Interior designer cost

[dancingqueen345]

Has anyone used an interior designer and can give me an idea of cost? Presume it's done on a day rate basis. Not looking for someone to 'project manage'.

I think you could get some advice or an hourly basis or get a room design for a fee of a few hundred. Some designers will have the info on their website. If it's a more high-end, established designer, they might only do bigger projects as 'room for a few hundred' works out as peanuts when you consider the time involved.

Why do you want one? If it's to pick a colour palette you could send info to Farrow & Ball about direction room faces, where light comes in & what time of day you'll use it most. I did this the other day via Facebook message & was impressed with their response & suggested colours. You can pay to get a colour consultant out to your home too.

If otoh, it's for awkward space design, you could use someone-maybe even an architect for advice.

IMO I don't think the money spent would be worth it for me, but if you've no idea about colours, fabrics etc then maybe. Also, you could watch some of those home makeover shows for inspiration

I used someone to come in and help me layout a difficult space. They had loads of good ideas and put me in touch with quite a few companies and suppliers I wasn't familiar with. It made me really think about the room on a different way. It was £250

But did the £250 actually make you do any of their suggestions or just made you think more, and end up confusing you further...

Kingdoz, Just like accountants are better at accounting, bakers better at baking so are interior designers better at designing than a lay person. It's not just about things looking stylish and getting 'the feel' right. It's about making spaces work. A designer can make sure your property works for you: you're able to entertain the numbers you want, the storage is appropriate and convenient, spaces flow, natural light is made good use of, the materials are appropriate for your lifestyle (e.g. children) etc. They'll be up to date with technology and new building regs and solutions.
So getting a professional involved is a great way of avoiding rookie errors and taking a property to a new level.

I want one because when I've asked on here previously about help with my lack of 'style' I've been referred to Pinterest, but it's not helped at all.

Take kitchens, I love white and wood country style, but I also love handleless graphite. As I love them both, I wouldn't mind having either, but one might work better with the room/other rooms but I can't see that!

£250 a room sounds okay- much less that a big mistake would cost me!

Thanks all for your replies

£35 an hour. Mine has saved me a fortune in expensive mistakes I may otherwise have made!

Sounds like good value in the grand scheme of things but only if you knos someone local or have a recommendation. I agree, even buying a slightly wrong coloured sofa or deciding to get curtains that end up looking odd in the room can prove far more expensive without a designer first. The main issue I see here is that we could all do with an interior designer, even if we 'liked' some pins and what not, but internet searches for help always seem to bring you back to Houzz, and these designers seem already established and as such will never work with smaller budgets and to be fair, why should they once they are sought after enough, plenty of cash available on the super lux properties in the big cities. The main issue is not if a designer can help us, but if one can be found that will bring value to a regular persons home. Yes, someone at £250 for a room or £35 an hour would be amazing and most probabaly give you good returns and I would hire one in a shot to help me. Even if it is just to stop me making 1 expensive mistake. However, if they are half as good as the now 'famous' designers, that sort of person seems near impossible to find (at least here in North London). Tell me, at these rates above, how on earth can you find or choose someone? All I found (at least in the past from my experience) are either designers that work for one specific company, or pricey designers on Houzz who only wish to redo your whole house and make their money out of kickbacks on overpriced expensive lighting, flooring or furniture and accessories that that average person couldn't afford anyway or may have buyers remorse after the initial high. I wish it was that simple and clear cut to find a good hourly or room designer, but I have lost trust in the past from commission based designers.

Kingdoz as someone who soon hopes to study Interior Design, that;s really interesting to hear. As I would hope to tackle exactly that apparent gap in the market you describe, and offer various packages from say, basic room re-design help/say 3 different mood board's- various price ranges but all fundamentally with furniture/accessories that will fit into a specific budget as set by client.

I adore Interiors, read every single mag each month and have done for decades, most of my family are involved in design/interiors in some form and I hope to finally take a course that would give me the kudos/set skills to hopefully branch out and go into it. A lot of friends ask me for advice with room re-designs/colours/furniture as they like the way I've styled current and past houses.
We made a pretty mad profit on our past house and even the estate agent said a large part was the buyers falling for the styling, which made me very pleased!

Search on Google for interior designers in your area rather than houzz.

35 ph sounds dirt cheap. Can't think how a professional person can make a living at that considering travel time between appointments, time to email clients and run the business, set up as studio with samples etc. But I've seen people changing £80 ph in London.

No, if someone Oates me £35 an hour I would imagine they are very inexperienced or rubbish. Interestingly, There are new types of interior designer services popping up too, one of which looks interesing like homewings.co.uk/ that match you with someone online. Now someone working from home could afford lower rates. Problem is pictures don't really show true spacing, lighting, textures, rest of home, exact colours. I guess it's ok for product finding but I would never rely on that sort of service to choose carpet or paint colours for instance which are the initial and most basic needs for interior design.

@Scattymere how much do you charge??

I did actually think about contacting local students to see if anyone would be interested for a bit of experience (would pay them still).

Well mine is brilliant for £35 per hour we've done the whole house and she has gone on to do work for 3 if my friends. I think she gets commissions on some things as well. But you're right it's a £65k salary so not megabucks.

KINGDOZ it didn't confuse me at all, it really helped me clarify my thoughts and gave me a basis to start to source what I wanted.

2014newme, 65k would ok for a freelancer working from home. I double they get half that as half the time isn't chargeable probably and you're unlikely to work 100% capacity all year round.

Scatty-do you plan to do home visits for all your assessments? I'd be delighted to pay £35/hr for a few hours if someone was going to give me some useful info that Id not already thought of. I recently employed a garden designer for a consultation & design which under under £500 & well worth it. Didn't go with all his plans but he had a few great ideas that I was blind to before but I've used & have made all the difference.

Problem is, I'm a very normal & quite frugal person & like pp, don't want to waste money on mistakes so would rather pay at the outset for good advice but can't afford the £££ accessories etc that I imagine most designers would recommend. I'm after a colour palette & textures, positioning etc so a basic package rather than a fully decorated room is what I'd like. I imagine other people are like me & would be too intimidated to seek prices but I would love a basic hours rate, even remotely, via Skype etc. I'm in Northern Ireland so v difficult to find anyone let alone select a best person to actually come out to my home. Especially if I perhaps know enough already that I wouldn't find out anything new.

@Kingdoz I have found the same problem as you.. Also London..

While I can find interior designers on google or on local Facebook pages, it's hard to know who has just done their own house up nicely and who is really worth talking to. Then of course, you've got the high end which is beyond my budget..

No-one gives recommendations because of course they did it themselves ;)

Also interesting how many of them are using stock photos rather than places they've worked on, which is naughty!

Stock photos?!! That's shocking, I'd strike them off the list for a start!

I noticed stock photos too. Easily checked though, just use ctrlq.org/google/images/

It's really bad if they aren't up front about the photos not being of their projects. However, I think it's a useful tool to demonstrate a range of styles the designer is comfortable in working with. Especially if their own portfolio is small. Everyone needs to start somewhere.

@JoJoSM2 - I have seen designers use stock images in a "mood board" or "inspiration" section and I am fine with that. In fact I like it. Just not if there is ambiguity on origin in a portfolio section.

I used an online designer. The package was £150.
I received a presentation as output with lots of shopping links.
I'm working through the suggestions starting with buying paint samples 😄

@BrassicaBabe which website have you used?

Are the shopping links appropriate to whatever budget you set?