How to choose the right Designer

Hiring an Interior Designer is an extremely important task. Your space, whether it is commercial or residential, is your sanctuary and having someone else making the important decisions on it’s aesthetics is an very personal experience. The right designer makes all the right difference and the wrong designer, well, can be an extremely bitter and unforgettable, and at times unrecoverable experience. Here are some tips to help you make a better decision. Remember, as architect Michelle Kaufmann says, “it is easy to be in the honeymoon phase. But too often people skip the important conversations, and things can go badly”

1. Browse their website: look at their profile and their previous projects, read about the designer and make sure to read their testimonials. 
2. Determine your style before contacting any designer. Are you modern, traditional or eclectic? do you like bright colors or monochromatic ones. 
3. Determine your budget: This is very important. You must know how much money you want to spend on your project, including the designer’s fee.
4. Make a consultation appointment: Choose your top 3 designers based on your research, and make a 2 hour consultation appointment with them, even if the consultation isn’t free. This is the interview process, and just like interviewing lawyers and plastic surgeons which are required and aren’t free, and Interior Designer needs to be interviewed as well. This will assist you in making the final decision.
5. Ask the right questions: How many projects have they worked on? what was their most difficult project and why? which project did they enjoy the most and why? how many project are they currently juggling? do they have the ability to take on your project? what is their design process from start to finish? what are their fees and how does their fee structure works? What are they estimating your project time to be? What are they past challenges? what is their style? Can you have references if you wish? 
6. Trust your designer: once you have made your final decision, make sure to trust them accordingly and allow them to do what they are best at; Design! Make sure to convey your wishes accordingly but allow them to use their skills and experience to make your space all that you dream of!