Four Questions to Ask an Interior Designer Before You Hire Them
You might be wondering if hiring a professional interior designer is worth it. After all, you have a good eye for style and enjoy curating spaces that reflect your personal taste. But here’s the thing—designing a truly remarkable space goes far beyond aesthetics. It requires expertise, technical knowledge, and a strategic approach that balances beauty, function, and practicality.
Full-service interior designers offer a comprehensive skill set. They don’t just make a space look great—they ensure it functions seamlessly while prioritizing your health, safety, and comfort. From crafting layouts that optimize flow, harmonize color schemes, and enhance atmosphere to preparing detailed construction documents, designers can also address technical aspects of architectural structures within their designs, plumbing, electrical plans, lighting design, and building code compliance (to name a few).
Even more, designers act as your advocate throughout the process, collaborating with architects, builders and subcontractors to ensure the final outcome of the interior reflects quality and aligns with your vision. By hiring a designer, you’re not just investing in a beautiful and cohesive space—you’re also saving time, reducing stress, and gaining access to the conceptual and budgetary expertise needed to keep your project running smoothly from start to finish.
At its core, good design is about making thoughtful, informed choices—choices that don’t just look great today but stand the test of time. Professional interior designers specialize in creating spaces that blend style, functionality, and sustainability, helping you increase the value of your property while making decisions that save you money in the long run.
One of the key advantages of working with a designer is access to resources and connections. Interior designers have established relationships with trusted tradespeople, custom vendors, and quality manufacturers. Whether it’s sourcing a one-of-a-kind piece from a skilled artisan, commissioning custom cabinetry from a top-tier workroom, or finding sustainable materials that align with your values, designers know where to go and who to call to make your vision a reality.
When you hire a designer, you’re not just hiring someone to make your space look good—you’re hiring an expert problem-solver. Interior designers approach each project with the goal of crafting a timeless design that evolves gracefully with your life while remaining a source of inspiration and comfort. By prioritizing durability, functionality, and timeless beauty, they ensure your space feels intentional and enduring.
This leads us to an essential aspect of hiring an interior designer: the relationship you build together. A successful project depends on clear communication, mutual understanding, and a shared vision. To set the stage for a smooth and rewarding design process, it’s crucial to ask the right questions.
While it’s important to address practical details like costs, payment terms, and timelines, focusing on the deeper aspects of the designer-client relationship can reveal how well you’ll collaborate. Asking thoughtful questions can provide insight into your designer’s process, creative philosophy, and how they tailor their approach to meet your needs.
Here are the key questions to ask and why they matter:
Question #1. What’s Your Design Process? How Much Time Does Each Part of the Process Take?
This question is critical to understand what to expect as you move forward working with an interior designer. Although most designers follow a similar process, it is important to understand how your designer moves from an idea to a completely finished space.
Here’s what you can expect when you work with Arlene Adele Design:
BEFORE YOU’RE A CLIENT:
Step 1: Get in Touch
Fill out our online inquiry form, and we’ll send you an email with a link to our Investment Guide. This will give you a clear overview of our process and pricing so you know what to expect.
Step 2: Discovery Call
Use the link in that same email to schedule your complimentary 20-minute Discovery Call. This is a great opportunity for us to connect and discuss your project goals.
Step 3: Schedule Your In-Home Consultation
After the Discovery Call, we’ll send an email with a link to pay for and schedule your in-home consultation. You’ll also receive:
● A confirmation email with the appointment details and a PDF explaining what to expect.
● A follow-up email after the consultation, letting you know when to expect your personalized proposal and Scope of Service Agreement.
ONCE YOU’RE A CLIENT:
Step 1: Welcome Aboard!
Once you’ve signed the proposal, you’ll officially become a client. We’ll send you our Welcome Guide and a Client Questionnaire to kick things off.
Step 2: Gather the Essentials
We may need additional documentation to get started, such as blueprints or existing floor plans, measurements, inspiration images, or access information. We’ll guide you through what’s needed to keep everything seamless.
Step 3: Stay Connected
We’ll establish clear communication to keep the project moving smoothly. You’ll also have the option to use our client software for approving selections, paying invoices, and tracking orders. If you choose this option, we’ll send you a short tutorial to help you get started!
DESIGN PROCESS OVERVIEW
Programming: Getting to know you and your vision
Begins after you have signed a contract/scope of service agreement. We start by understanding your needs, goals, and project objectives. This includes reviewing your space, existing conditions, floor plans, furniture, and any relevant code requirements. We’ll create a comprehensive program for your project with easy-to-read graphics and documentation to guide the process. Depending on the project size and complexity, the programming phase can last anywhere from 2 weeks to 2 months.
Schematic Design: Sparking creativity
Here’s where the fun begins! We’ll develop preliminary design concepts, including drawings, floor plans, furniture layouts, and color and finish palettes. If consultants are involved, we’ll coordinate with them and align preliminary budgets and plans with code requirements to ensure project feasibility. Again, depending on the projects complexity, 2 weeks to 2 months, with a general range of 2-6 weeks being standard.
Design Development: Bringing the vision to focus
Building on the initial concepts, this phase refines the details—space plans, materials, lighting, and furnishings. We’ll share a detailed presentation with you, complete with design documents like specifications, elevations, and perspective drawings, ensuring everything looks and feels just right. Generally takes 6-8 weeks.
Contract Documents: Laying the groundwork
This is where the design becomes ready to build. We’ll prepare accurate construction drawings, obtain any required permits, and communicate with everyone involved to make sure the approved plans are crystal clear and ready for implementation. Generally takes 2-4 weeks.
Contract Administration: Bringing it all to life
In this final phase, the project comes to life. We oversee construction and installations, issue purchase orders, track materials, and conduct site visits to ensure everything stays on schedule. Once completed, we’ll walk through the space together to ensure it feels perfect. Depending on the project's complexity, the scope of items to procure, and the installation requirements, the timeline can range from a few weeks to several months. For more intricate projects or those with long lead times from manufacturers, the process may take anywhere from 6 months to a year.
Question #2. What will you need from me, and when will you need it?
Understanding your time commitment during the interior design process is essential. Each designer offers unique services with varying levels of client involvement, so it’s important to clarify whether you’ll be more hands-on or hands-off—or if your role will change during different stages of the project.
While you’re entrusting the bulk of the work to your interior designer—that’s the goal, after all—to create an incredible space, your participation is still key. Sharing your needs and vision ensures the designer has everything required to craft a space you’ll love.
At times, you’ll also need to make your home accessible for the designer to take measurements, tradespeople to perform their work, and for the finishing touches to be installed.
Here’s what to expect at Arlene Adele Design in terms of client involvement:
Key Phases of Your Involvement:
1. Onboarding
This is where we dive into your lifestyle, design style, and functional needs. Your input is critical to ensure we fully understand your goals and preferences.
○ Provide any existing blueprints or floor plans for the spaces we’ll be working on.
○ Share as many inspiration photos as possible! Whether it’s a Pinterest board, magazine clippings, or snapshots, these help us hone in on your style and color palette.
2. Design Phase
Towards the end of this stage (which typically takes 4–12 weeks), we’ll schedule a design presentation—either via Zoom or in your home.
○ Love the design? We’ll proceed to the next phase!
○ Want adjustments? You’re entitled to up to two rounds of revisions to refine the design to your satisfaction. Further changes beyond this are billed at an hourly design rate.
3. Ongoing Communication and Approvals
○ Stay updated on progress via email or through our project management software, where you can track milestones, review selections, and approve furniture and fixtures.
○ Be ready to approve orders and provide payment promptly to keep the project on schedule.
By understanding what’s expected of you and when, you’ll help make the process smoother and more enjoyable for everyone involved. Our goal is to create a seamless experience while delivering a space that truly reflects your vision!
Question #3. How Will We Communicate Throughout the Project? How Frequently Will I Hear from You?
Communication is key to a stress-free design experience. You don’t want to feel left wondering, What’s happening with my project? Are they even working on it?
At times, “no news is good news,” especially during quieter phases of the project. However, it’s important to understand the designer’s process and key milestones so you’re confident about what’s happening behind the scenes. This understanding can help ease concerns and ensure you feel informed and involved.
It’s also essential to align communication styles. If you prefer phone calls and texts, but your designer primarily uses email, you may need to adjust expectations—or choose a designer whose style matches yours.
At Arlene Adele Design, we prioritize clear, proactive communication. Here’s how we keep our clients in the loop:
○ Weekly Email Updates: We share regular progress updates so you know exactly where your project stands.
○ Weekly Site Visits: During the construction and installation phase, we visit the site to oversee progress and ensure everything stays on track.
○ Scheduled Milestone Meetings: These meetings allow us to review design stages, discuss feedback, and make key decisions together.
○ Online Project Access: Our clients can access spec books and track progress through our project management platform, making it easy to stay informed anytime.
We’re here to make sure you feel supported and confident every step of the way!
Question #4. What Happens If There Are Issues During the Process — Like Delays or Problems With an Item I Purchased Through You?
No project is completely immune to hiccups, so it’s important to understand how your designer handles challenges. Ask about their approach to resolving issues, the timing for addressing them, and who will manage the situation. Will a designated team member handle the problem, or will your designer personally step in?
While we all hope for a smooth process, knowing how issues will be addressed provides peace of mind. A good designer will proactively assist with solutions and work to keep your project on track.
At Arlene Adele Design, we’re committed to resolving issues efficiently:
○ Streamlined Ordering and Tracking of Purchases: Our software system records the full history of every item—orders, billing, payments and shipping—allowing us to pinpoint and address delays or problems quickly.
○ Quality Control and White Glove Delivery: We work with a receiving warehouse that further streamlines operations by receiving and inspecting shipments, securely storing items, and providing white-glove delivery to project sites. They also collaborate with us to address and resolve any issues with damaged items, ensuring a smooth and reliable process.
○ Proactive Communication: During the contract administration phase, we conduct weekly check-ins with the general contractor to stay ahead of potential roadblocks and keep the project moving smoothly.
A Personal Note from Us:
We hope these questions help you feel more prepared to hire an interior designer. Building a strong, collaborative relationship with our clients is essential to delivering a successful outcome. Working closely with you on your home—your most personal and sacred space—is an honor we take very seriously.
If you’re considering hiring an interior designer and connect with our approach and philosophy, we’d love to hear from you. Start by submitting a Project Inquiry [here], and we’ll be in touch to guide you through the next steps!
