Finding Your Interiors Professional and the “Barrier to Entry”
Back in August 2022, the Financial Times published a great article called “How to Choose a Good Interior Designer.” If you are considering hiring an interiors professional, I would highly recommend giving the article a read as it offers some wonderful suggestions on how to narrow your options.
The first line reads, “[t]he problem with the interior design industry is that there are almost no barriers to entry.” In the United States, this is certainly true. Some states require a degree or license, but many (including North Carolina, where I reside) do not. Nowadays, the design industry is filled with professionals who have pivoted from a former career. Sometimes this previous career was creative, and many times it was not.
I want to expand on that first line of the FT article and offer my own take on finding the perfect fit for you. In my opinion, a degree is not what you need to look for in an interior designer, decorator, or stylist. The “barrier to entry”––the one that we really, actually care about––is something that cannot be taught. The “barrier to entry” is acquiring a set of skills that is only tested through market performance (i.e. a client’s attraction to your work) in the real world. A space is not defined by the things that are in it, but rather by how these items are paired together to create a mood, feeling, story, or conversation.
You want to find the person/team who has a creatively honed eye for design and whose work you adore. Browsing Instagram and an interior designer’s website should make you feel something––whatever style they have, you want to devour more of it! Yearning is your sign that a designer can create unique designs that will meet your taste. What grips you is a designer’s lifetime of experience and continuous visual editing of the surrounding world, regardless of traditional training or not.
Of course, you also want to place heavy value on finding someone who can bring their amazing creations to fruition. To launch an incredible idea still requires all of the same professional skills we find in other non-creative industries. Here are my four suggestions if you are searching for the right fit for your project:
1) A good listener that understands your goals and how to stretch you stylistically. I aim to push my clients a few steps beyond their current comfort zone to ensure that they are happy for longer.
2) A problem solver who has your back when things don’t go as planned. I think this is so important in any industry. Everyone can function well when things go according to plan. The same cannot be said when delivery delays and damaged goods are on the table. There are varying degrees to which a designer might get involved in these situations depending on how their services are outlined. At Cobblestone Lane Gallery, I am involved at every step.
3) Someone who is personable. Not only will you be going back and forth with your decorator often, but your designer needs to communicate collaboratively with all parties behind the scenes. This is how you keep your timelines as tidy as possible and your costs (and stress!) lower.
4) Someone who offers the specialty that you need and the right number of people to do it. Some designers focus on renovations, love interfacing with contractors, and require a team of ten. Others are strictly e-design. Make sure you are selecting a designer that is the right tool for the job.
I am an interior decorator/stylist and art consultant and the intersection of art and design is where I excel. My speciality is in providing a finishing service. I love to blend old and new furniture pieces and artwork, and I help bolster these pieces with artistic textiles and wallpapers. I use my art world experience often––to work with clients and artists to commission and source the perfect artwork as part of a broader design; to pair patterns and colors in fine wallpapers, fabrics, and artworks seamlessly; and to help my clients build art collections to love and enjoy as part of broader design projects. You can find a full list of my services listed on my website.
I hope these tips for finding an interiors professional have been helpful to you, and I hope you’ll reach out if you have a project that sounds like it could be a good fit! From art to furniture and beyond, happy decorating!
––Tc