
If you have decided to use the professional services of an interior designer, but you do not know how to navigate in the huge field of design studios and designers, this article will give you several criteria by which you can choose a designer. Bulgaria is a small country, but there are many designers. The bigger the selection, the harder it is to choose. The search for the services of an interior designer in our country began about 20 years ago, which means that the profession is relatively young compared to other countries. To develop this profession, it is necessary to have talented and competent designers and consumption of the service. In the previous article, I described the main reasons and benefits of hiring an interior designer. Regarding the culture of consumption, I cannot help but mention one specific feature characteristic of our people, namely the fact that we want and sincerely believe that we can handle everything ourselves. And most likely in this column we will also put the interior design. There is another factor that does not help the decision to hire a designer. It is the disbelief that someone could better than us recreate our dream coziness. A good designer can combine your ideas for a cozy home with the necessary design vision and style. When choosing a designer, see if his portfolio includes different styles of furniture and, accordingly, if he has projects of different residential and public spaces. This somewhat guarantees that you have a professional in front of you who does not impose his own style, but fully complies with the vision of his clients and has gone through a sufficient number of different projects, which will guarantee you flexibility in making important decisions. When looking at the portfolio, do not try to find a project that is as close as possible to your interior in terms of space and style. The designer does not need to have handled a similar project to handle yours. The possible combinations and variations of styles, space and customer requirements for functionality and appearance are truly countless. If the portfolio is diverse enough, it means that the designer will certainly make the interior you want and will like. A diverse portfolio does not necessarily mean having a hundred projects. There can be only ten projects and all of them are completely different in style, design and combination of colors and materials. It is also important to find in the designer’s portfolio interesting and non-standard design solutions, elements or combinations, and not just a good combination of shapes, colors and materials in one project. This will distinguish the interior as designer and not just a good piece of furniture and decoration. Or at least you’ll get an impression of the designer’s level of skill. Its ability to skillfully deal with difficult and non-standard solutions will guarantee you success even with a simpler interior solution. After you have already viewed enough projects of various interior designers, all you have to do is have a phone conversation. A competent designer will ask you the right questions before offering you a quote for the service. It is also possible to request a meeting and inspection of the site, which should be free of charge. And something very important when making a decision – the price of the service is important, but it should not be the most important criterion when choosing a professional. There are no specific rules to follow when choosing an interior designer. However, in conclusion, the main guidelines in our selection are the following:
1. Ask friends or colleagues who have worked with a designer.
2. Explore enough websites with projects of individual studios and designers.
3. Use the criteria I described above when considering design projects.
4. Talk to and get quotes from at least three designers.
The next article will be devoted to the topic of what the interior design service should include, i.e. what to expect from the interior designer.