Interior Designers & Decorators

What does an interior designer or decorator do?

A good home decor professional will help you tell a visual story and turn your house into a home. They look to you for design inspiration, to hone your style down to its very essence. Interior designers and decorators can be involved as much or as little as the client desires. Many clients who hire an interior designer – particularly those who are renovating – have a good sense of how the room should look and what products they should use. Often clients will insist that the interior designer use the products already present in the home. Other times a designer will need to start from scratch with little more than your saved ideabooks of interior design ideas!

On occasion, interior designers will need to subcontract help from other professionals to help create the perfect look for your home renovation. These may be specialist installers or interior decorators like kitchen designers, architects or landscape contractors.

Here are some related professionals and vendors to complement the work of interior designers & decorators: Architects, Building Project Managers, Home Builders, Design & Construction Firms, Photographers.

How should I prepare for my first meeting with a home decor professional?

Start by asking yourself what you want your space to become and how it will be used. List your must-haves and decide on your budget. Interior design services can add up fast, so be upfront with potential interior designers from the beginning. Also, pick a designer that fits your style. Browse through their interior design portfolio on Houzz and ask yourself if you’d live in any of those houses. If the rooms inspire you, take note of what elements you appreciate.

Questions to ask a prospective interior decorator:

Can I see your interior design portfolio?

Have you worked on similar projects to my style, room and budget before?

How long will the project take, and do you foresee any obstacles?

Do you charge an hourly rate or a flat rate, or use the cost-plus method or a mixed method?

What will I need to provide?

Find residential interior designers on Houzz. Scroll through this page to find interior designers in your area. Then, browse their design portfolios to see how their work compares to the scope of your project. You can read reviews to see how other homeowners rate their work, and message them directly to to ask any specific questions.