Guide
Category: Working with a Designer · Reading time: 6 minutes
Choosing an interior designer is one of the most personal hiring decisions you'll make as a homeowner. You're inviting someone into the most private corners of your life — your routines, your taste, your relationship with the people you live with — and trusting them to translate all of that into rooms that feel like a better version of you.
It's worth taking the time to choose well. After more than a decade running Breathe Design Studio, here's the framework we'd give a close friend who was beginning the search.
1. Get clear on what you actually need
Before you start interviewing designers, get clear on the scope of your project. Are you doing a full-home renovation? A single primary bath gut? A furnishings refresh on a recently completed build? The right designer for each is different.
Also be honest about the budget you're working with. A range is fine — you don't need a precise number — but knowing whether the project is $50K or $500K helps both you and the designer assess fit quickly.
2. Vet for fit beyond the aesthetic
Aesthetic alignment matters, but it's not the whole picture. A designer-client relationship typically runs six to eighteen months for full-service work. You're choosing a working partner.
In the initial conversation, pay attention to how they listen. Do they ask thoughtful questions about how you actually live, or do they jump to design solutions? Do they push back gently on assumptions, or just agree with everything you say? The designers worth hiring will respectfully challenge you on at least one thing in the first meeting.
3. Ask for client references — and actually call them
Reviews online tell you what someone wanted to publish. A twenty-minute phone call with a former client tells you what it's actually like to live through a project with this designer. Any designer with a healthy practice will be happy to make the introduction.
Questions worth asking the reference: Were you well-informed throughout the process? How did the designer handle problems? Were they on budget, or did surprises emerge? Would you hire them again?
4. Understand how they price
There's no single right way to price design work. Some firms charge flat fees per room or phase. Some bill hourly. Some take a percentage of the project budget. Some blend models.
5. Discuss timing and availability honestly
Great designers are often booked months out. If you're working to a specific timeline — a baby on the way, an out-of-state move, a window before you list the home — surface that early. Some firms can accommodate fast starts. Most cannot. Knowing the constraints upfront saves both sides from wasted conversations.
The best designer-client relationships start with honest, specific conversations. The wrong fit reveals itself in the first hour if you're paying attention.
Our approach at Breathe
Our complimentary Discovery Call is designed exactly for this kind of mutual vetting. About thirty minutes, no pressure, no slide deck. We'll ask about your project. You'll ask about ours. By the end, both sides should have a clear sense of whether we're the right designer for what you're trying to do.
If we're not the right fit, we'll say so and point you toward someone better suited. We'd rather decline a project than take on one that's better matched to another studio.
Let's design a home that breathes.
Ready to start the conversation? Our complimentary Discovery Call is the right first step.
Schedule a complimentary Discovery Call
512.994.0350 · hello@breathedesignstudio.com · @breathedesign