Hand over your home to the design professionals for spectacular results you'll be happy with for many years.

1. Choose an interior designer who is represented by a professional body with a clear code of conduct such as the British Interior Design Association. “The most efficient way of finding a BIDA-accredited interior designer is through the website” says the organisation’s chairman Lori Pinkerton-Rolet. “You can search for designers in your area, then browse their portfolios online to find the one that best suits your requirements.” You should then arrange to meet a few – how many being entirely dependent on how soon you find what you’re looking for” It’s similar to buying a house” says Lori. “ You only need to keep looking until you’ve found the right one!”

2. Before an initial consultation with a designer gather as much inspirational material as possible, so you can give him or her a good idea of your tastes and preferences. Interior design magazines are a good place to start but widen your search to include anything that appeals to you visually and which might convey the particular mood you’re after – be it fashion, art film, photography or even a landscape you particularly love. Also remember that things you don’t like will be as useful to your designer as the things you do “If you hate a colour then say so” says Joanna Wood of Joanna Trading. It’s important that you make all of your likes and dislikes clear”.

3. Another useful exercise before consulting an interior designer is to walk through your home and note down your favourite and least favourite aspects of each room, making sue to consider less obvious things like lighting and ventilation, as well as decorative elements. Are there any rooms you don’t use regularly that could be more effectively incorporated into the life and flow of the house? Be open to the possibility of changing the function of a room and redesigning the layout of your house.

4. See the portfolios of all potential designers. You’re looking for work that ‘speaks’ to you, not necessarily that matches your taste exactly (after all, your scheme will be tailored to your needs and all good designers are capable of working in a broad range of styles).

Look for quality materials, an ingenious use of space, and a meticulous eye for detail. “They should be well executed and coherent designs”. Says Louise Gummer of Beauchamp Designs.

5. Getting on with your designer at a personal level is just as important as respecting them professionally and it’s vital that you find someone with whom you can communicate openly and honestly.

“You will need to have a close working relationship with your designer so it’s important that you have a good rapport” says Cate Burren of Angel + Blume. Your designer should listen to and respond to your needs and desires, and at all times respect that it’s your home. However, at the same time, you should trust their professional expertise, which is after all, what you’re paying them for.

6. Make sure you know clearly how your designer is going to charge for their services. There are three main ways of charging:

An agreed fee;
A percentage of the entire project (typically ranging from 8-15%)
Or simple hourly rate (an average of £70).

Make sure it’s set down in writing exactly how your designer is going to make their money before the work starts and always allocate around 15% of your budget as a contingency – it’s rare the project that doesn’t encounter unforeseen problems.

7. Bear in mind that designers are often able to offer different levels of service. If you would prefer to save money by project managing the work yourself, some are prepared just to produce drawings and mood boards which you are then free to implement as you wish. In such instances they will usually charge for their service at an hourly rate.

8. Another more economical option may be to engage the services of an in-store designer. Heals, Fired Earth, MultiYork and Laura Ashley all offer in-house interior designer services and the fee is often redeemable against money spent in store. Bear in mind you’ll usually (though not always) be limited to using a shop’s own produce.

9. Contrary to what we’re led to believe by television makeover shows, successful interior design is not about surprise. Make sure you’re presented with drawings and plans at the start of the project and are kept informed at every stage. Designers have different forms of presentation which may include computer graphics, mood boards and perspective drawings”.

10. Ensure you sign an official contract before the start of any work or any money changes hands. In addition to the legal aspect, the contract should outline the propose plans, the time schedule, budget, fees and the accountability of any sub-contractors. A contract commonly used among interior designers is call ‘ID05’ which is printed buy the BIDA in conjunction with the RIBA (Royal Institute of British Architects) and is available through RIBA bookshops or BIDA designers.

Original article featured in The English Home March 2008. Images courtesy of Fired Earth