First and foremost, it is important to understand the difference between an Interior Decorator or Stylist and an Interior Designer.
Interior Decorators (Stylist): Interior decorators help determine the look and feel of a client's home by selecting and placing decorative elements such as paint, textiles, and furniture. This client-facing role involves meeting directly with clients to get a sense of how they intend to use their space and how they want it to feel.
Interior Designers: Interior Designers do everything an Interior Decorator does and more. Interior design is the art and science of enhancing the interior of a building to achieve a healthier and more aesthetically pleasing environment for the people using the space. An interior designer is someone who plans, researches, coordinates, and manages such enhancement projects. Interior design is a multifaceted profession that includes conceptual development, space planning, site inspections, programming, research, communicating with the stakeholders of a project, construction management, and execution of the design.
This may seem obvious to some of you, but it comes up all the time; How do I know when I need an interior designer?
Knowing at what stage in your project to hire a designer is also important. Many clients will hire a designer once they’ve hit the panic button or when selection-overwhelm settles in. A designer can be hired as soon as the project planning begins - long before selections. Hiring a designer early in the project will ensure you have a cohesive plan that conforms to any applicable building codes and that will work for your specific needs. A designer can save you time and money. We help to avoid expensive mistakes such as choosing the wrong finishes or missing details that you later wish you would have included.
In short if you need to structurally change the space and construction is involved then you need an interior designer. If you want to upgrade your furniture, rearrange the furniture in your home, or paint rooms a new color then you can hire an interior decorator or designer.
