Ten Questions Your Interior Decorator Should Ask You

If you have decided to redecorate your home in Sudbury, ON, it’s crucial to pick a reliable interior decorator with high standards. After all, the end product will be a direct reflection of your lifestyle! Therefore, it’s essential to choose an interior decorator you can trust to help find the best design for your home and the best space planning possibilities for your needs.

However, when meeting an interior decorator, you should be prepared with your requirements and resources. No matter the size of the project, your potential interior decorator will want to know what your needs are for your space to ensure a successful project. Moreover, you wouldn’t want to work with a decorator who doesn’t understand the needs of your home now, would you?

So, during your initial consultation, if your decorator asks you questions, it is a sign that your design collaboration will be a positive experience and resulting in satisfaction with the completed project. Keep reading to know what questions an interior decorator will ask you.

1. What is your budget?
It is essential to have a realistic budget to determine how much your professional can design and the type of material they can use. You may have big plans and ideas for your space, but the project may be too big for your budget, or it may increase it. So early on in the design process, make sure you fix a consistent budget with the products and services your decorator will provide.

2. What is your timeframe?
Know that the time needed to complete the planning and designing stages depends on the scope of your project. Interior decorators are professionals that consider more than the finishes included in your project. They analyze the existing space, look at how you use it, gather information about you and your wants and needs, and space plan. Accordingly, they will design solutions to meet your requirements. All of these tasks take time at the beginning of the process and set the stage for a successful project. So make sure to schedule sufficient time for the planning.

3. Have you worked with a decorator before, and have you ever done a renovation?
As your decorator, I need to know if you’ve worked with a decorator before. Suppose you have worked with the decorator and the experience didn’t turn out that well, you can tell me how I can serve you better. If you’ve never worked with a decorator before then, I want to use this opportunity to guide you through and educate you on the process. Every decorator is different, and not every decorator is a good fit for every client.

At Interiors By Nicole, I want to ensure your renovation is easy and seamless. I can’t assure you that issues won’t come up. But, I can guarantee that you will be informed at every stage, have respectful tradespeople in your home, and that I will show up and produce quality work every day until your renovation is complete.

4. What is your design style or vision, and do you have pictures of things you like or dislike?
Think about the type of style you like or want to create. If you aren’t sure, you can show me pictures of designs you love and hate. This will allow me to understand the design direction. Don’t overthink the process; just start saving images, and I’ll most likely soon see a style emerge from the photos you love.

5. What do you like and dislike about the current space?
You could prepare a list of things that currently work well with you and what frustrates you. These can be either big things (not enough bathrooms, not enough storage, layout of the kitchen) or small (color of the walls, feel of the master bedroom). List everything so that I can get an idea of how you currently use the space and how you intend to use the new space.

6. Are there any special requests that need to be accommodated?
To me, design is all about how needs are accommodated within it. I want to take care of these little details to give you a space you can always use. Let me know what you’re looking for, and if I can’t make it happen for whatever reason, I’ll be sure to explain why and possibly suggest an alternative.

7. Who uses this space, and how is it used?
Do you have young children, adult children, or grandchildren? Do you have a parent living with you or pets? All of these individuals factor into your home design. As your decorator, I need to know who lives in your home and which spaces they use as it affects both the materials I will specify and the entire design plan.

8. What does your future look like?
Planning for the future is important. As your decorator, I would suggest thinking about your goals today and consider your life goals ten to twenty years out. If you’re planning on staying in the home for many years to come, putting in the extras, or getting it the way you want, despite pushing your budget to the limit, it can all be worth it. But, if you realize you might not be in the home long-term, there might be areas you can skimp on to keep your renovation costs reasonable.

9. What must stay and what must go?
This question is important because it lets me know what you want to keep and what items you’re ready to replace or discard. Working in harmony with your needs allows me to bring your design plan to the table, and it will enable a creative discussion to come to life.

10. What is the extent of the services you’re looking for?
This is a very vital aspect of the design process as it helps me get the flow of the room or house done correctly. As a client, it is important to let me, your decorator, know all the project parameters so that I can plan accordingly.

If you’re looking for an interior design company in Sudbury, ON, that’s committed to customizing your home as per your unique style, then reach out to Interiors By Nicole.

Whether it’s a small project or a big one, with my knowledge and skills, I can really help you get the result you’re looking for and can keep you from making costly mistakes. My services include interior decorating, design, color consultation, and project management. My services are available across Sudbury, City of Greater Sudbury, Greater Sudbury, New Sudbury, Hanmer, Chelmsford, Azilda, Valley East, South End, Onaping, Whitefish, Walden, and Lively.

Contact me today to get started on your renovation project or take a look at some of my work here.