Are you thinking about hiring an interior designer to help with a home renovation? Here are 5 things to ask them before you actually hire one, to make sure your project goes smoothly.

Usually, the first thing I get asked about by potential clients is the price of a project. As much as it's completely legitimate, to help determine if such a service is within their budget - it's not the only question worth asking.

Here are several other things to figure out before hiring an interior designer:

1. STYLE

if you dream of a house designed in a certain style it's good to make sure that the designer you choose is well familiar with it. It might not be that obvious but most designers specialize in a particular style and I highly recommend choosing someone who doesn't 'do it all' - this way you'll make sure that they know the subject and will be able to help you to the smallest detail.

2. DEADLINE

creating a complete interior design project for a house or an apartment requires time

(on average 3 to 6 months but it can get longer), so it's crucial to make sure that the person you choose is able to do the work before you get the keys to the apartment or start the scheduled renovation. There's not always room for 'last minute' projects and getting enough time to do them can save lots of stress.

3. PACKAGE

designers usually bundle their services into so-called packages and again it might not be obvious but those packages differ from one designer to another. It's all about creating a dream interior for you, but the way it's done depends on the designer. Are 3D visualisations important to you? Do you need executive drawings of the lighting and electricity layout? Or perhaps your carpenter requires detailed drawings for the furniture made to measure? Find out if you'll get what's crucial for you.

If you’re curious about what can be in such a package, I recommend reading this post:

What does an interior design project consist of

4. COMMUNICATION

if you require effective and efficient communication with your designer, you should ask about the means they use to stay in touch - will they pick up the phone? Or perhaps they only use email? Would it be ok to call on a Saturday? How often can you expect an update from them? Communication during the design process is very important so it's crucial to set the ground rules from the beginning to avoid any misunderstandings.

5. EXPERIENCE

different types of interiors, be it an attic, post-industrial building, historic tenement, or simply a new construction, etc. - each has its unique characteristics and requires a different approach. It might be important to make sure that the designer you chose has some previous experience in designing the type of interior that interests you.

As you can see the price, important as it is, it's not the only criterium that should be taken into account when choosing an interior designer. I highly recommend asking them and gathering as much information as possible before making the final decision of hiring one. After all, an interior design project is a long process, so it's good to go through it with someone who will actually fulfill all your needs.