Six Simple Steps to hiring an Interior Designer

When my new girl crush and local realtor partner, Mindy Pometto from Compass asked me to lay out some steps on how the design process works it dawned on me that hiring an interior designer might seem confusing to some. It’s really pretty simple. it’s all about relationships and aligning with like-minded individuals and businesses with a collaborate spirit. We can then interpret your vision and goals to make the magic happen!

 So, here’s how Terra Sol works with our potential clients.

1.     Let’s say HI! First step is connection, so we schedule a phone call to chat about your project, your goals and wants and how we can help that become a reality. This usually only takes about 15 minutes.

2.     Face to Face meet up. We schedule an in person consult at your home or office to check out the areas in need of some sprucing up. Our offerings include: Decluttering/Organizing, Styling/Decorating and Remodeling/Renovation. Once we understand what service your space could use, we’ll get to work on a plan for you. Our consults typically take 45 minutes to an hour.

3.     Presenting our ideas. Here’s where the eye candy comes in. We’ll send you visuals based on the aesthetic we talked about, full scope outline of the project and an estimate of our hours. To be completely transparent our hourly charge is typically $150/hr depending on the scope of the project. We work quickly so you can get to enjoying that master bedroom remodel :)

Local Chicago based designer wrote a really great article on how interior designers can save you money and i loved it so much, wanted to share it here - six ways hiring an interior designer can save you money.

4.     It’s GO time! Once the overall vision is honed and looks good to everyone we create a shared Pinterest board. No pressure if you don’t know how this works we can take it and run with it, but if you’re like some of our clients you might even have some ideas you’ve put together. Check out one of my favorite boards from our Pinterest account – Design Inspiration

SMALL SPACE LIVING ROOM CONCEPT BOARD.

ENCINITAS, CA HOME GETS A MAKEOVER.

5.     Final Design Plans: In a short time (a few days or so for smaller projects) we should have some final renderings and design plan for your project. We include vision boards like the to the left and a user friendly shopping list similar to the one shown below which shows each item with pricing for you to approve or decline. From there, the cool thing about this is we always try to give 2-3 options for each item needed.

we place orders and have the items shipping to us or directly to you depending on the scope.

For full remodels, this process can take a little longer especially if we’ll need to move walls which usually entails getting a permit from the city and interviewing contractors. We have several we really like trust and enjoy working with which makes this part of the process much more fun.

Many times we’re asked where we fit into this part and the answer is we are right there with you. Overseeing the contractors and fabricators, meeting with inspectors when necessary and executing final plans making any necessary adjustments as we go.

Shopping List created just for you.

Interactive shopping list for you to approve or decline each item.

6.     It’s styling time! As we near the end of the full scope project, it’s furnishings and home accessories time. These items are key to the function of your space but also provide our clients with the feel of warmth and ease. The finishing touches are equally as important as the other steps. That’s why we love offering styling services to clients who aren’t looking for full remodels. They’ll still get all the feels of an environment that is aesthetically pleasing and grounded.

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 Some other fun facts:

 For a one room styling job you can expect the process from start to completion to be 2-3 weeks.

 For a one room full remodel you can expect the process to be anywhere from 30-60 days.

 For a full home, new addition or full office remodel  (2,000-4,000 sqft), you should plan for a four to six month lead time. 

Have more interior design questions or a project in mind? Get in touch with Terra Sol Interior Design Studio today in Carlsbad, CA or call (619) 630-6007

AFTER.

Living room makeover

BEFORE.

The living room was choppy with an uninspiring color palette and the wrong lighting.