Advice for Choosing the Best Interior Designer for Your Rhode Island Home
Rhode Island is home to some of the most beautiful homes in the country. Before you begin the exciting process of building a new home or renovating your current one, you might want to consider a few things.
The options for hiring an interior designer are endless- there is no one size fits all! Depending on stylistic preferences, budget, size of the project, geographical location, and any other contributing factors, you will narrow down the options quite a bit.
Rhode Island is also a summer destination, so many residents live elsewhere in the winter. Many of our clients are not here throughout the design-build process, and that is important information for you to take into consideration as well.
You must ask yourself, how involved are you able to be or willing to be throughout the process? What is your budget? Do you have stylistic preferences, or are you open to many options? Do you know what you are looking for? Are you someone that isn't sure of what you want your home to look like? Do you have a defined style chosen?
It’s ok to not know all of these answers, your interior designer is here to guide you through these difficult decisions- but you must be prepared to take the time to find out! From the very beginning, we encourage clients to compile and share any interior images they have, whether it be from Pinterest, Houzz, Instagram, Google, magazines, etc. The goal of this visual exercise is to help the designer better understand the client’s likes and dislikes and what they are looking for aesthetically. You tell us what you like and we will put our creative spin on it!
During your consultation with Maloney Interiors, we define your goals and aesthetic. This is also a good time to discuss the budget and how the payment structure works with the designer. It is better to be up front and transparent from the beginning.
Read more about our process here!
After the consultation it’s very important to acknowledge how the conversation went with the designer for the first time? Did they make a good impression? What is your gut telling you? It's important to be honest with yourself at the beginning and disregard anyone who doesn’t feel like the right fit for you.
What to look for:
When you begin your initial search, take a look at designers’ portfolios! Their style and the execution of their projects will tell a lot about compatibility. These should be easily accessible on their websites. If you see any projects you really like you might want to ask the designer more about them. There is so much that goes into each project, it might benefit to learn from the designers past experiences. This will help you better understand how the designer achieved the end result.
Next, you want to make sure the person you are choosing is qualified. Do your research and don’t be afraid to ask potential interior designers questions! Building your new home and remodeling requires a lot of knowledge and skill. You want to have confidence in this person- leaving you to be stress free! As long as they possess the knowledge and have experience about the project you will be undergoing, you will be able to trust them.
In this day in age, it is impossible to do business without technology- make sure your designer is well versed in the necessary technology. They should be prepared to develop 2D construction drawings, 3D renderings and fully understand construction methods.
Above: Our photo realistic renderings help our clients envision what their new space will look like. The photographed completed project looks just like the rendering!
Interior designers have a wide network of vendors, suppliers and sources. Sometimes their sources are local, national or even international. While you don’t need to know all their sources off the bat, you could find out where they typically source products as that could affect how long the project takes.
Qualified Interior designers are able to focus both on construction as well as furnishings and decor. We are detail oriented and take great care in designing a functional space, while also selecting the little details that give the project a complete and polished look. Is your project mostly decorating or does it also include construction? This should all affect who is the right fit!
Whoever you choose, it must be a mutual fit. Interior design projects can last a minimum several months for a smaller project, up to several years and beyond. Delays can happen, and things don’t always go as planned. You must ensure that your designer is someone you want to work with! You want to trust this person with important decisions. Ultimately, you want to have chemistry with your interior designer! Home projects are a huge responsibility financially, but they can also be so much fun, so you will want to enjoy the ride!