Questions to Ask Interior Designers
Questions for a homeowner meeting interior designers before hiring one, covering what kind of work they actually do, how they charge and how that shapes their incentives, budgets, furniture ordering, timelines, and how the project ends.
20 questions, each with the reason to ask it · includes a conversation guide
The questions
Open any question to see why it works.
- 1
What kind of projects make up most of your work?
The label covers several different businesses: full renovations with drawings, furnishing an existing space, colour and material selection, and staging for sale. Whichever they name first is where their suppliers and habits are, and that is what you will get.
- 2
Do you handle construction and layout changes, or furnishings only?
Moving walls, plumbing, or windows involves drawings, permits, and often an architect or engineer. Establishing this early avoids a designer producing a scheme that requires structural work they are not set up to run.
- 3
Can I see a project you finished that had a budget close to mine?
Portfolios show the largest and most photogenic jobs. Asking for a comparable budget tells you whether your project is routine work for them or the small one they take on between the ones they actually want.
- 4
How do you charge: a flat fee, hourly, a percentage of the spend, or cost plus?
Each structure creates a different incentive. A percentage of spend rewards a bigger budget, hourly rewards deliberation, and a flat fee rewards efficiency, which cuts both ways. None is wrong, but you should know which pressure you are hiring.
- 5
If you make anything on the furniture, how is that disclosed to me?
Many designers buy at trade prices and resell, and the margin is legitimate but varies widely. Ask whether you will see the trade price and the markup as separate lines, since a designer who will not show that split is asking for unusual trust.
- 6
What is included in the fee, and what gets billed on top?
Site visits, travel, renderings, extra concept rounds, shopping days, and project management are sometimes inside the fee and sometimes not. The gap between the two lists is where the surprise on the second invoice usually comes from.
- 7
How many rounds of revisions are included before extra charges start?
Design work is iterative and open-ended revision is the fastest way to a disputed bill. Getting the number agreed in advance also encourages you to give consolidated feedback rather than reacting piece by piece.
- 8
Based on what I have described, what is a realistic all-in number?
A designer who will give you a range at this stage is more useful than one who defers. If the range is far above what you had in mind, the useful follow-up is which parts of the brief are driving it, since that is a conversation worth having now.
- 9
How would you split that budget across the room, and where do you tell people to spend and to save?
This exposes their judgement more than any mood board. Experienced designers have firm views about which pieces justify money, usually seating, lighting, and anything with a mechanism, and which are fine at a lower price.
- 10
Who places the furniture orders, you or me, and whose name is on them?
This determines who chases a delayed sofa, who claims on a damaged delivery, and who is out of pocket if a supplier fails. Buying through the designer is usually smoother, and it means you should know their deposit and refund terms.
- 11
What happens if something arrives damaged, backordered, or discontinued?
It will happen on any project of size. You want to hear an actual process: who inspects on delivery, what window claims have to be made in, and whether they hold a second choice for each key item.
- 12
What are the lead times on the pieces you are likely to specify?
Custom upholstery, imported stone, and made-to-order lighting can take months, and one long-lead item can hold up an entire install. Asking early lets you decide whether to trade a preferred piece for a shorter wait.
- 13
How long will this take, and what is driving the timeline?
The honest answer is usually about lead times, trades availability, and how fast you make decisions. A designer who blames only suppliers may not be telling you how much the schedule depends on your own response times.
- 14
Do you manage the contractors, or do I?
Design and site management are separate jobs, and assuming the designer is doing the second one is a common and expensive mistake. If they do manage trades, ask whether that is inside the fee and how often they visit the site.
- 15
How often will I hear from you, and through what channel?
Long silences during ordering and production are normal and feel like abandonment when nobody warned you. Agreeing on a rhythm, even a short fortnightly note, prevents most of the friction that comes up in these projects.
- 16
What do you need from me to keep this moving?
Client decisions are the most common cause of delay, and few designers say so upfront. Ask what the decision deadlines are and what happens if one slips, since a missed approval can push a delivery slot by weeks.
- 17
What happens when I do not like something you present?
You are asking how they take feedback, which you will need to give. A good answer describes a method for narrowing options, while a defensive one predicts a project where saying no becomes exhausting.
- 18
Can I keep pieces I already own, and would you work around them?
Some designers integrate existing furniture readily and some prefer a clean slate. Naming the specific pieces you are not willing to lose, whether for cost or sentiment, tests this better than asking about it in the abstract.
- 19
What would you talk me out of in this space?
The willingness to disagree is what you are paying for. A designer who pushes back on an open shelf in a kitchen you actually cook in, or a rug under a dog, is giving you judgement rather than agreement.
- 20
What does the end of the project look like, and what happens if something fails a year later?
Ask what a final walkthrough covers, who fixes snags, and how warranty claims on furniture and fittings are handled once the designer has moved on. This is the part of the process people forget to agree, and the part they need eventually.
Hiring an interior designer
Practical guidance for the conversation itself.
Fee structures and what they do
Fee structures and what they do
Flat fee
A fixed amount for a defined scope. Easy to budget against, and the scope definition is where the attention should go, since anything outside it becomes an additional charge. Ask what specifically triggers one.
Hourly
Suits small or uncertain projects and makes the total hard to predict. Ask for an estimate of hours by phase, and for a warning when spend reaches an agreed threshold, which most designers will do if asked at the start.
Percentage of project cost
The fee rises with the spend, which is fine as long as you both acknowledge the pull. Ask whether the percentage applies to construction as well as furnishings, since that materially changes the number.
Cost plus and trade markup
The designer buys at trade price and adds a percentage. Transparency is the whole issue here, so ask to see the trade price alongside the markup rather than a single figure per item.
Before the first consultation
Before the first consultation
- 1Photograph each room in daylight and take rough measurements, including ceiling heights and window positions.
- 2Write down how you actually use the space, including the unglamorous parts: where the laundry lands, whether anyone eats on the sofa, which door the dog uses.
- 3Separate your budget into two numbers, one for design fees and one for everything that gets bought or built, and decide which is flexible.
- 4Collect images you like and, more usefully, a few you dislike. Designers learn faster from the second group.
- 5List anything fixed: a piece you will not part with, a delivery date driven by a birth or a move, a pet, an allergy, a rental restriction.
Warning signs
Warning signs
- Will not put the fee structure in writing, or describes it differently on two occasions.
- Cannot or will not show the trade price behind an item they are selling you.
- Never asks how you use the space, or presents a scheme before measuring anything.
- Requires a large payment for furniture upfront with no schedule of what has been ordered.
- Talks only about their own aesthetic and treats your constraints as obstacles.
- Vague about who manages the trades, which is the gap that usually swallows the timeline.