How Do You Choose the Right Interior Designer for You?
Choosing an interior designer is one of the most influential decisions you’ll make when reworking your home. The designer you select will shape not only the finished space, but also how the process feels along the way, from early conversations through to installation and completion.
Every studio works differently, so taking time to find the right fit is an important first step. Below are some considerations that can help guide that decision.
Look Locally
Starting your search close to home often brings unexpected advantages. A local interior designer is more likely to understand the character of the area, the types of properties within it, and the practicalities that come with them.
Personal recommendations can also be invaluable. Hearing about someone else’s experience, how the designer communicated, managed challenges, and delivered the final result, often gives a clearer picture than a website alone. A designer who comes recommended already arrives with a level of trust.
Spend Time With Their Work
A designer’s portfolio offers insight into how they think, not just how they style. Look beyond individual rooms and consider the overall feel of their projects. Do the homes feel cohesive? Do they appear thoughtfully planned and comfortable to live in?
It’s also helpful to notice the types of properties they’ve worked on and whether their approach feels suited to your home. Even if you’re unsure of your own style, reviewing portfolios and editorial features can help clarify what you’re drawn to and what feels less right.
Be Honest About the Level of Support You Want
Some clients enjoy being closely involved in every decision, while others prefer a more hands-off experience. Understanding where you sit on that spectrum will help you choose a designer whose way of working aligns with your expectations.
An experienced, hands-on studio can take responsibility for managing the detail, coordinating trades and suppliers, and guiding decisions throughout. This often results in a more cohesive outcome and a calmer experience, particularly for larger or more complex projects.
Have Clarity Around Budget
Budget is an important part of the conversation, and it’s helpful to have an idea of your comfort zone before speaking with a designer. Different studios work with different suppliers and levels of finish, so early clarity allows for honest discussions about what’s achievable.
A good designer will help you understand how to prioritise spend, where to invest, and where flexibility exists, ensuring expectations are aligned from the outset.
Meet in Person
An initial meeting is as much about connection as it is about design. Talking through your home, your ideas, and your priorities in person allows both you and the designer to gauge whether the relationship feels right.
This meeting should feel collaborative and open, with no pressure. Trust your instincts, if the conversation flows easily and you feel understood, it’s often a good sign. Equally, if it doesn’t feel quite right, it’s perfectly fine to continue your search.
Trust and Confidence
Above all, choosing the right interior designer comes down to trust. A designer’s role is to guide you, challenge assumptions where appropriate, and introduce ideas you may not have considered before.
The most successful projects tend to be those where clients feel confident in the designer’s judgement, even when decisions feel unfamiliar at first. It’s often those moments of trust that result in the most rewarding and distinctive spaces.
Finding the Right Fit
Interior design is a collaborative process, and the right partnership can transform not just your home, but your experience of creating it.
If you’re based locally and considering reworking your home, exploring portfolios and having an initial conversation can be a helpful way to understand whether a designer’s approach feels aligned with you. When the fit is right, the process becomes something to enjoy — not endure.