How To Choose An Interior Designer

There was a time when only the very wealthy hired the services of an Interior Designer to design their mansions. Fortunately, today that has changed. Some people are still cautious about using a designer because they think the designer can and does prevent clients from making costly mistakes. Most designers today work on "real" homes, where "real" people live, working on "real" budgets. Another typecast is that the designer will come into your home and tell you everything has to go and you must follow every word that he/she says. This approach created many beautiful homes that may have only imitated of the designers taste and not the clients. This has changed as well. Today designers are trained to listen to the client's wishes and needs. Most people use the terms "Interior Designer" and "Decorator" interchangeably, but there are some variations. There are very good and accomplished individuals in each category. Both create beautiful rooms. Interior Designers, however, usually have a wider range of knowledge and expertise. Determine your needs, and consider the following:

1. Interior Designer - is a person who has been trained to create beautiful space; assess use, function, and safety of the spaces; develop designs and prepare drawings using their distinct expert knowledge of design, furniture, materials, equipment, fixtures, and construction; and hire and supervise sub-contractors.
2. Interior Decorator - is a person who has a "knack" for decorating, sometimes trained, sometimes untrained- but in the business for many years.

The identification process is important in order to find the right designer for you. Depending on the size of your project, this person could be in your life and your home for a very long time. The best encounter will occur when there is mutual trust, admiration of each other and a clear and direct communication between the parties.