The Interior Design Process Explained - What To Expect When Hiring An Interior Designer

Hello and a warm welcome, I'm Kayla and I design lovely living spaces for lovely people.

So, let's dive into today's video all about

The Interior Design Process Explained

So, the very first thing that you do whenever you have found an interior designer that you're thinking of hiring is, you want to schedule a free consultation, a meet and greet with them. If an interior designer does not have a way for you to connect with them or if they require you to pay them just for you to talk to them about your project, I would encourage you to look elsewhere.
I have a little button on my website where you can book a free virtual meet and greet with me and that virtual meet and greet is totally free.
So, that's the first step that you do in an interior design project is

1) Schedule a free virtual meet and greet with the interior designer so that you two can discuss your project and see if you're a good fit for each other.

If the virtual meet and greet goes well, the interior designer feels like they could do a great job with your project, like they're the right designer for you, and most importantly, you feel like they're the best designer for your project, then it is time to

2) Sign the agreement

So, your interior designer will send you over an agreement. I have another video all about that agreement if you wonder what that agreement entails. You've already discussed all of this with your interior designer in your free consultation, but the agreement tells you:

• what the costs are

• who buys the furniture

• how long things take

• what the proper way to communicate with your interior designer is

  So that you don't have to worry and wonder, there's that document, that agreement, that always keeps you safe, that keeps your designer safe, when it comes to engaging in a project where there's a reasonable financial investment. This agreement is absolutely helpful to both of you.

  So, once you've signed that agreement, then your interior designer can move on with your project. You've already discussed during free consultation with your interior designer what their schedule looks like and when they would be starting your project. So, once you've signed the agreement ( whenever you sign the agreement you pay whatever it is that you've agreed to pay) then,

  3) the designer starts your project on the date that they've told you that they are available to start your project

  I always like to stagger my projects so that there's always a little bit of room in the calendar so that I'm not starting anybody's project super far into the future, if possible. Of course, that's something that you can talk with your interior designer about in your virtual meet and greet is how far out their schedule is and if their timeline is okay with you. Those are all things that can be discussed in the meet and greet and taken care of within the agreement.

  So, by the time that you've paid the design fee and signed the agreement, your interior designer starts your project. That is when the interior designer will go back and look at that questionnaire that you filled out whenever you did your virtual meet and greet and all the notes that they have from their conversation with you.

  By this time time

  4) Measurements and photos

  of your space will also be completed if that's not been completed yet. If someone has not been sent to your home, your space, as agreed upon with your interior designer, to measure those spaces and take the photos of the space so that your interior design can be completed properly, then that will be taken care of at this time.

  Then, the interior designer will do the very exciting part

  5) Design your space!

  This usually takes about a week or two once you know once your interior designer has the photos and the the measurements and they've discussed with you what you want for your project, it takes about a week or two to design the space with all the pieces that make it wonderful and design it in a way that you love.

  The first part of the design phase is:

  5a) you're going to get a concept board

  This won't be your full space designed. You'll see some furniture pieces, you'll see some little decor pieces, you’ll see some of the key pieces that we're thinking. If that looks great to you, then we go ahead with the

  5b) photorealistic design phase

  and that's when it gets really exciting and you get to see a 3D photo of what your designed space looks like with the whole design in it. Now, you get to see the whole big design that you can approve or ask for some changes on. You and your designer will work together to get it right just like you like. Whenever your interior designer sends you a design, you will see the budget right along with it. You and your interior designer have already discussed your budget and your interior designer knows what range to stay in so whenever they send you a design they say this is what it will cost and you can

  5c) approve the design and the budget all at the same time

  If you're getting an E-design project done, this is where the journey with your interior designer ends and she gives you the buy list for your pieces. Then, you go on to purchase your furniture and all your decor at your own leisure and comfort. If this is a full interior design where the interior designer is responsible for bringing this design to life in your space, then this is the moment when you would

  5d) pay the interior designer for the room

  So whatever that budget was that you approved with your design -it’s time to send that to the designer so they can begin

  6) purchasing everything for you

  Your designer takes care of this entire process. They purchase all the pieces and all the decor and coordinate it getting to your house the right day and getting white glove delivery the right day. White Glove delivery is not normal shipping and delivery. It is a very meticulous type of delivery that ensures that your investment makes it to your home safely without any damages and is in your space where you want it and it looks wonderful just like it's supposed to, that's what white glove delivery is. So, the interior designer will coordinate all of that now. If your project has construction, then from the beginning you'll be working with a contractor. Your interior designer legally cannot be responsible for contractor work (construction work) so if there is construction involved, you'll need to keep your interior designer and your contractor in the loop together so that they're doing things that don't mess each other up.

So at this point, you've:

• approved the design

• you've given your interior designer the payment for the whole space

• your interior designer is taking care of getting all of these pieces purchased and white glove delivered to you on the appropriate day

• your interior designer is also coordinating the installation date with you
  
  Sometimes the installation date cannot be done on all in one day, but your interior designer will do their best to get that achieved for you and to make sure that your space is installed as quickly as possible. Your interior designer often will not schedule that installation date with you until all furniture has been received and inspected, but can give you a generalized and hopeful installation date that will become the installation date as long as all the furniture comes and is inspected and everything is good. If anything's not good, that's between the interior designer and the supplier and the interior designer will take care of everything. Of course, the interior designer is using wonderful suppliers who always accommodate anything that might happen and because these supplies are wonderful, things almost never happen, but if they do, the suppliers are more than happy to take care of them.

Once all the furniture and decor has been purchased, white glove delivery has been arranged, and the installation day is scheduled, now it's

7) Installation day

Just so you know, once you pay the interior designer for the space, there should be no more payments. You pay them once for the design when they start, you pay them once for the furnishings, and that’s it. There should not be any nickeling and diming or anything like that.

When installation date comes, we ask that all people and pets are not in the home simply for safety reasons. See this as like a little mini vacation and take your family and go have a fun day together or a fun few days depending on how long it takes. All of that will have already been coordinated with you so while you are having this awesome little mini-vacation with your family, your interior designer is taking care of the installation and making sure that everything is working properly. If any contractors are required for this day to install lights or anything like that, your interior designer has already coordinated that with you and everything's already taken care of and you should be paying these contractor separately from your interior designer. Your interior designer will not be charging the contractor and then charging you.

So you're having your mini-vacation, everything is getting installed, and your interior designer is probably having a photographer come and take pictures hopefully on installation day, everything is there and wonderful pictures can be taken.
And, if not then, your interior designer will schedule that to happen when the last piece has arrived and that would only be - you know sometimes there's like a piece or two that gets pushed behind it's it doesn't happen often but every now and then it'll happen and so you would just go ahead and install everything and then just when that one piece or two got there you would do the photos. So the interior designer will decide - should the photographer be here on installation day or when that one piece gets here so but most cases on installation day there's a photographer that comes and takes a takes pictures of everything and your interior designer might gift you with with a book of those photos.
So then the space is yours, it's all fixed up, it's all ready, and it's all perfect exactly like you saw it in your design and

8) you and your family are now free to enjoy it and love living in it

That is the entire design entire interior design process explained. So, if you have any questions please leave them for me in the comments below. If you're looking for an interior designer in Seattle or Bellevue, Washington and would like to see if I'm the right interior designer for you I encourage you to schedule a free consultation through the form below. I sincerely wish you all the best in your journey of creating your lovely living spaces. See you next time.