Hiring an Interior Designer: A Luxury Service?

Is hiring an interior designer a luxury service? Yes. Is hiring a house cleaner a luxury service? Yes. So while it's a luxury service, why can hiring an interior designer seem so intimidating? The budget is bigger. Absolutely. Decorating a home is an investment. But I think part of the intimidation factor is the mysterious pricing structure. If you have to ask, you can't afford it. Not really, but that's the impression some can get.

Similar to construction, designers need to understand the scope to give an appropriate estimate. One of the methods contractors use to develop their pricing is time and materials. Designers are similar. You just have to trust their vision and ability to work with your budget.

Many designers charge a flat fee or an estimated number of hours for design and a mark-up on items purchased through them. The concept of a mark-up used to rub me the wrong way. Until I heard it compared to the construction industry, which somehow I accepted as reasonable. Maybe because I don't really care how much I'm paying for that toilet or have a general sense of the going retail rate for drywall, but I know how much lamps cost at Target or a local boutique retailer.

What I've since come to understand is that typically a designers' mark-up is on par (and sometimes less) than if you were to purchase items through retail. Buying through a designer will not guarantee the lowest price, but it likely won't cost more than buying the same item (if you can find it) from a retail store.

Luxury, yes? (Not my design or champagne.)

I love a deal and I hate feeling like I paid more for something than I should have. But I also understand the cost of doing business and needing to cover your overhead. So while I wouldn't expect to pay the same for a bottle of champagne at the ABC store as I would at the St. Regis, I can choose whether or not there is enough value in the experience.

A designer's overhead is often less than a retailer and sometimes the mark-up they set on goods sold through them reflect this lower cost of doing business. No rent for retail space, no fronting the money for inventory that may or may not sell, no hourly employees for business opening. Other times, not. An item may go on sale, etc. Purchasing an item directly through the retailer, you often get the benefit of seeing it to understand the quality and scale, they may have designers on staff that can advise you on furniture and fabric selection, the scope of your project may not make sense to hire a designer - if you just want a couple items and you want to pick them out yourself.

Conversations surrounding design fees, budget and spending can be uncomfortable, but are necessary for the designer and the client to align expectations on what would be a successful project. Hiring an interior designer is a luxury service, but beauty is for all.

One of my goals as a decorator is to offer design solutions that are of value, using thoughtfully selected items with enough of an aspiration element to feel elevated.