Choosing the Right Designer

Did I choose the right designer? This has been a question that I have not only been asked a lot but have, in return, asked. The one mistake, or rather most common mishap, is when friends seek the advice of other friends. Allow me to explain. 

Things like social media can be a blessing or a curse when it comes to asking not only close friends but the community the notorious (and I believe most popular) question: “Who did you use?” or “Who do you recommend?” While I absolutely encourage this and love the collaboration of pulling together a community — speaking as someone with over a decade of experience, it may work well, but you are doing yourself a big disservice if that is where you stop this design hiring train.

As a former stylist, home stager and design business owner, the one thing I always recommend is to take some time and find your person. Find the person who sees what you describe and brings you ideas to create the space that you will not only be proud to showcase but, most importantly, feel like it is all yours. This space needs to make you feel at home, and bring you peace and comfort. The right designer will have a talent for understanding your desires and your budget. I understand that, unlike some TV shows, (no names mentioned) most of us don’t magically have an extra $1,000–$10,000 lying around. 

I’m going to fill you all in on a big designer secret. Most experienced designers dislike going into a home where all the client wants to do is copy or recreate something down to the smallest detail. Aka cookie-cutter design. Again, before I upset any apple carts, allow me to explain. We all encourage you to be inspired by other design photos, TV Shows, and friends’ places and spaces, but we designers are humans with a natural creative nature, we love the challenge of digging and finding what brings our clients happiness, all the while pulling out more and more creativity from within. 

“Be faithful to your own taste because nothing you really like is ever out of style.” — Billy Baldwin

While we understand that remodeling, construction and designing can be very messy, we have the gift of seeing right through that chaos and the beauty it will ultimately be in the end. So, if I could give you one piece of design advice to wrap up 2023 it would be this. 

I, as a design creative, value you — and while you may not enjoy design, we do. So, write down some questions, make some notes, and yes, even print some pictures. Be diligent in setting up interviews with different designers in town and see who speaks your language. Who seems to be on the same page as you? And most importantly, who shares the same energy and vibe you want to create? After all, as Winston Churchill says, “We shape our homes, then our home shapes us” 

Creatively yours,

Dawn