When To Hire An Interior Designer For A Renovation Or Custom Build Project

Wondering when to bring in a designer for your home? It's a common question among homeowners. The simple answer? As soon as possible. But let's break it down to understand why and when it's crucial to hire one.

Before figuring out when to hire a designer, it's crucial to know who you're hiring. Your designer should be your advocate, someone passionate about interiors, equipped with technical skills, experience, and excellent communication. They must understand your lifestyle, not just pick pretty things.

When considering hiring a designer, ensure they align with your style and exhibit expertise in the quality you desire for your home. A good designer can adapt to various styles or may have contacts specializing in your preferred style.

Photo: Marten Newhall

Key Considerations When Hiring a Designer:

1. Your Designer Should Advocate for You

   • A great designer acts as your advocate, utilizing their expertise and resources for your project.

   • They should possess both a passion for interiors and the technical know-how to handle detailed work in custom builds or major renovations. This means that your selected designer should have the ability to send you technical drawings for approval (or in work in conjunction the selected architect directly) prior to the remodel, renovation or new build.

   • More than just picking pretty things, a good designer focuses on understanding your lifestyle needs.

2. Finding Your Style in a Designer

   • This is important: While your designer's portfolio needn't match your style perfectly, it should reflect the quality you desire for your home.

   • Designers are trained in various styles, and I always say that a good one will be able to adapt or has connections for specialized styles outside their expertise if necessary.

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Timing Of Hiring An Interior Designer:

1. Working With an Architect

   If you're constructing a custom home, involving a designer alongside the architect is beneficial. They collaborate to ensure the interior plans align with your needs. An interior designer’s specialty is understanding how the occupants/live on a daily basis and being able to translate this is crucial in a home. Ideally, hire a designer at the onset of a project — working with an architect on the initial floor plans has proven very useful in the long run.

   And yes, you can hire a designer after the architect finishes the plans if you only need their input for material/finish selections, furniture, fixtures, and equipment/appliances (sometimes abbreviated as 'FF+E' in contracts, which stands for 'furniture, fixtures, and equipment').

2. Major Renovation - Hire a Designer First

   For significant renovations involving structural changes, hiring an interior designer beforehand is vital. Designers specialize in interior layouts, working alongside architects and structural engineers to ensure design, function, materials, and codes align.

   It's also crucial to engage a design professional well before hiring a Contractor. This is primarily because the contracting team cannot find the appropriate subs, accurately bid or calculate materials without detailed plans that lay out all the necessary components for them to work with.

   Note: Interior designers and decorators have distinct roles — interior designers are specifically trained to craft interior layouts. If you're considering remodeling involving wall removal or relocation, an interior designer can create initial plans tailored to these changes.

Hiring a designer early in both scenarios, whether for a custom build or a major renovation, can save time, prevent costly mistakes, and make the process smoother.

At Studio Henree, we specialize in interior design and interior architecture for custom builds, remodels and renovations. If you're starting a project and need guidance, we're here to help every step of the way.

Photo: Studio Henree