You have done your homework, and found a designer who you think will be a good fit. Congratulations! The next step is to book an initial consultation. Like anything, preparation is the key for this. The client designer relationship is one that will evolve over time, but understanding and trust is important to have from the very beginning. By following these five tips for how to prepare for an interior design consultation you will set a good foundation for the relationship, and ensure that everyone is on the same page from the get go – helping to save time and money down the track.
1. What would your ideal home look and feel like?
Forget about trends and really listen to your heart for this one. Your home should be your sanctuary. What does this look like to you? If you could create any kind of space you wanted, what would that look like? Would there be loads of colour? What kind of feel do you want your space to have? Do you love to have loads of gorgeous things around or are you more of a minimalist? Dig deep and get to really know what says ‘home’ to you.
2. What are your goals?
Take some time beforehand to think about your goals, and what you are trying to achieve. Are there specific pieces that you need, or items that you have already that you would like to keep and so need to be incorporated into the design process? If you are a young family you might need things to be child friendly and more durable than if you live in a household with other adults.
3. What is your budget?
Taking some time beforehand to do a bit of homework around your budget will be extremely helpful for both you and your designer, and will save lots of time. If you have worked with a designer before you will probably have some idea what to expect. If this is your first time it can help to think about what price range you are looking at for example are you wanting to invest in higher end custom pieces or would you prefer to buy ready made? Doing a little bit of research into the price of items will give you a ballpark figure to discuss, and will help your designer to understand how to achieve the best results for you.
4. How do you use or anticipate using the space?
Having an awareness of how you like to live or how your home could work better for you will give your designer valuable information for how to tackle the design. Your designers job is to make your home function as efficiently as possible so any examples you can have for your ideal lifestyle will be helpful. Being honest in sharing your habits and needs will allow me to create the best workable space for you.
5. Who will be involved in the process, and the decision making?
Ideally everyone who is involved in the decision making process will be at the initial consult. This will help to ensure everyone is on the same page from the very beginning, and get all expectations aligned. There will be a much better opportunity to understand the needs and wants of all parties from the get go, thus ensuring a smoother design process, and saving time and money.
Following these five tips on how to get the most out of your interior design consult will really help you to make sure the designer is a good fit for you and your project. Think of it as the final stage in the interview process. As always trust your gut, this is someone with whom you are going to be allowing into your home, and trusting to
The more information you are able to provide at the initial consult, the smoother the design process will be. If you have any images you like, pictures from magazines or the internet it would be wonderful to have physical copies of these. For new builds or renovations, plans and any information you might have from other professionals that are involved is really helpful. If you are working within an existing space any information about your home such as paint colours, finishes, carpet is super helpful to have, even better if you happen to have samples lying around – many people have a few leftover tiles from their renovation etc. in their garage.
Finally, to get the most out of your time make sure that there are minimal distractions. Ideally book a time when the kids are in school, or any other distractions are not around, to make sure you are able to give your full attention. This will go a long way in helping to make the process to be as fun and inspiring for you as possible.
If you have just started the process of engaging an interior designer and haven’t yet found one here are some tips on how to find the perfect one for you.