Hello!

Designers are experts, with a wide range of knowledge and resources. Even if you love design, I have the expertise that allows me to problem solve! Be it a furniture piece, style of wallpaper, paint finish, space planning issue, etc…. I will generally be able to offer a solution in ways that you can’t!

I feel I’m similar to any other specialist, like a mechanic or even just your local nail tech. You may have an interest in and ability to do something, but sometimes you still get stuck and need a pro. Or a lot of times people just don’t have the time or the desire to design their homes, despite having a interest in it.

Not at all. My job is not to come in and redesign your home the way I want it– my job is to help you, with the aforementioned knowledge and resources, redesign your home the way YOU want it.

If you hire me, our first meeting will involve a detailed questionnaire from me about you, your family, your home, your likes & dislikes, your desires, how you use your home, how you’d like to use it, etc. I design for you.

It definitely depends on the designer. If you are looking to hire one, be sure to ask how they charge (there are a lot of different ways) as well as how much.

I pride myself on being affordable, not only in my design fee but also by working with all budgets. 

All interior designers charge differently.

I charge a flat rate design fee that covers our time together, space planning, drawings, and a general color and furniture scheme. I charge this fee instead of charging hourly, which can get very expensive very fast.

My design fee ranges depending on the project: type of room and the scope of the design. My fee ranges from $1000-2000 per room, with the upper end of that range usually applying to projects like kitchens, which require a LOT of planning and work, or rooms where we’re going to do a lot of construction, etc, where the planning will be more intense (drawing and designing custom built-ins, for example). If we’re going to design more than one room at once I will also charge a combined fee, so 2 rooms that would normally be $1000 each becomes a $1500 fee.

Is $1000-2000 a fortune? Yes, and no. Labor is the most expensive part of home renovation, and that includes my, the designer’s, labor. And while I understand that its a lot of money to shell out at once, its actually a not a lot for my labor when I break down how much time I spend on a project! And there are designers who charge 2-5x that as a flat fee, so I am affordable as designers go.

No. As mentioned, there are a lot of ways designers charge and it’s important to figure out how that is for someone you’d like to hire. I can go over my charging in detail if you’d like. Just give me a call or send an email!

My fee structure is as follows: I charge a flat fee and then an item markup. This markup is generally 30% (never more than that), and it is on trade items only. I do not charge a markup on retail items; for those items I usually make a small profit on the back-end with a trade discount.

For example, we agree on a desk from West Elm, which costs $300. I will charge you $300. (I may have bought it for less than this, but you will always be charged the retail price and no more).

For trade items, let’s say we decide on designer wallpaper that isn’t available to you to buy without a designer (hence, a to-the-trade item). My cost as a designer is $100/roll. I will charge you $130/roll: my cost plus 30% markup.

Why is my fee structure this way? As I mentioned, labor is always the most expensive part of a renovation/redesign and I’m a part of that! My flat fee is a retainer of sorts, and helps to cover my time/labor for the general bits of the job: travel time, drafting time, space planning, providing furniture layout options, initial piece options, color scheme options, etc.

The markup, if it applies, is a fee specific to an item, and is compensation for my time spent with that item: ordering it with the right fabric and specifications, etc. I also assume responsibility for these items: I will handle following up on their progress, I’ll handle shipping, and if there are problems with the item, I’ll handle that too.

Additionally, I charge a 15% markup on other contractor’s labor, if I’m using my own guys and I am managing them. If you use your own painter to paint the room, then there is no markup. And while I of course will work with your painter, I generally won’t manage them, and if there is a mistake or they do a bad job, that is unfortunately for you to handle. If I use my own painter, I will manage their work, including, most importantly, I will assume responsibility for ensuring a positive end result. This is what that markup is for.

Only if you want me to! 😉

First of all, we will discuss your budget at our very first meeting and revisit it often. I will always work within your budget, and if for some reason we need to stray from it or spend a little more on something, that will never be done without your express input, knowledge, and agreement.

It is true that designers make more money on to-the-trade items. In fact, there are designers who won’t take jobs where the budget isn’t there for designer pieces. I am not that designer. I understand and respect budgets, and I believe that beautiful design and a small budget are not mutually exclusive!

Designers definitely have a rep for being expensive, and for that expense coming from fancy designer furniture.

I love designer furniture, but I also love retail! There are a lot of companies out there with gorgeous design and solid craftsmanship.

The reasons I, and other designers, love designer furniture is not because it’s expensive and therefore makes us money. The reasons are that it allows for so many options: customization and coordination, mainly. Meaning, with designer furniture we can customize the sizing, the cushions, the arm shape, the wood finish, the fabric… everything. Retail pieces offer some customization options but not to the extent designer pieces do. And, we can coordinate among items in a room more easily with designer pieces, since everything is so customizable: we can match/coordinate finishes and fabrics in a lot more ways, allowing for a completely tailored, cohesive look. 

Designers– and especially homeowners!– love the fact that their piece was made just for them. For some people it’s important that they don’t own things that everyone else has.

And most importantly, to-the-trade manufacturers make quality furniture: it’s built well, it’s sturdy, the finishes are beautiful and applied correctly, the upholstery job is right. This is important to me for many reasons, as you can imagine. 

Ideally, your budget would allow for items from places like CB2 and West Elm. These retailers allow for gorgeous design and reasonable prices, but are still well made.

If your budget is more suited to Target and IKEA, we can still work with that. My issues with these places is quality, because neither of us want to spend the time (and you the money) on things that are going to break quickly, or the finish rubs off, etc. Let’s talk!

Honestly, we can try!

A lot of designer pieces aren’t outrageously expensive, believe it or not. Since they don’t have retail stores (most have to the trade showrooms, and not many) they have lower overhead and can offer reasonable prices.

I’ve found that the real issue with these orders is the shipping! These companies usually don’t offer freight shipping to residential addresses, they will only ship to a receiver (a warehouse with a loading dock). You, the customer, have to pay the freight from the manufacturer to the receiver, and then shipping from the receiver to your home. It can add up: for example, we’re paying about $500 for these combined shipping costs for a sofa bed for a client. That can really eat into a budget, and something else we need could be achieved with that $500.

It’s all just things to be considered. I will work with you to make your design dreams a reality! and a realistic reality!

No! There will definitely be restrictions on what we can do with a small budget– most construction and designer furniture, etc, won’t be a possibility. So if taking that wall down is a priority for you, we’ll need to talk. But if you just want a room refresh, we can definitely do new (retail) furniture and paint for not a lot of money! There are some gorgeous and well-made retail options out there; I’m confident we can do something you’ll love. 

I’m also open to working with you in creative ways. Maybe we can do the space planning, color and furniture scheme now, then buy the pieces over time. Let’s talk!

Absolutely! And a healthy budget doesn’t just translate, for me, to getting the most expensive couch available. It means more options! Maybe taking down walls, wallpaper instead of paint, custom cabinetry, new windows & doors, etc!

I can help!

You need a budget. It’s actually not helpful to tell me, “I don’t have a budget” or “just get whatever is reasonable.” “Reasonable” is highly subjective: sofas can cost anywhere from $600-$8000+. What in that range is reasonable to you? You might say you don’t have a budget, but then scoff at the idea of a $4000 sofa. 

I can help you set a budget by talking about the usual costs for things in the design you’d like. We can talk about your comfort level with per-item costs. We can talk about what various construction or other labor costs are, and go from there.

Similarly, what you want in the design will necessitate a certain budget, which we’ll talk about. As mentioned, if you want new built-ins, that’s going to require some money. If you know you want silk curtains, that’s going to be more than cotton. . . .

Once we talk about what you like and what you want, we can set a general budget together. You may not know that sofas can cost between $600-7000, but once I tell you that, I’m sure you will have a number in there that feels right to you. And I will work within that comfort zone!

You do not have to use my contractors. If you have people you love, great! If you don’t, no problem! 

As for doing things yourself, with me, that is a possibility. the reason I, and most designers, are hesitant about this is because we are ultimately the ones responsible for a design. So if you paint or tile badly, not only can it hurt the design, but we don’t want to be responsible for it!

If you’d like to do things yourself in an effort to save money, I applaud you. I did the same in my house– even teaching myself how to tile! But I may have you sign some paperwork where we just agree that you are going to do it and that I will not be held responsible for any problems with it. Not that I doubt your abilities, but I do need to protect myself!

I will work with you wherever you are in the US!

I’m based in Ridgefield, CT, which is in Fairfield County. For that reason, working within Connecticut and Westchester County, NY, is my home base. 

I would love to design for you wherever you are, but of course that entails some additional issues. One is cost, as you would be responsible for my travel costs (mileage, flights, hotels, etc) where applicable. Beyond cost, if I’m working in an area where I don’t have my usual squad of contractors, we’ll need to find some good ones where you are! No big deals, just things to think about.

I don’t think so. I’m telling you things before you meet with me, which may be rare. Anyone you hire should tell you all of this when they meet with you!

I believe in transparency. I don’t like being surprised with extra fees or charges and I try to treat people the way I like to be treated. 

I also want to try to convince those of you who are hesitant to hire a designer to do it! That maybe you can afford it.