Get the Job Done Right

How to Choose an Interior Designer

By Nancy Phillips LeRoy

There was a time when only the wealthy hired the services of an interior designer to decorate their mansions. Fortunately, that's no longer the case today. However, some people are still hesitant to use a designer because they think it's an expensive route. But the reality is that a designer can actually prevent clients from making costly mistakes. Most designers today work on "real" homes, where "real" people live, managing "real" budgets.

Another old stereotype is of the designer who comes into your home and tells you everything has to go and you feel that you have to follow every word the designer says. This approach created beautiful homes that may only have reflected the designer's taste, not the client's. This, too, has changed. Today designers are trained to listen to their client's wishes and needs.

The terms "interior designer" and "decorator" are used interchangeably by the public. But there is a difference. While both create beautiful rooms, the interior designer usually has a wider range of knowledge and expertise. Consider the following when choosing one or the other.

• Interior Designer: A person who has been trained to create beautiful spaces; assess the use, function and safety of interior spaces; develop designs and prepare drawings using extensive and specialized knowledge of design, furniture, materials, equipment, fixtures and construction; hire and supervise a variety of sub contractors.
• Interior Decorator: A person who has a "flair" for decorating, sometimes trained, sometimes untrained.

Want to see more?

• How Designers Charge
• Real Appeal: Decorating to Sell Your Home
• Setting the Mood: Outdoor Rooms Offer New Frontier in Decorating Fun
• Talk about it!