- Pregnancy
- Baby & Toddler
- Parents
- Getting Pregnant
- Baby Names
- Product Reviews
-
Registry
- Community
-
More
Want a personalized experience?
Download the free app
Working Moms
NicoleWI
member
NWMR: Interior Designers/Decorators
NicoleWI
member
in Working Moms
Has anyone worked with an interior designer? We are doing a huge remodel involving choosing new flooring, counters, light fixtures, etc. It's overwhelming and we don't have time to do it all on our own. I'm meeting with someone tomorrow who charges by the hour. Is this typical? If you did this, was it worth it for you? Can you share how much you spent? I can't figure out what to make my "max" budget for her services (i.e. how many hours we can pay for), but we really need the help as we're supposed to move soon.
This discussion has been closed.
Re: NWMR: Interior Designers/Decorators
I use one. When she does decorating tasks (selecting paint colors, selecting couch/fabric selections, arranging knick-knacks) she charges $85/hour. When she does the work of a GC for a remodel, she charges 15% of labor cost, not cost of materials for her time. That fee is to supervise her subcontractors, etc. I have not done a big remodel with her yet, so I'm not sure how she charges for the "planning" phase of the remodel (ie. picking out the floors, fixtures, etc).
I would recommend discussing an hourly fee for the up front design and a % fee for general contractor work if you want her to manage the actual remodel. I would also be very clear about the level of research you want her to do. Like, please spend x hours and then present me with 3 choices. Make sure you see some of her work before committing so you can make sure you either like her style or see that she is comfortable in any style and can adapt to your style. Also, ask for her to put together a budget.
We worked with a team that charged 120/hour. I can say that I thought we would spend about 1/4 of what we did spend on them, which has put other projects on hold.
We redid a master bath and the kitchen and while their input was amazing and I love the results, we basically have to wait 3-5 years to do anything else because the hours really added up. There were a lot of things that I was kind of annoyed about-i.e. email conversations that were between the GC and the designers which I got charged for-but ultimately it would have been time out of my day to answer questions about bullnose tile and when to drop off items, and I didn't have time to manage that kind of stuff. While seeing some of the items on the bills were frustrating, the reality is that I work, my husband works, and I do not have the time or talent to do the details that a good remodel requires.
Bottom line-it was WAY more expensive than I wanted, but the results were amazing.
ETA-we spent 5 figures on the design fees alone.
I had a BAD, BAD experience working with an interior designer. Her ideas were great but I found out she was charging me her hour rate ($65) to drive around and do admin work like put together a binder of ideas. I was NOT ok with this. I felt like I should pay her for her knowledge and talent, not for her to compile a notebook that she could pay a student $5 to do.
In the end I ended up letting her go midway through the project. She did get us off to a fabulous start, however.
It was a huge learning experience for me. I only wish I had talked to her more about what her fees would cover before we got started.
I did contact a different designer who charged by the room. For a set fee she told me what she would provide based on the average # of hours she estimated the work would take.
In the end I went to Ethan Allen, got a free room design and paid a lot for furniture that I LOVE. She even helped me pick a color to paint the walls. Then I hired a window decor firm who also provided free design service. I never know how flipping cool window treatments could be! In both cases I paid more for a top dollar product but the free design services made it more than worth it.
Yes, we just redid our master bedroom and used a designer. I was very happy with the results and will definitely use a designer (and her!) again when we're ready to do another project. We did go over budget. My initial budget was 7,000 but we ended up spending closer to 10K all in. So, just know that you probably will spend more! The thing I liked about her services was that she was a flat fee, not a % of the final cost. That made me feel like she was picking out things that we'd really like vs. trying to up her cut through more expensive products.
She started out by coming over and measuring our space, talking to me about what I wanted, and then me showing her a few pictures that I really liked. I had 2 pieces of art that I wanted to use in the room so I also made sure I had those out to show her. She went back and did a drawing of what she recommended and all the different products - lamps, headboard, art, accessories, etc. We went through the proposal and said yes to a few things, no to some, and then I asked for other options of things I didn't quite like. Once we settled on all the products, she placed the order for everything.
The thing I really liked was that she ordered everything and she coordinated the installation and delivery of everything. I wrote 1 check to her for everything. She had everything go to her warehouse and everything was delivered to us at the same time, and then they hauled away all the boxes and packing materials. She organized the painter, the drapery and art installer, the fan and light installer, and then the furniture - and it was all done in about 4 days. So much better than me having to do everything. It was a completely smooth process!