5 Things Interior Designers Are Not Telling You

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2 Contents Introduction... 3 They Get A Referral Payment... 3 You Can Get A Similar Item At A Lower Price... 4 They Are Using Leftover Inventory... 4 They Do Not Reveal The Full Costs... 5 You Can Hire An Interior Design Student

3 Introduction Hiring an interior designer is a daunting task as this is not a very well regulated industry. If you do not know the interior designer personally, even when it is recommended by friends, you might still be in for an unknown ride. You may be surprised at how the industry operates with vendors ranging from shady to the known and trusted. The objective of this ebook is to highlight what is happening behind the scenes when you are working with your interior designer. When you are equipped with this knowledge, you will be in a better position to manage your vendor and not let them step all over you. They Get A Referral Payment Some interior designers have special relationships with flooring, furniture and paint vendors and get a discount for using their products. The key question to ask here is if your decorator is willing to pass along those savings to you! An interior designer could very well charge the full amount, if not more, on those items. This allows the decorator to turn a hefty profit just by using specific products, let alone the fees you're paying them. Some will continually use their preferred vendors because they can make more money from them, not necessarily because the products are the best choice for the client. Be mindful of this and ask your decorator if she's willing to allow you to benefit from any savings that get passed to her. Or, provide her with a list of your own preferred vendors. 3

4 You Can Get A Similar Item At A Lower Price Little do you know, you can order those insanely expensive curtains from an online wholesaler at a much lower price. And that leather couch? Unless you're adamant about having the real thing, imitation leather looks just as nice and will help you cut down on your spending. Talk to your interior designer about your budget from the very beginning, and be very direct with how much you're willing to spend -- including taxes, fees and shipping charges. If you've fallen in love with an item that's way over your budget, talk to your interior designer about finding a similar, less expensive counterpart. That's the beauty of hiring a pro; they will know of something that fits your ideal décor scheme or lead you in an equally gorgeous but more attainable direction. They Are Using Leftover Inventory Sometimes, interior designers have leftover inventory from previous clients that, for whatever reason, they couldn't return to the store or warehouse. They might try to use that inventory in your space in order to get it off their books. If that red chair that you absolutely despise keeps showing up in your living room, make sure to keep an open line of communication with your designer about it. At the end of the day, your decorator shouldn't include things in your space that you just aren't crazy about. You're paying her to create a space that you love, not to take furnishings off of her back. 4

5 They Do Not Reveal The Full Costs The most famous thing interior designers don t tell you are the costs associated with their services. They will usually start off with a free consultation, but then they will tell you that the costs are determined as the work is being done. Then after the work is done, the client is faced with a huge unexpected bill that they did not budget for. But, it doesn t stop with just the cost to the client. Often times, the interior designers don t tell people that they have affiliations with their architects and decorators. This means that the interior designers get kickbacks for outsourcing to these service providers. Most clients don t even realize this and then end up paying for the fees of multiple service providers. The interior designer won t even tell the client that they are getting money from these providers in addition to the clients themselves. You Can Hire An Interior Design Student Yes you can! Most design schools have programs where students put their skills to the test for class credit or experience in the field. Often, their services are much cheaper than someone who already has a degree. Watch out, though, because this option does have some risk attached to it. You are, after all, taking a gamble on a student who may or may not fully understand the rules of design. However, you'll be saving a good chunk of money in the process! You can even hire the student to work with some parts of your room, while saving the more difficult tasks for someone with more experience. For example, having a student help you arrange furniture in your space is a great idea, but talk to a professional about what type of fabric should get to recover your couch and loveseat. 5

6 If you're willing to take the risk of hiring a student, the reward could pay off big in the end -- it's possible that he or she could turn out to be the next big thing. In that case, you've had the Picasso of designers work on your room, which is a priceless perk! Thank You For Reading This Ebook. For Professional Interior Design Services Please Visit Our Website 6