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When decorating and designing your home, office or retail space, there is a good chance that you will want to try to save yourself some money and flex those creative muscles on your own. While there are many great things you can achieve without experience or knowledge, hiring an interior designer not only provides fresh eyes and ideas into the mix but also helps simplify the process and ultimately saves you money.
Johanna Endres-Castillo, Director at Speaking of Interiors
Not convinced? Johanna Endres-Castillo, Director at Speaking of Interiors, a Clapham-based interior design studio, explains why hiring an interior designer could benefit your interiors – and your pocket!
What’s the main benefit of hiring an interior designer vs doing it myself?
Johanna: The trouble with dreams is that you may not necessarily know what to do to make them a reality. An interior designer can help guide you through whilst considering your budget, adding value to your property, and elevating your ideas. Their experience in space planning, use of materials and colour combinations will upscale your vision.
An interior designer will see the full potential of your property, from the best use of lighting and choice of colour, to the best storage solutions and ‘traffic’ flow. They can also tell you what can be achieved realistically; if something is not going to be viable, they will let you know, so you can be confident that your choices will not only look amazing but will also work for you.
Bespoke headboard and styling. Bedroom designed by Speaking of Interiors. View the full project by clicking here: Contemporary Clapham flat
Why should I pay an interior designer rather than spending the money on something else?
Johanna: When working together, not only do you get the expert’s guidance and thinking-outside-of-the-box ideas, but most of our clients find that the overall savings they get through trade discounts outweigh the initial design fee.
When hiring an interior designer, you will usually find there are two types of fees you need to consider:
Interior Design Fee
Every studio calculates this differently, but in a nutshell, it would be the cost of the designer’s experience and the time required for the project. Depending on the size of your project, this can be calculated as an hourly rate or a flat fee. A more established studio will have a much higher rate than a boutique studio, though that’s not to say that smaller studios can’t take on and deliver a project to the same high standard!
Procurement Fee
If you want your designer buy materials, furniture and other items for your project, you can access their trade discounts – from 5% to as much as 50%, depending on the brand and supplier.
This discount may be shared with you, but usually you may be charged a small percentage to cover the admin time of placing orders and coordinating deliveries. Procurement fees generally sit around 10%-15% of the total trade price, but each studio has its own way of calculating this.
For example:
If you buy a sofa directly from the store, it would cost you £5,000.
If your interior designer can get a 30% trade discount, they would pay £3,500. If you buy the sofa through them to access their discount, assuming a 10% procurement fee, they would charge 10% of the total trade price: £350.
Ultimately, you would pay (trade price) + (10% procurement fee) = £3,500 + £350 = £3,850.
A total saving of £1,150 (circa 23%) from the original retail price of £5,000.
Sample mood board for an open space Living, dining and kitchen area for a project in Stockwell.
How would an interior designer help me with my project?
Johanna: There’s a range of interior design solutions available depending on your project’s requirements, but you should expect a personalised design that meets your budget and style. Here are a few examples of the type of service interior design studios offer:
Your design expectations should be based on the type of service you’ve selected – these could go from remote design-only service packages to start-to-completion design services. Costs will vary from studio to studio.
What’s your best advice when working with an interior designer?
Johanna: My motto is ‘communication is king’. Set clear expectations, build a good rapport from the start, and maintain an open and honest line of communication throughout the project’s duration.
No matter how well you plan things for your interior makeover, there is still a chance that things may go wrong, or you may come across an unexpected hurdle you did not know would be a problem. A professional interior design team would recognise the potential for a problem and offer solutions.
About Speaking of Interiors Ltd.
We’re small and thriving Interior Design studio in Clapham. We offer a range of expert, affordable and personalised services for residential and commercial projects in south-west London.
Book a complimentary initial consultation call to speak to our expert team.
Phone: 0203 488 6190
WhatsApp: 0755 131 7374
Website www.speakingofinteriors.com
Email: hello@speakingofinteriors.com
Instagram: @speakingofinteriors
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