Wherever you are in your process of kitchen remodeling, you should be fully engaged with your interior designer. Hiring an interior designer is key to the success of your project running smooth and achieving your desired end result. We've pulled together 2 of the most important questions you should ask while looking for a professional interior designer to help you with kitchen remodeling.
1. How do you charge for your services?
In the world of interior design there are two ways an interior designer may charge for their services: A flat rate or an hourly rate. For both types of fees, the types of services can range from the design process to the construction process. One vital service that an interior designer brings to your kitchen remodeling project is a specification binder. This is the sum of all your design decisions in one place. The client gets a copy and the general contractor gets a copy. This a helpful communication tool to make sure the client’s original vision is seen through to the end.
Flat Rate
This type of fee is based on the square footage of your home and is calculated with how many components will be included. This can range from a new construction project to a full home remodel. Typically this type of fee structure is used with a larger project. Smaller projects need more flexibility so they will fall into the hourly fee structure.
Hourly
An hourly rate allows you to get the advice you want based on the needs of your project. It has been our experience that a lot of kitchen remodeling projects end up spilling over into the adjoining rooms. This is the nature of updating a home. When you bring one space up to date it naturally shows the flaws of the rooms connected to it. Since most interior designers charge by the hour, it gives you the advantage of making simple updates to these other rooms while you are working on the kitchen remodeling project. Having an interior designer help you with cohesion of these spaces will leave you with a much more successful kitchen project. An hourly fee for an interior designer’s services can range from $95 to $125 or more per hour. An experienced interior designer is going to have an abundance of resources and knowledge she can bring to your kitchen remodeling project and will typically be on the higher end of the scale. The knowledge and expertise that comes with this fee carries through to a lifetime of joy in results.
2. What is your process for design?
Each interior designer has a process of design they take their clients through to achieve your goals for the project. Our design process is setup as follows:
- Initial meeting - the initial time in your home is used to allow the interior designer to get to know you and determine your vision for your kitchen remodeling project, while you get to see if she will be a good fit. During this time she will take photos of the project, take measurements and see how you live and use in your space.
- Space Planning Layout - this meeting is usually done at the interior designer’s office or showroom. Here she looks at the plans the interior designer has put together for your kitchen remodeling project.
- Finishes - Through a series of meetings she will research and determine which finishes are right for each part of the project.
- Ordering Products - After we have configured the space and selected all the finishes she will order the products and start planning for the construction phase.
Hopefully through this post you have been able to take a peak behind the curtain of hiring an interior designer for your kitchen remodeling project. These are two of the most asked questions from our clients and we hope they have brought you a little more clarity. To dig a little deeper, connect with one of our interior designers. Or you can learn more by getting some tips from our Principal Designer below.
