home construction project.
The role of an interior designer in a renovation
Good interior design involves two things:
Space design (function): Understanding how you need your space to work (think kids, pets, accessibility, etc.) and finding solutions to optimize the space to your needs over time
Decor (aesthetics): Selecting fixtures, materials, colours, and finishes that make your space look cohesive and visually appealing
A good designer will start with functionality and then make sure that your design is beautiful and aligned with your aesthetic preferences.
It’s also essential that your interior designer understands construction and is willing to work with your builders on a design that fits within your budget and can actually be built the way it’s drawn.
You’d think this should be table stakes, but unfortunately, that’s not always the case. Far too many of the interior designers I’ve worked with over my 40 years in residential construction have designed for glossy photos instead of real life. The result is unworkable, impractical, and unnecessarily expensive drawings that get completely torn apart once they get to the builder. This is incredibly frustrating for homeowners, who end up wondering why they even hired their designer in the first place.
Luckily, I’ve also had the privilege of working with fantastic designers who know their stuff and keep their clients’ needs front and centre. This article includes their advice as well as my own experience.
What to know know before you start the hiring process
Before we talk about what to look for when hiring an interior designer, I want to share a few things you should be aware of. I don’t see them talked about enough, but they come up in almost every project I work on. These are the things my own clients tell me they wish they had known before they started. It’s essential that you know this as a homeowner so you can make a wise hiring decision.
Construction experience or on-site presence
While designers can provide valuable ideas and direction when you feel stuck or uncertain about how you want your space to look and feel, they do not often have direct construction experience. This means that there is often a disconnect between their ideas and the practicality (or affordability) of building them in real life.
Additionally, many of the designers in my experience don’t spend much time on-site during the construction process, which can mean they’re unaware of when issues come up. Unless they’re in frequent contact with the builder, it’s easy for things to get missed and misunderstandings to arise. And that can get frustrating (and expensive) fast.
For this reason, I always recommend hiring a general contractor first. They will be able to recommend designers they trust, and they will be able to review their designs early in the process to ensure everything is workable and within your budget.
Cost + budget estimates
Any designer you hire MUST be able to work within a budget, know what things actually cost, and suggest alternatives that meet your needs and budget. This sounds simple, but too many designers do not meet this basic requirement.
Issues around kitchen and bathroom design
Kitchens and bathrooms are some of the most complicated rooms to build and come with very specific requirements and constraints around electrical, plumbing, and more. This is why kitchens in particular are often the most expensive part of your home.
Unfortunately, this complexity means that unless your designer has a lot of on-the-ground construction experience, they’ll have a hard time anticipating and planning for these issues. This can cause huge (and unwelcome) surprises, changes, and delays once the building process is underway… and that is bad news for your budget and timeline.
As an industry pro who has specialized in kitchen design for over 40 years, I strongly advise that you hire a specialist for these rooms — or at the very least, bring your general contractor in as early as possible to provide their advice and perspective.
What to look for when hiring an interior designer
Referrals
Referrals are essential. Ask for referrals from both clients and contractors they have worked with. This will help you get a sense of how they work within your team of construction pros — and how easily their designs can be built within the project’s budget and timeline.
Listening skills
A good designer is a good listener. Do they pay attention to your needs and try to understand how you will use the home? Are they designing for your style or theirs?
Well-rounded portfolio
Look for a designer who has successfully delivered different types of projects and “looks”. A good designer can modify their work to reflect the client’s wants and needs, despite their personal preferences or style. A well-rounded portfolio is a good indicator of this.
Focus on budget
Get very clear answers from any designer you’re interviewing on how they handle budgets and their responsibility to keeping your budget on track. Far too many designers develop beautiful plans that have no connection to what things really cost — which means disappointment, frustration, and extra expense for you.
Clear process
Be wary of anyone who wants to just jump into picking products. Your designer should have a clear process that will establish what you are looking for (functionality and design) BEFORE they start looking for it!
Questions to ask when hiring an interior designer
How familiar are you with the costs of specific product categories, so that you can deliver a well-costed budget upfront? How do you provide budget-conscious options and alternatives when needed?
How do you assess and work with your clients’ unique style preferences and functional requirements (versus working within your own preferred “look” or style)?
How often are you on site or are you available to make adjustments and changes if site conditions require changes or modifications?
How do you structure your fees? (Make sure you get a detailed response in writing!)
Do you deliver your designs as traditional 2D or modern 3D drawings? Do you update these drawings as decisions are made and things are changed?
Other tips to keep in mind
I cannot stress this enough: You don’t live in a magazine. Any designer you hire should design for your real life and actual daily needs. If you’re considering hiring a designer with a big social media presence or lots of high-profile magazine or TV credits, be sure their focus will be on what you want and need from your home — not just creating a showpiece for their portfolio.
Be clear on whether you’re looking for an interior designer to focus on space and function or a decorator to help you choose materials or finishes. If it’s both, which is more important to you? This distinction will help you prioritize your options as you decide who to hire and what you need from them.
Aim to have your entire project designed BEFORE you begin construction. You and your designer should choose your finishes and fixtures in advance, so that you can make informed decisions about where to spend and where to save. Do NOT just proceed in order of products required on site. This can lead to overwhelm and rushed or panicked choices that are disconnected to how the style or cost relates to the rest of your design.
It’s okay to limit your designer’s scope / role in the project. In fact, I recommend it! Many designers will want to stay involved all the way through the process, but this can be expensive and lead to too many cooks in the kitchen. Hiring a designer early in the process to help develop and direct your vision, and then handing responsibility to the builder for implementation, can be a great way to manage your costs and streamline decision-making.
Key takeaways
Budget, budget, budget. Only work with designers who can prove that they know what it really costs to build something, and that they can work within your budget.
Hire your contractor first. They can recommend trusted designers and help ensure your design is practical, buildable, and within budget before construction begins.
Function first, THEN aesthetics. A good designer should prioritize how you'll actually use the space, then make it beautiful—not the other way around. Beware of hiring a designer who:
Only has one “look” or style
Is focused more on picture-perfect photos than designing for real, messy, day-to-day life
Wants to jump straight into selecting products before understanding what your needs and preferences are
You own the process. Take your time. Do your research and due diligence before you bring anyone on board! Our Construction Hiring Checklist below has more info on the exact steps to follow at each stage of the hiring process.
