Interior designer anyone ?

[nokissymum]

have you used an interior desinger before for your home ? Was it worth it and can you recommend one ? Thank you

Bump.

Yes I have and it was definitely worth it, but I live overseas and here (in South Africa) the market is very different.

I have subsequently done an ID course. I was shocked at low level of people training to do it. No idea how to run a job or manage a budget.

Main question is: What do you need doing?

I used an interior designer and I am on the fence about it. I would have liked her to have done all the homework for me instead of going shopping together...its a lot of wasted time that you are getting charged for.I would suggest to go to www.houzz.com, figure out the look you want, cutouts from magazines and so forth and create your "Look" wish list. then give it to them and let them bring it all together for you and you are done.

If you are redoing kitchen and bathroom..Ikea has a great bang for your money-cabinets have a 25 year warranty, but anyways is so cheap that is like a disposable item.

We did because we were rich at the time and had w very weird and quite limited space to convert, and we wanted to be sure we were using it the very best way we could. Make sure you look at lots of things they've done before and you really, really like what they do. And be ready to stand up for things you want- we had to be very firm with ours on occasion- he was brilliant, but had a thing about orange and green together!

He also didn't have children, and had to be reminded thqtnhe had to design around them to some extent.

Thank you very much for those added tips! Especially about managing my time, i'm not a "girls going shopping together" kind of gal iykwim, so its really useful to do a plan ahead i suppose and just present him/her with it.

Seeker thanks for highlighting the potential for interior designers to get carried away ala llwelyn bowen stlye! I"m the sort to just get quietly frustrated but i"ll certainly be on guard now.

Can either of you recommend anyone ? There are 2 mners who ive already made contact with, one completely out of area leaving one, so id like to find some more, i found one lady on the internet whose website looked really good, but when i spoke with her she sounded "dead posh" and drawled "yes dahlink,,,,yes of cooourrse we do zat" very evasive about what she charged, i got the feeling i did not match the profile of her usual clientele

We used him but this was 10 years ago before he got a bit famous and, I assume, bumped his prices up!

I hate doing this, but there are pictures on my profile. Please imagine it now coverednby a layer of animal hair and general crap.I look at the pictures every now and again to torture myself.

Seeker, ive filled in an online form to him for "consultancy", there arent really any photos of his work, and the ones there are sooo tiny, but he seems really high profile like you said and has done some interesting domestic projects that sound s imilar to what we want, so we'll see.

Looked at your pics, love that boat house ! And horse

I used an interior designer when I had more money than sense. End result was lovely but the process was more painful than I expected.

Her project management and time management was shocking. And she tried to charge for expenses she hadn't incurred and time we hadn't agreed.

On the plus side she had great contacts. All the suppliers she used were excellent and did high quality work. They all found her a nightmare to work with though.

On balance I wouldn't do it again but I don't have the disposable cash I had then and I have more confidence in my own taste having decorated/updated more houses since then.

thanks great website!

I would be inclined to use the Laura Ashley or John Lewis interior design service, as they go beyond their own products and you avoid some of the mad bumping up of prices that goes on with independent people.

However there is a design firm in Cambridge that's pretty good who have done some things for us. I was quite pleased.

Home Affairs

You need to make sure the Interior Designers you use are qualified- properly qualified with degrees in Interior Design and membership of the MCSD or BIID. That way you will be sure you aren't getting someone form the 'great Interior Design Challenge' school of utter crappiness. There are plenty of really good Interior designers out there. Just do your homework and they will save you a fortune on furniture and fabrics etc. but also on issues relating to construction/ builders etc.

As a qualified, experienced interior designer (and engineer) I can offer some advice on what to look for when selecting a potential candidate. Firstly, a good designer listens to YOUR brief, accurately surveys the respective interior spaces and creates a strategic work-plan based on the end-users ergonomic requirements, timelines and budgets. In terms of fees, I calculate these as per levels of services requested which are agreed to before starting the project. This avoids unwanted surprises later on. It's advisable to see some completed works and, if possible, speak to previous clients. A confident, reputable designer has nothing to hide and enjoys showcasing their works. A client's feedback is worth it's weight in gold.

Good luck finding your ideal designer!
Joanne.