5 REASONS TO NOT HIRE AN INTERIOR DESIGNER

Hiring a professional to help you with your home or office is a big deal.  It's no easy feat, you are letting this person into your personal environs and into the way you live.  You may feel you can do it on your own, you may think you can't afford help, maybe you just don't know how to find the right person.

{Download Interior Design Questionnaire: Before They're Hired: 12 Essential Questions to Ask A Designer Now}

Just as there are very good reasons to hire an interior designer or decorator there are also some very good reasons to not.  Some designers are desperate for work and will tell you what you want to hear just to secure the job.   So if any of the below reasons apply to you and a designer still accepts the job I foresee rough waters ahead for the project.

THE REASONS WHY YOU DON'T WANT TO HIRE A DESIGNER: 

1.  If you are looking for someone to agree with your every design choice.   If you aren’t open to new ideas the relationship will never work and your house will reflect that.

2.  You are not ready to invest in your home's interiors.  This doesn’t mean that you must have a large budget or spend more than you can afford or are comfortable with, but if you aren’t ready to pony up a little to improve your surroundings, don’t hire a designer.

3.  You don’t know what you want.  While this may seem like a good reason to hire a designer, if you don’t have any idea how you use your space, how you want it to feel, or what you like or don’t like it’ll be even harder for the designer to determine and create a space that is uniquely you.  A designer can help guide your design and decisions, but can’t make them for you.

4.  You want to do all the shopping yourself.  If you are going to take your designer’s ideas and go shop for those items on your own, do not hire a designer.  Instead, when interviewing designers ask if they could create a plan you can follow for a fixed price.  Some designers will be open to this and others won’t, but at least you’ll be open and honest up front.

5.  You think you can do it yourself.  If you want to do it yourself or think you're going to do a better job than a designer.  I've seen people meet with a designer and start the process only to prove to themselves that they don't need the help of a professional.  If you think you can do it yourself don't waste your time exploring working with a designer.  This seems like common-sense, but believe me I've seen it happen.

Keep the conversation going in the comments below!

Why do you feel ready (or not) to hire a designer?