Over my many years of design I have been asked many questions. One in particular always pops up. How to hire an Interior Designer and what you should know.

See to it that you use the 5 questions in this article as a guide.

– Are you looking to hire a designer because you feel you lack the experience when it comes to decorating or designing?

– Have you made home purchases but they are still in the closet or garage because you don't know what to do with them or where to put anything?

– Are you at odds with a spouse or roommate when it comes to decision making for the design project at hand?

– Are you at odds with a spouse, roommate or someone else when it comes to the way you want to decorate?

– Are you not exactly sure of what your personal design is or even what type of design would favor the interior space in question?

Your answers to the questions will help you determine if you should take on the assistance of an Interior Designer. The services of a designer will help you immensely.

One of the biggest reasons to hiring the consultation services of a Designer is that they have the expertise to turn your vision of comfort and beauty into a living reality. This could mean buying the wrong furniture or choosing the wrong paint colors. Mistakes can be costly! Interior Designers are experts in their field just like plumbers or electricians. Each has a particular set of trade skills they have learned through education and experience.

Of course not all Interior Designers are alike each one is uniquely qualified in my opinion, but if you ask five Designers to design an interior space, you will get five different design concepts.

So how do you hire the right Interior Designer? First ask friends or family. Word of mouth is great advertising for any Designer. Perhaps a co-worker has had good experience with a Designer.

A good characteristic to look for in a Designer is confidence in his or her abilities. Also a Designer should respect YOU as a Client and listen to your desires and needs for your design project.

As a part of their consultation, they can provide you with an array of services that will bring your project alive. These services may include: space planning, color concepts, furniture selection and a number of key elements you need to harmoniously come together to accomplish your objectives.

State clearly your likes and dislikes, your ideas and your desires to your Designer so that he or she can design exactly what you want. Even if you are unsure about your personal design style, an Interior Designer's expertise will know how to put it all together for you.

It is not so important as to how long the Designer has been in practice, rather that he or she is on the "same page" as you.

Your Designer should connect with you. This "synergy" should exist between Designer and Client. Personalities do matter.

Interior Designers work with a great team of professionals and special vendors that can get the job done right. The consumer does not have this in-depth, privy information that makes the Designer even more valuable.

Referrals may or may not be given by your Designer simply because past Clients are not willing to give out private information about them. General questions may be acceptable like what kind of projects were completed and was the client satisfied with the results.

Interior Designers work with many budgets and at many different price ranges. They usually charge by the hour and at prices as low as $50 dollars an hour to $300 dollars an hour.