How To: Talk to Your Interior Designer

You might be a little nervous to approach an interior designer if you don't know what to expect. Truth is, interior designers often love people! It'd be weird if we didn't! That's why we're in the business of people and design! If you're intimidated nonetheless about how to approach one we thought we'd provide you with a simple "How To" with some questions to have prepared for when you meet with yours.

What are you trying to accomplish? 

Have a think before you meet with your interior designer about the gist of what you’re looking for from your space. For example, do you entertain company quite often in your living room? But do you have kids too? Do you value the comfort of a sofa, or is the look of it super important to you? If you have ideas around what you want to achieve then let them know up front and don’t hide that stroke of genius for later! Your designer wants to help you get what you want as efficiently as possible and wants you to feel like your time is being spent well. Treat your first meeting as a collaboration between yourself and the designer if you have a direction in mind for your space. Even small creative ideas can help the designer get an idea about your style and what is important to you! If you have no idea what you’re after then ask yourself some of the following:

Let’s get specific! 

Make a list! Check it twice! Help - I’m hearing Christmas jingles. Going through a basic, fundamental list of what a room usually requires can be helpful.

Are you looking for cushions, artwork, large pieces of furniture, smaller decorative items, rugs, throws? What is it you’re keen on or need? 

We often hear from clients that they know what they 'don't like when they see it', so a simple but wonderful tool we suggest our clients use is a Pinterest board. You can start with broad searches at the beginning, for example 'living room', and eventually find something specific that captivates your attention. This is a very helpful tool for a client and designer to be able to communicate to each other about preferences and style, if you're finding it difficult to communicate what it is you're interested in. 

How involved do you want to be in the process? Set clear expectations with your designer. Do you want to approve every single item and selection made, or would you prefer the designer creates and overall look and feel for you while you focus your energy elsewhere?

Do you trust your designers aesthetic? Check out their website or Instagram to get a sense of what preferences they have - if you haven’t already! You don’t want to pick a designer whose taste is completely different to yours. Pick a designer with a vibe you like! Then if you’re comfortable, give them your parameters. This might be things like budget, if you want frequent updates about where they're at with their progress so you can confirm choices along the way, colour schemes, etc. and leave them to chip away at sussing your space. Alternatively, you can totally get involved! If you're wondering how much you're allowed to be involved then let me enlighten you by saying you're allowed to be as involved or uninvolved as you'd like - as long as your budget permits. Most designers hire themselves out at an hourly rate. An interior designer’s job is to help you figure out what you want, provide you with a beautiful end result, and send you off satisfied with their service and product.

Wanna know a secret a lot of designers don't advertise? We often get fantastic discounts with different suppliers. When you pay your designer's fee, you often save hundreds (if not thousands) of dollars with our discounts, as well as get guidance and advice about what to do with your space. We highly recommend this type of service if you're restyling, moving into a new place, need to renovate or are just interested in upping your game in your interiors. At Nook Staging we provide this service and would be delighted to grab a coffee and have a chat with you any time. Talk soon friends! Otherwise, we hope you find your perfect fit in an interior designer and would love to see what you've done with your space.