What You Should Know Before You Hire An Interior Designer
Saturday, December 12th, 2009What you should know before you hire an interior designer. . .
Aesthetics, personality and money: these are the three ingredients that either make or break almost any marriage! And yet with a very short courtship – sometimes nothing more than one interview – you’ll be selecting a person who will be your partner in the whole decorating process.
There’s not a harder question in decorating. Particularly when you don’t know yet what you’ll be doing. There are two ways to work out a budget: the first is to decide how much money you’re willing to spend and do as much as you can; the second is to explore what you’d like to do and then decide whether it’s practical in terms of your resources.
Design costs break down between renovating and decorating.
Renovating is the easiest charge to assess when you know what you’ll be doing. That’s because there are certain rule-of-thumb ways to figure out the costs. The costs for construction is generally based on a per-square-foot basis. This cost varies from city-to-city and from job to job. I’ll give you some ideas here but you can’t come back and cry on my shoulder if I’m 100% wrong. I’m not looking at your place, listening to your needs or using your sister-in-law’s contractor.
You could get lucky and have that rarest of all birds – a great super who loves being paid in cash. I used to have a super who was fabulous; and be clear, this isn’t like taking the lowest bid. It’s finding a person who will really cares about your job and will finish it properly. Once you leave this personal realm, you’ll be dealing with professionals who make their living off of you. Be sure to check their credentials, call their references, find out if they’re insured to work in your building.
The average cost for a gut renovation in
In contracting, it’s all a matter of finishes and detailing. Every time you add another level detailing or a more refined finish, you add onto the costs. The $450/sq. ft. cost for one person can be $750 for the same layout, depending on the materials and the level of workmanship required.
When you’re working with an interior designer or architect, they’ll draw up the job and bid it out to three contractors. Contractors do a line bid – i.e., each cost will be a separate line and then you can decide whether you really need mahogany paneling or a painted finish is good enough.
Kitchens and baths are the biggest costs in renovating/decorating. This is because there’s so many man-hours involved in installing baths and kitchens – tile work, electrical, plumbing, carpentry. There is a huge amount of skilled labor that goes into even the smallest bath or kitchen.
Because every job is specific, the follow are guess-timates: think of galley apartment kitchens as starting at $30,000; big kitchens $75,000 - $150,000, depending on the amount of construction and the type of appliances chosen. Small baths start at about $25,000 and master baths start at about $45,000. Obviously, you can get lucky with a contractor and bring the costs down or give yourself the best of appliances and more detailed cabinetry and you’ll see the costs soar.
Decorating is harder to estimate. There’s lots of sales; antiques are less than last year and imported furniture is more. If you’re decorating for the first time and you’re not planning on priceless antiques, it’s very likely the public spaces will be at least $50,000 each. Can it be done for less? You bet! But designers tend to do a more complete job than a lay person might. They aren’t buying sofa with ready-made upholstery. They choose the upholstery, specify the height, depth, type of filling, decorative finishes like tufting. The same with most of the furniture; the paint is custom-mixed, etc.
How do the designers charge?
There are several ways that designers charge – on a percentage, hourly, flat fee.
Percentage is the most common way. This is usually called “cost plus”. The plus is a percentage over wholesale. In NewYork and many major cities, the cost-plus markup is between 30-35%. Some designers charge less and some charge more, which is usually called “retail”. Retail is the list price; this is about a 50% markup over wholesale.
No. If you were to find the same item in a store, it’s usually at 100%. This means if the wholesale is $100 – at a store, you’d pay $200; from a designer, you’d pay $135. However, it’s hard to make comparisons because the designers tend to use different resources.
Hourly can be charged instead of “cost plus” or as an additional charge. The hourly can range anywhere from $75/hr for a younger designers to $500/hr. for world class designers. Sometimes hourly is used in combination with “cost plus”.
Flat Fee is used more often in commercial job. It assumes that one knows the elements of the job in advance and that they will remain steady. In residential, however, budgets and tastes and goals often change over the course of the job. If a flat fee is used, however, there is generally a very closely written contract defining what is to be included.
Retainer is an up-front charge to start the job. The retainer is a charge that is refunded, generally at the end of the job against the last invoice.
Design Fee is a non-refundable charge to start a job. It’s sometimes based on the number of rooms or square footage or the amount of time a designer thinks it will take before he will be able to start purchasing. This covers his up-front office costs and the time for preparing the initial design plan.
How to find the right designer
I don’t really know what I’m looking for in a portfolio.
This is your best chance of getting to know how a designer thinks through a project, how he makes decisions and what his budget priorities are. Forget being delicate when you’re interviewing: this is the time to ask questions. Why did he choose the colors, this particular style, is there enough lighting, are the colors practical for a family, etc. You can also ask about costs. If he’s showing a room you like, ask about the budget.
The first person who bought a Picasso with a third eye got the best buy. Every world-famous designer was young once. Your choice may not be based on money so much as your personality and your ability to take a risk. It’s the difference between buying a blue chip and a small cap. With an experienced designer, you’ll be paying a premium for his experience and the assurance that he knows all the tricks of the trade; with the younger designer, you’ve got the chance to be with a person who can re-invent the wheel.
I met a designer who doesn’t have a portfolio.
One of the few rules in hiring an interior designer is not to even consider hiring someone who doesn’t have a portfolio or work to show you. A designer’s portfolio tells his story if you read it carefully. How does he handle color, lighting? Do you like the window treatments? Does the sofa look comfortable? Do you like the furniture arrangement? The portfolio also gives you the chance to ask questions about money –how much did that room cost? The lighting? No, it’s not gross. This is information that you need to decide whether or not to hire this person.
Designers tend to say that and I tend not to believe them. A designer whose portfolio is contemporary can buy traditional furniture – but there’s a very good chance that his layout will be sparser, the detailing different from that of a traditional designer. There are generally some real differences: contemporary designers like clearer colors, less stuff, stronger lines. Traditional designers tend to be collectors and play more by the rules. If the designer is so sure he can do what you want, then ask him for some indication of what it would be. You shouldn’t have to gamble on his word.
***
What ticks off a designer?
The biggest problems between designers and clients generally start with the fact that it’s such a personal relationship that a client blurs the line between a professional relationship and a friendship. Here are some no-no’s from a designers’ viewpoint:
Calling on a weekend or late evening or early morning. A client finds herself thinking all day Saturday about the floor color and calls a designer at home while he’s sitting down to dinner. It’s hard to discuss someone else’s problem when your steak is getting cold.
Getting caught between a battling couple. The cost of buying and decorating a house often brings out the worst in a couple. It’s expensive and demands that they work together with a third party and rather than listen to each other, they use the designer as an arbitrator. This is both annoying to the designer and it increases the difficulty of finishing the job.
Time guzzling clients. This is a catch-all for clients who are late; who want to lunch rather than discuss their needs over the phone; who think of decorating as their hobby.
Sometimes this means wanting to “see everything” rather than using the designer for what he’s been hired for: to edit and help you focus on the best choices.
Not paying when there’s a problem with the merchandise. There are often problems with deliveries – a chip, a finish that needs to be touched up. These are mistakes by the furniture company and it’s unfair to hold a designer hostage. It’s his job to make sure that the company fix their mistake and withholding payment won’t make this happen faster.
I saw it on Trading Spaces. If you want to see a designer go ballistic, tell him that you want the look that they got for $32 on one of the HGTV shows. What HGTV doesn’t tell you is that each show has a dozen producers, consults with great designers, has top contractors at their beck and call to advise on any situation. I admit it’s uplifting to see their designers and three of their assistants on their hands and knees installing a plumbing line or painting a striped wall. But I wouldn’t plan on duplicating that experience or bringing it up to anyone you’re planning to have a relationship with!
My super says, which is a variation on “my mother thinks” and “my girlfriend doesn’t like it” makes a designer feel as though he’s working for a committee of unseen critics. If you don’t like it, say so. But the designer is the one that you’re hiring; if you want him to listen to your sister-in-law, you’d be better off hiring her.
How long will this take? Along with “how much will it cost?”, this is one of the toughest questions to answer. The general answer is that it will take twice as long as you expect – and that’s because there are so many hold-ups along the way. First is how long it takes the designer to give you his plan and then how long it takes you to OK it and work through the details; secondly, if there’s construction, you have to put it out to bid; third, if you live in a condo or co-op, you must have your plans passed by the board and for certain changes, you’ll need the city’s imprimateur; then it has to get built and decorated. For a kitchen or bath, plan on at least three months; for an entire apartment, six months.
Should I get my own kitchen designer? That’s a mistake. The kitchen is an integral part of the design and should be planned by the designer so the finishes and feeling of the kitchen are seamless with the rest of the place.
After the designer has given me his vision of the decorating, what happens if I find a piece myself? Will I still owe him? That’s always a touchy question, particularly when people travel. Sometimes the designer is explicit in his contract; other times, it’s on a case-by-case basis. There’s a “smell test” here: if you do it once because you tripped over a wonderful piece, that’s usually fine. If everytime the designer says he’s looking for a particular piece and you mobilize to go out looking for it and find something like he described, it’s not fine. And it’s not fair. Because you still want to ask his opinion – and not pay his commission.
What if I find my own contractor? That’s fine if you have someone whose work you trust completely. Generally, a designer bids out the drawings to two or three contractors and you’re welcome to make yours one of the choices – but if you decide to go ahead with the contractor you’ve chosen, then the responsibility is yours if there’s a problem. Designers often work with some of the same contractors over time so it’s easier to get the work people back if you need a touch-up.
When is the right time to bring a designer in to work with the architect? At the beginning. The architect will start the process and then the designer will collaborate on finishes and colors and materials. Your designer will act as a second pair of eyes as you look over the plans. He/she will also do your furniture plan, which will then determine your lighting plan, and help you choose all your colors, finishes and detailing.
In general, the rule is if you’re moving load-bearing walls, you must have an architect. But the rules of co-ops, condos and various city regulations mandates architects and engineers under certain circumstances, such as moving the stairs. If you’re doing a bath or kitchen, you can choose to use a designer or an architect. If you use a designer, you may still need to have it stamped by an architect or hire a contractor who has an architect on staff.
All architects are, by definition, licensed. Some architects also do interior design and decorating. Until recently, it was a matter of semantics as to whether to call an interior designer a decorator or vice verse. Now, in some states, anyone who calls himself an interior designer needs to be licensed. The designer can handle bath and kitchen renovations, supervise electricians and plumbers. They will sometimes need to have this work stamped by an architect as a matter of law. Technically, decorators are responsible for decorating – choosing the fabrics, decorative elements and finishes.
Should I expect an interior designer to tell me what he would do during a first interview? Some designers walk into a room and instantly know what they would do; others like to ponder the options over a drawing. You can’t expect someone to give you all the answers that you’ll be paying for over time; but generally, they’ll make suggestions; or the direction of their questions will indicate their thought process.
There’s a number of ways that can all be good sources for you. The Internet is at your fingertips: just type in the city or area and the word “interior designer” and many options will come up. There are many, many excellent decorating books. You could plant yourself in the aisle or at the coffee shop in Barnes & Noble and go through their decorating books. And, of course, there are any number of excellent design magazines.
The problem often isn’t that there are too few designers to consider but there are too many and it’s hard to know who would be best for your particular requirements. That’s where Designer Previews comes in: our mission is to help you sort through the options and create a short-list of designers who will be on-target for your budget, taste and personality.
