Hiring A Designer

It seems easy enough—pick out a sofa, choose some drapes—but anyone who’s tried their hand at interior design knows it pays to hire a professional. And to the uninitiated, hiring the perfect person to help you realize your dream house, and then navigating the actual design process, can be daunting.

Start by identifying your goals. Are you building a house and want someone who can see the project through from start to finish? Or are you focusing on refurbishing specific rooms? Once you’re able to narrow down what you need from a designer, you’ll be better able to choose the right person for you.

One of the best ways to find a reputable interior designer is through word of mouth. Designers don’t regularly advertise in the conventional sense; their completed projects serve as testament to their work. As Leslie Parraguirre, principal of Colours, Inc., in Las Vegas puts it, “I’m only as good as my last job.”

Meanwhile, begin pulling ideas. Grab a stack of magazines and rip out pages that you like—entire rooms or even a particular sink or wall color that appeals to you. Selecting things you don’t like can help, as well. “I always ask people to start keeping a file of pictures out of magazines and books,” says Durette Candito, principal of Durette Candito Design on Main Street. “But I’ve discovered that it’s easier for people to tell me what they don’t like than what they do.”

After you’ve got a good-sized file together, it’s time to identify your budget, even before you begin interviewing designers. Creating a furniture budget may seem difficult, but it’s essential to the success of the project. “Anyone can figure out a budget,” Parraguirre says. “You just have to look at the style of furniture that you like, and go from there.”

Armed with your collection of clippings and a rough budget, it’s time to start interviewing. This first meeting will be a chance for you to look at each designer’s portfolio and chat with them about your goals and ideas. It also helps to give the designer an idea of how involved you’ll want to be in the process, as different designers expect different levels of input from their clients. “Th ere’s a firm for everyone,” says Parraguirre. “And I think that’s a really important part in moving forward with hiring an interior designer— do you want to be involved or do you want to come in, lay out your dream and have us make it happen?”

Once you choose a designer, you’ll want to discuss their fee structure and projected timeline. Fee structures range from design firm to design firm, but generally there are two types of designer fees, separate from the furniture purchasing fees: flat (by the square foot) and hourly. Designers either build their fee into your furniture budget, or add it to the existing figure. Most designers divide the final sum into progress payments and expect 15-25%, or the first payment, as a (sometimes non-refundable) retainer.

Some designers, however, also make money by adding a mark-up to the wholesale price of the furniture. “We normally work with a design deposit and then a markup, which is usually 35-40% on the wholesale cost price,” says Stephen Leon, ASID, president of Soleil Design International, Inc., on South Valley View Boulevard. “But some designers just charge straight retail markups.”

Asking for a realistic timeline for completion is imperative—hiring an interior designer to select custom furniture means that each piece can take 8-12 weeks to complete. “If people are planning for an event like, say, Christmas, and they want their house done by then, they should be thinking about it September 1st—not December 1st,” says Candito. “I think it sort of sets people up for failure and disappointment by not planning.”

Other designer tips? Don’t scrimp on big items and don’t buy into flashy trends. If you’re spending thousands of dollars on furnishings for your home, invest in quality, especially with items such as faucets and cabinets that you won’t soon replace. “Pink toilets are here today, gone tomorrow,” laughs Parraguirre. “Be smart and put money into things that are important and are going to be in place the longest.”