Help! How To Hire A Decorator

Working with a design professional isn’t as mystifying as it seems. Here’s help to get the ball rolling, from figuring out what you need to talking money.

assess the scope of your job What do you want done? One room,
a spruce up, a whole-house makeover? There are decorators who take on small, one-hit projects, but not all do. Are you wedded to your stuff or willing to toss? Some designers won’t incorporate your old furniture into their work.

calculate your budget Hiring a decorator is a big financial
commitment and often costs more than you would expect, especially if he or she is well-known. It’s worth it: You’re paying for their creative vision and expertise, plus a ton of managing and busywork-from finding the right furnishings to making sure that things like painting and installation are happening when they’re supposed to. Your decorator will give you an estimate, but in all likelihood, you’ll end up spending more-it’s rare that a job comes in precisely on budget. So be honest with yourself about how much you can spend, including wiggle room.

arrange a consultation Consider this all-important appointment a first date–a chance to really scope out what the decorator is about. If you don’t have compatible sensibilities, there’s no point in going forward, so be candid about what you can pay and what you’re looking for. And take note: if your phone calls aren’t getting returned now, they certainly won’t be later.

get an estimate When you feel confident, ask the decorator to present a vision, budget included. This usually a free estimate, not the official design concept (the comprehensive rendering he or she will create once you’ve signed on). If you and your home are high-maintenance projects, you’ll probably want to put your decorator on a retainer (see “up-front design fee” in sidebar) that covers the whole job and can be paid in installments (i.e., monthly). If you don’t need a lot of hand-holding, want to do a bit of your own shopping and/or are focusing on just a room or two, an hourly rate might be better.

seal the deal Congratulations! You’ve found The One. Set up another meeting to discuss the design plan (often there’s an additional charge, but the plan is yours to keep), and the two of you are on your way. †

how payment works

Up-front design fee
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The most common approach, this is a flat fee set in advance by your decorator either for the project as a whole or per room. This non-refundable sum starts at about $500 per room for just a cosmetic rehab, and goes up to about $1,000 per room for an extensive renovation. Once you’ve agreed on an up-front fee, you’ll move on to the design plan, which can be anything from basic sketches of furniture layouts, maybe with a suggested color palette, to carefully plotted-out rooms with sample swatches and furniture arrangements.

Hourly rate
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Some designers use an hourly rate to calculate the design fee, in which case there’s more space for a budget shift in either direction. Rates vary by region and you will find very good deals now, starting at about $75/hour. Beware of the decorator whose price is significantly lower than everyone else’s in town.

Markup
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This is the added percentage that decorators charge for what is essentially advanced personal shopping-buying your furniture and fabrics wholesale, including to-the-trade specialty items-and you pay a commission. The average tack-on rate is 50 percent (this will vary depending on the type of merchandise). Before you gasp, consider that you’re getting access not only to the designer’s taste and knowledge, but also to stuff you’d never find on your own. Ask candidates how they determine their markup. Instruct you designer to make itemized lists of all purchases, so you can keep track of costs, as well as of what you’ve bought, lest you have to replace anything.

-content courtesy of Domino Magazine, april 2007