How To Choose An Interior Designer Or Redecorator
What types of professional interior designers are available?
Have you heard of Interior redecorators? These professional interior decorators transform your home using things you have accumulated over the years. The end result is a balanced, harmonious space that reflects the personality of the people who use it. Many interior designers have added this service to their repertoire. Alternate terms for professional interior designers specializing in interior redecorating are interior redesigners, interior arrangers, interior stylists, one day decorators, visual coordinators or interior refiners.
What is a Certified Interior Designer? (from B&P Code Section 5800,5538)
A Certified interior designer is a competent design professional who is qualified to design, prepare, and submit any type of nonstructural, non-seismic interior construction plans and specifications to local building departments. Certified interior designers have demonstrated through education, experience, and examination their knowledge of the Uniform Building Code as it relates to space planning, life safety, flammability, and disabled access code issues. Most interior designers have a minimum four-year education. Many have Master of Interior Design degrees or other additional education in architecture or interior design. Interior designers who have many years experience may not have a Bachelors in Interior Design, but usually are well educated and have many years of qualified experience. All qualified interior designers will indicate that they have passed the NCIDQ (National Council for Interior Design Certification) examination and/or are registered/ certified/ licensed in their state.
How do Interior Decorators charge for their services?
Flat Design Fee: The client pays a flat fee for the professional interior designer’s services based on the design plan, time required, and scope of services.
Hourly Rate: The interior decorator bills a negotiated rate per hour.
Cost Plus Method: Professional interior designers charge a set percentage on all merchandise purchased and tradesmen’s services rendered.
Mixed Method: The client pays both a set percentage on purchases and a base design fee for hourly rate.
Per square foot: This method is used especially in new construction.
What to ask at the first meeting:
o Ask to see the interior designer’s portfolio, but remember that the designs reflect other people’s tastes,¬ not necessarily the interior decorator’s, and possibly not your own.
o Ask what size projects the interior designer has worked on, where, and what was the budget range.
o Ask how the established budget will be handled, and the kind of payment schedules the interior decorator requires.
o Ask about the types of services the designer can provide.
o Ask for a list of references.
What you may be asked at the first meeting:
It is a good idea to prepare for your first meeting with a professional interior designer by creating your own folder of clippings from magazines, catalogs, and books of design ideas that appeal to you.
You may also be asked some or all of the following questions:
o For whom is the space being designed?
o What activities will take place in the space?
o How long do you plan to occupy the space?
o What is your time frame for completing the project?
o What is your budget?
o Are you relocating or remodeling?
o What image do you want to project?
o What colors, style, and effects do you like?
o What are your objective and lifestyle needs?
o What is the approximate square footage to be designed?
If a professional interior designer, or anyone, for that matter, tells you the process is easy, stress-free, and will be complete in two weeks, they’re either lying or stupid. Don’t hire that person.
Interior Designers Are A Very Creative Breed
People often confuse interior designers with interior decorators and interior stylists. They are not as different as chalk and cheese but they are quite different. While a decorator would create your home space with different kinds of objects and put the various objects to make them look catching on the eye, the interior designers study forms, design, symmetry of structure and related aspects. Their study is considered more bent towards the theoretical side of the job but they have deep sense of creativity and a well harnessed idea of compositeness.
Designers have always looked towards the past to create something modern and fresh. It is because past is an unfailing library for the interior designers. Interior designers believe that period pieces can be made to work very well even in conjunction. Yes, the underlying idea is not to disturb the consistency of theme. However hard it might seem, they can keep a uniformity of structure spirit despite bringing in tones of different periods.
House of building designers understand the need of creating a form and its structural dimensions that suit the taste of a budding owner. It is after all his home or commercial space; it has to be his style statement too. Often they are ready to hold back their own style in favor of the owner’s statement and yet keep their creativity intact. Designers are sometimes blessed with a vision that can put to shame even the Cubists.
These professionals all over the world are challenged by new aspects of modernism. It’s because the basic idea is to keep the convention of form and geography of place in mind. House or building designers can’t use their skill sets distancing themselves from the medium in which they work and getting adrift from the geographic requirement of place. These professionals know all about choosing the exact raw materials. Yes, they often take suggestions from the interior decorators to put forth this plan. Interior designers use consistency to create a complete theme for a home. Parallel motifs can’t truly convert a home into a likeable place. They feel that a kaleidoscope of motifs can potentially kill a structure.
Interior decorators are paid pretty well if they have beaten the initial days of hardships. People acknowledge their craft and understand the supreme creativity in their vision. Today, you can get in touch with top interior designers through internet. Most of them also flash their work and achievements over their website.People often confuse interior designers with interior decorators and interior stylists. They are not as different as chalk and cheese but they are quite different. While a decorator would create your home space with different kinds of objects and put the various objects to make them look catching on the eye, the interior designers study forms, design, symmetry of structure and related aspects. Their study is considered more bent towards the theoretical side of the job but they have deep sense of creativity and a well harnessed idea of compositeness.
Interior designers have always looked towards the past to create something modern and fresh. It is because past is an unfailing library for the interior designers. They believe that period pieces can be made to work very well even in conjunction. Yes, the underlying idea is not to disturb the consistency of theme. However hard it might seem, they can keep a uniformity of structure spirit despite bringing in tones of different periods.
Interior designers understand the need of creating a form and its structural dimensions that suit the taste of a budding owner. It is after all his home or commercial space; it has to be his style statement too. Often the designers are ready to hold back their own style in favor of the owner’s statement and yet keep their creativity intact. These professionals are sometimes blessed with a vision that can put to shame even the Cubists.
These designers all over the world are challenged by new aspects of modernism. It’s because the basic idea is to keep the convention of form and geography of place in mind. Interior decorators can’t use their skill sets distancing themselves from the medium in which they work and getting adrift from the geographic requirement of place. Interior designers know all about choosing the exact raw materials. Yes, they often take suggestions from the interior decorators to put forth this plan. Interior designers use consistency to create a complete theme for a home. Parallel motifs can’t truly convert a home into a likeable place. They feel that a kaleidoscope of motifs can potentially kill a structure.
Interior designers are paid pretty well if they have beaten the initial days of hardships. People acknowledge their craft and understand the supreme creativity in their vision. Today, you can get in touch with top designers through internet. Most of the interior designers also flash their work and achievements over their website.