Ready to make the jump into hiring someone to help you create your dream home in Orange County? Your space is intensely personal, so choosing the right person to work with needs to be equally so! Here are a few tips on how to hire the right interior designer for you!
Make Sure Your Orange County Interior Designer Matches Your Style!
Before anything, your interior designer has to be able to have the same vision as you. This doesn’t necessarily mean you two have to have the exact same personal style, but it does mean that your designer needs to:
Listen to your ideas, pain points, functional needs, and goals.
Add your personality into their design plans.
Work within your timeline and budget.
Not only have an eye for aesthetics, but also have a technical background and plenty of experience.
Some designers may specialize in only one “signature look”, but here at Viève Interiors, our portfolio spans a wide range of stylistic and aesthetic approaches! From Transitional to Traditional, and Modern to Minimalist, we have experience designing spaces in many different design styles.
2. Get References & Credentials Before Selecting an OC Interior Design Company
Put your Orange County interior designer’s experience to the test! Remember, it is OK to ask your interior designer where they studied design, or how they got their technical training. It is also recommended that you look at pedigree, past reviews, and previous projects, as well as speak with some of their previous clients. While pictures give you an idea of the final product, they don’t show your designer executing the interior design process itself. However, previous clients can provide you with insight into what it is like working with a specific designer! At Viève Interiors, clients and contractors love that we make the process of design easy.
3. How Does the Interior Designer Charge for Services?
It’s not just important to discuss how much a designer may charge, but how they charge as well! Some interior design companies may charge an hourly rate, while others charge a flat fee. If you want a high level of involvement every step of the way, then you may want a flat rate for full-service design, while someone who just needs to replace an item or two or even just a few hours of design consulting might do best with an hourly fee. At Viève Interiors, we offer either flat-fee or hourly design services to accommodate your needs no matter how big or small your project may be.
Payment schedule is also an important thing to consider when looking at your budget. Whether your Orange County designer invoices on a monthly basis, requires an upfront retainer or regular installments, make sure to find what works for you and your plans.
4. How Long Will Your Interior Design Project Take?
Of course, if you could hire the Mary Poppins of interior design in Orange County, and everything would be new at the snap of a finger, we would hire her too!. Unfortunately, the design process doesn’t work that way. The reality is that full home renovations take many months, even a year or more to complete. And, since the COVID pandemic, we are still seeing major delays in the shipment and delivery of materials and merchandise needed to complete your designs.
Make sure to be realistic about the timeline of your project and ask your designer how long it might take. Also keep in mind, everything doesn’t have to be done at once. In fact, many homeowners break their project into phases or by room. If your timeline or budget is limited, consider focusing on the key areas of your home first. Whichever way you decide to go—room-by-room or full remodel—choose an interior designer that will be forthcoming about the timeline.
5. Does Your Interior Designer Have Relationships with Contractors in OC?
An interior designer can’t be successful without great, long-term, relationships with local contractors in Orange County. While the interior designer might be steering the ship, contractors are the engine that get the project to where it needs to go.
A good contractor is worth their weight in gold, and a great interior designer has a solid rolodex of good contractors. After all, what good is the design if it never makes it off paper?
We hope that you have gained a better understanding of what to look for when hiring an interior designer in Orange County! If you have questions, or would like to book a discovery call, call 949-610-7800 or fill out the contact form and we will reach out to you directly!
At Viève Interiors, it is our mission to help homeowners love where they live because happy homes are the most beautiful homes!
