Seven reasons NOT to hire an interior designer

While I know this may seem counter intuitive, coming from an interior designer who loves what they do (and knows all the powerful benefits interior design provides), however in my years of working in this industry I have found that hiring an interior designer is not always the right choice for every client.

I am going to share seven reasons why interior design services may not be right for you.

Reason 1: A Tight Budget

REASON 1: A Tight Budget

Interior Design Services are inherently a luxury service. Just like there are many car options from affordable used cars to the famous Rolls-Royce, interior design services do not have to be the Rolls-Royce option, but they certainly are not intended to serve those shopping for a bargain.

While there are many price points for furnishing and decorating/designing a home or commercial space, hiring an interior designer adds to those costs substantially. You are paying premium prices for their time, expertise, and hard earned experience. This is not to say you cannot create a budget beforehand of what you would like to aim for, this is very helpful in directing the project and keeping the parameters in place. For example you can google couches and find prices ranging from $200-to $20,000. Setting a budget will help your designer know where to aim and what options to present that will maximize your funds while delivering a quality item.

However if your main goal is “to save money” you are better off reallocating the money you would spend on the designer towards your project. Designers have learned through years of experience and education that “finding a better price” is ultimately going to lead to time wasted and products/services the designer cannot stand behind.

Reason 2: You want to shop for your own items

REASON 2: You love shopping

This may be confusing for some, you may think “well isn’t shopping for furniture, tile, lamps etc. part of working with an interior designer?” and the answer in short is no.

Your designer generally spends hours curating a very specific holistic concept for your specific space and design requests. For example you initially told your designer “I want a minimalist clean modern space with neutral colors and no yellow”. As soon as your designer hears this the wheels are turning and they may immediately know of the exact perfect core items for your space. Often times there is no need for “shopping" or selecting because your designers wealth of knowledge can zero in and pinpoint the few excellent options for your space, scheme and price range.

If you go shopping and find a console table and purchase it without the designers knowledge, you may as well have just paid them for nothing, this is basically stepping on their toes, creating redundancy and wasting their time. At Candice Kirby Designs we ask in the initial consult what items are staying in the space or what items do you have that you will keep. We do this for several reasons but one of them being we are going to have to integrate and work in these specific pieces and make sure the space planning and vision for the space are cohesive.

I like to use the analogy of a restaurant. Your waiter comes up to you and asks for your order. You say “Cobb salad hold the tomatoes”. The waiter leaves and brings your order to the chef. Now imagine you get up from the table walk back into the kitchen and start chopping vegetables and throwing them into the salad the chef is preparing. First how can the chef do his job with the guest interfering with the recipe? Second why did you go to a restaurant if you want to stand in a kitchen and cook? I have heard the reply “well I want to make sure there are no tomatoes”. This shows the guest is unable to trust the chefs process and needs to involve themselves. We will address the issue of trust next, but do you see how this scenario is set up for failure? Allowing your chef aka designer to work their magic and present to you a beautiful “dish” is what you hired them for and shopping yourself is defeating the purpose of hiring them.

So if you love to hand select every item and love strolling through stores in your free time, then I would strongly recommend not hiring an interior designer.

Reason 3: You lack trust

REASON 3: You have a hard time trusting.

While no one likes to be labeled a control freak, its important to have some self awareness when it comes to our ability to trust that the people we have hired to execute a job, will perform to our expectations. If you often find yourself double checking others work, questioning their use of time, or feeling upset and disappointed that those you hire are not living up to your ideals then you will likely feel the exact same way with an interior designer.

Interior design services inherently require a great deal of trust and surrender (especially here in Hawaii where things tend to move at a different pace than the rest of the states). You are investing a lot of money and we completely understand that this can be a scary process. There will also be points in the process where things may not go according to plans, trades people no show, items arrive broken, delays in furniture delivery can all test your patience and its easy to point fingers when frustrated. While the designer can help mitigate these issues there will never be a perfect seamless project so tempering your expectations and trusting that it will all eventually be resolved in due time is part of the process.

If you need extra assurances ask for references from the designer prior to hiring them. You can also read the designers reviews across various platforms to ensure they have a reputation you feel comfortable with. Also talk to others in the community such as your neighbors, realtor or contractor and ask whom they recommend and trust.

If you are struggling to understand your designers vision or how the space will look in the end, ask your designer for a 3D rendering so you can virtually walk through the space. You can also ask for fabric samples, paint samples, or a “sit test” on furniture pieces if you are unsure you will like the products the designer is suggesting. Most designers really want their client to be thrilled and love their space at completion so its more than reasonable to ask for these items prior to making a final decision.

Trusting that the designer really is working in your interest is crucial to a successful project, so make sure you can let go of the reins and allow your chosen designer to do what you hired them for.

Reason 4; Decision paralysis

REASON 4: You suffer from decision paralysis

One of the main things most people underestimate in working with a designer is the amount of decisions they will have to make. While the designer will distill and refine the options they present to you, there will still be many many choices to make in throughout the design process.

Most designers will present to the client 2-3 choices for each selection such as a side chair. Now if you see these options and immediately dislike them, that is one thing (likely a breakdown in communication regarding your style or desires for how the room will ultimately look and feel) but ideally you should be able to quickly select which one you like best.

However if you think there are “better” options out there (and that your designer just missed them) and send your designer back on the hunt repeatedly, then you will very likely be disappointed with the design process. As mentioned in the shopping section your designer has likely spent hours finding the perfect side chair for your design aesthetic, budget, and space. FOMO (Fear of missing out) in furniture and finish selection can bring your project to a grinding halt and is often a fruitless endeavor wasting time. We have had clients request numerous additional selections only to end up selecting the very first recommendation given by the design team, and in the process their indecision wasted weeks of time and hours of labor.

It is also important to pace yourself and not get hung up on every little choice. For example in ground up construction the decisions you will make will be in the hundreds to thousands. From which direction the home will be placed on the lot to what color the door hinges will be, all these decisions add up. But not ever decisions is a make or break (such as what light bulbs will go in your chandelier, since this can easily be changed later) so saving your energy for the crucial decisions is important.

Making decisions in a timely manner and responding to your designer, contractor or architect is crucial to keeping the project on track so if you have a hard time making decisions then working with a designer may not be a great fit.

Reason 5: You have no time

REASON 5: You have no time.

While this may seem like a great reason TO hire an interior designer it is actually quite the opposite. Designing a space (even a small one such as a bathroom) will take time and attention. Even though the design team you hire can make the process easier and eliminate: shopping, sourcing, ordering, scheduling, excess decision making and keep the project on track,. You will still need to make time to address things as they come up.

For example an item selected weeks ago is now out of stock/backordered and a new replacement item must be approved and ordered ASAP to keep the project on track. Your designer will need to hear back from you in a timely manner (sometimes within hours) especially when dealing with trades, and other issues that can arise during the course of the project. Making time to prioritize your project can be a challenge especially if your career is demanding and/or you are the sole decision maker.

Design projects often require several meetings initially and then updates with feedback over the course of the project. If these meetings do not happen or communications from your designer are not answered, your project could stall and timelines can drag on. If a painter, plumber, or electrician does not hear back on a decision they will often leave your job and work on another project in the meantime to stay busy, so quick response and urgency is often required during the course of your project especially if it is beyond just furniture and linen selections.

Reason 6: Unrealistic Timelines

REASON 6: Urgent Deadlines

Short, urgent, quick, speedy…whatever you want to call it, is not realistic when approaching hiring an interior designer. The interior design process takes time, especially in Hawaii. Designers often bemoan HGTV and shows like Extreme Home Makeover due to their highly unrealistic nature. Issues arise when clients think “how hard could it be furnishing this room?” Interior designers don’t just pop over to the local furniture showroom, walk around picking things out and then schedule the delivery for the next day, because if they did you would not need their services!

For a frame of reference most furniture stores in Kailua Kona quote a six month lead time on furniture ordered. While design firms have connections and may have some vendors who offer quicker lead times, you are still getting large scale items shipped over the pacific ocean in one piece. Add to that the furniture delivery services are often booked 6-8 weeks out and you are looking at a minimum of 7-8 months just for furniture.

When considering a remodel project where walls are moved/removed, painting, drywall, flooring etc the design team is often beholden to the timeframes of the reputable trades which can also be weeks to months out. Trying to find a skilled trades person who is available quicker is usually a recipe for disaster. The reason they are available to complete work so soon is usually one you will learn the hard way.

So if you want things done urgently an interior designer is likely not going to be able to deliver to a hard and fast deadline.

Reason 7: You have free time

REASON 7: You have excess free time

Now I know what you are thinking, reason five was needing to have time to dedicate to the project and now we are saying you should be busy? Yes I get how this can be confusing so let me explain.

One of the primary purposes design services provide is taking the responsibility of the project off the clients plate. Design teams complete tasks such as finding the perfect wall sconce, that looks great with your vision for the space, are in stock and will actually ship to Hawaii. Now while there are many things that only an interior designer can do, a large portion of what a design firm does is tedious and time consuming. Most interior designers hourly rate is between $75 (in some states)-$300 an hour. Even when paying a flat rate design fee, interior design fees add up. I have found over the years in this industry, that clients with time on their hands often want to be more involved in the design process. This ties back into the section about shopping and trust, when the client is intervening in the process they are really wasting their money in hiring a designer.

So if you don’t mind waiting 4 hours for the plumber to show up, enjoy making phone calls and emails, tracking and returning packages then hiring a designer will likely feel like a poor investment. We often tell our clients we are here so that you can be out playing golf or at the spa, enjoy your free time and we will take care of the project for you. But if you idea of a good time is texting your painter asking why they have not shown up for the past 3 days then save your money and don’t hire a designer.

Thanks for reading this months blog and I hope you found the information helpful in deciding if an interior designer is right for you. If after reading you still feel like interior design services are right for you feel free to give us a call or email to schedule your initial consultation.