How to Choose the Right Interior Designer
When preparing for your next remodel project, selecting an interior designer should involve more consideration beyond finding someone with a style you like.
While an interior designer’s overall aesthetic can help you narrow down your pool, it’s imperative you find someone you trust to guide decisions, protect your time, and help your home feel better to live in.
If you’re feeling overwhelmed by options or the fear of getting it wrong, you’re not alone. Most people don’t hire a designer because they want more choices. They hire one because they want clarity.
Here’s how to tell if a designer is the right fit for you:
Start With the Process, Not the Portfolio
Before you hire someone solely based on their past project results, pause.
Ask yourself this first:
How do I want this process to feel?
Do you want:
clear direction instead of endless options?
someone to narrow decisions, not multiply them?
support with planning, not just styling?
a calm pace instead of a rushed one?
Different designers work very differently. The right fit has less to do with taste and more to do with how decisions are made.
Look for Livability, Not Just Aesthetic
It’s easy to get swept up in beautiful photos.
But a portfolio should show more than a look you admire.
As you’re reviewing a designer’s work, ask yourself:
Do these spaces feel like they’re meant to be lived in?
Do they look thoughtful across different homes and budgets?
Do they feel calm, not overly styled or trend-driven?
Good design adapts. It responds to the people living in the space, the architecture, and the constraints of real life. Style matters, but it’s only part of the picture.
Ask How Decisions Are Made
Decision fatigue is where many design projects fall apart.
A designer’s role isn’t to reduce your endless options down to one carefully researched direction. It’s to help you move forward with confidence.
One of the most useful questions you can ask early on is simple:
“How do you help clients make decisions?”
Listen for whether they talk about:
narrowing options instead of expanding them
explaining the reasoning behind recommendations
helping clients feel supported, not pressured
When decisions are guided well, the process feels steady instead of overwhelming.
Be Clear About the Level of Support You Want
Interior design can mean very different things depending on who you’re talking to.
For some, it’s hourly advice or styling help.
For others, it’s full-service support that includes planning, sourcing, coordination, and installation.
Neither approach is wrong. What matters is whether it matches how much involvement you want.
If you don’t want to manage details, coordinate trades, or make dozens of decisions on your own, that’s important to name upfront. Clarity here prevents frustration later.
Trust Your Gut (It’s Usually Right)
Beyond credentials and experience, there’s a simpler test.
The right designer should leave you feeling:
your vision is understood
clearer about next steps
confident that you don’t have to figure everything out alone
Those feelings matter.
A Simple Next Step
If you’re considering working with a designer but aren’t sure what level of support you need, a short conversation can help.
I offer a complimentary 15-minute consultation to talk through your space, your questions, and whether working together feels like a good fit. There’s no pressure and no preparation required.
Sometimes clarity is all you need to decide what comes next.
