How To Choose An Interior Designer Or Redecorator

What types of professional interior designers are available?

Have you heard of Interior redecorators? These professional interior decorators transform your home using things you have accumulated over the years. The end result is a balanced, harmonious space that reflects the personality of the people who use it. Many interior designers have added this service to their repertoire. Alternate terms for professional interior designers specializing in interior redecorating are interior redesigners, interior arrangers, interior stylists, one day decorators, visual coordinators or interior refiners.

What is a Certified Interior Designer? (from B&P Code Section 5800,5538)

A Certified interior designer is a competent design professional who is qualified to design, prepare, and submit any type of nonstructural, non-seismic interior construction plans and specifications to local building departments. Certified interior designers have demonstrated through education, experience, and examination their knowledge of the Uniform Building Code as it relates to space planning, life safety, flammability, and disabled access code issues. Most interior designers have a minimum four-year education. Many have Master of Interior Design degrees or other additional education in architecture or interior design. Interior designers who have many years experience may not have a Bachelors in Interior Design, but usually are well educated and have many years of qualified experience. All qualified interior designers will indicate that they have passed the NCIDQ (National Council for Interior Design Certification) examination and/or are registered/ certified/ licensed in their state.

How do Interior Decorators charge for their services?

Flat Design Fee: The client pays a flat fee for the professional interior designer's services based on the design plan, time required, and scope of services.

Hourly Rate: The interior decorator bills a negotiated rate per hour.

Cost Plus Method: Professional interior designers charge a set percentage on all merchandise purchased and tradesmen's services rendered.

Mixed Method: The client pays both a set percentage on purchases and a base design fee for hourly rate.

Per square foot: This method is used especially in new construction.

What to ask at the first meeting:

• Ask to see the interior designer's portfolio, but remember that the designs reflect other people's tastes,¬ not necessarily the interior decorator's, and possibly not your own.
• Ask what size projects the interior designer has worked on, where, and what was the budget range.
• Ask how the established budget will be handled, and the kind of payment schedules the interior decorator requires.
• Ask about the types of services the designer can provide.
• Ask for a list of references.

Interior Home Design

Let's face it-when it comes to their interior house design, many people are dissatisfied with the overall look and feel. However, they never take steps to improve their home's interior. There are several reasons for this. The most obvious are lack of time or money.

Believe it or not, you do not have to take out a loan for several thousand dollars to achieve the interior house design you want. In fact, there are several simple steps you can take to achieve the design you want with virtually no out of pocket expenses at all. Here are some ways to achieve the house design you want without breaking the bank.

The most important part of any interior design is the home's entrance. Quite simply, first impressions really do last.

When someone walks into your home and the entrance is not appealing, they will immediately form a bad impression of your entire house just because of that one area. Here are some great ways to change your home's entrance for the look and feel you want.

If you have a spacious porch with your home, potted plants are excellent ways to liven up the atmosphere. These usually retail for about $10 at your local store. The more you purchase, the brighter your home's atmosphere will be. Be careful not to overdo it, however; you don't want to turn your porch into a conservatory.

Another great idea is to paint your front door a bright color to really liven up the look. There is nothing that dampens your overall interior house design than a boring, dark colored door.

To fix this problem, simply identify the best bright color that would match the rest of your house design, and go with that. If it doesn't match the rest of your home, this effort will not work.

The kitchen is the next most important part of your interior house design, as it is a place both you and your guests will spend a great deal of time in. Without a satisfying kitchen design, you will never achieve the overall home design and feel that you want.

For this, simply wipe down your cabinets with a damp cloth to give them the shiny look you want. Once you've achieved this, you can then either add or replace the nobs to further boost the cabinet's appearance. Often times, older kitchen nobs can lose their appeal after a while; new nobs generally only sell for about .50 to $3.

Therefore, you can easily replace each cabinet in your kitchen for less than $30. The cabinets are one of the most crucial appliances to helping your kitchen look the way you want; find the right cabinets to complement this room, and you will greatly enjoy the time spent in your kitchen.

The final room you should focus on is your bathroom. Consider replacing the wallpaper trim or color for this room, as the right color can make all the difference for the atmosphere you want.

Once you've chosen this, you can find artwork that will complement this color and further give your bathroom that distinctive look you want. For instance, you could add a few seashells to go with a brighter color, an empty picture frame, etc.

While these tips are certainly inexpensive and very simple to implement, you will be amazed at how much they will improve your overall interior house design. Believe it or not, when you just focus in on these three crucial areas described above, you will dramatically improve your home's design without hurting your wallet.

Interior Home Design

Home staging is the proven way to sell your house quicker and at a better price...even in today's poor market. Home staging makes your house more competitive by presenting the house as "ready-to-move-in" to prospective buyer's. And; home staging can be a way to get more organized and de-cluttered. This applies to both inside and out of the home.

Staging can be simple or more work and could require the help of a professional home stager. But; in some cases you can do it yourself if it is a simple project.

The first step is to look around each room. Bring a note pad with you if you are serious about doing this. Make notes about any problem items; such as broken doors, light switches. Yes; the ‘honey do’ type list, but it gets much more detailed as you go.

Now look inside the closets. Yes; buyers look in closets to see if there is enough room. Mark in your pad whether the closet is neat or packed and needs some thinning out.

Bathroom is the next stop. Any broken tiles, dripping faucets, etc? Also is there any areas that need to really be cleaned? Look at this as though you were buying.