I've always made those choices myself (and enjoyed it) but in hindsight it might have been nice to have professional help. Perhaps it's possible to set up what you are thinking (so you set the style, tone) and then have a consult from a designer? I have no idea what they would charge. or maybe if you saw some samples of their work, you could have a sense if they would suit your taste or not. Good luck!

We hired an interior designer and it saved us so much time. In addition to all the interior selections, we have 6 areas with custom ceiling details and everything falls within the "theme" of the house, from inside to outside.

I did it all. It's okay. I spent a ton of time and energy on it. People seem to really like the selections but I think I could have done a little bit better. I would hire someone if I ever do it again.

Unless design is your passion and you have 20+ hours a week to commit to material selection and shopping - hire a designer. You will get a better quality project and they know where to save and where to splurge. Also they have a huge knowledge of products/manufacturers so if product x doesn't fit into your budget they likely have a whole back pocket full of similar items that do.

Yes! We have a fantastic interior designer that saves us so much time. There's a TON of selection out for every minute detail. Unless you have a lot of time and knowledge of all material sources, it's hard to gather all the information you need. It's easier if you know you're going to use the same counter top, tile, flooring, hardware, and plumbing fixtures in every room but if you have the mind to have some variation in every room that follows a general theme, an interior designer is invaluable. Also, they'll help with lighting design with a mind towards furniture arrangement, color choices, window treatments and possibly furniture selection. Ours also has her builders license, so she can act as an advocate on construction quality if she sees something out of place.

It takes a ton of time to do it well. I'm a stay at home mother, my last went to kindergarten this Sept when the project started. Thank goodness!! I'll be so excited when it's all done, but some days weeks it's felt like a full time job. Not to toot my own horn, but I am pretty good at this, I've got a great relationship with my project manager, so that was in line. But I'll be psyched when this job is done, because it has been that busy.

We've done everything ourselves, and by we, I mean me, while DH says, "Yeah".. lol. This is really a personal choice for you, and the most important question you need to ask yourself is, do you have the time? It takes an exhausting amount of time to design a house. If you do have the time, the silver lining is that you can save a lot of money by shopping around.

I had not planned to use a designer, but I found myself relying on our kitchen designer (who is also an interior designer) more and more. Her insight and vision for the "whole house" was invaluable. So we hired her in that capacity also, and I will never regret it. Money well spent.

Other than her help with specific selections, she has helped me to see how I plan use spaces and how we will live in the house. From the start, she brought to me dozens of fabrics, different materials, color patterns, etc...and based on which ones I was drawn to, she was able to pull together a color pallet that smoothly runs throughout the house. She said "trust me, you will see how this will be helpful", and she is so right! That one exercise has made most decisions easier in terms of eliminating and narrowing down the infinite choices to be made. She also sees the things that I don't see, subtle not obvious things, like.....colors that read too "yellow", floor stains that may be too "grey" or "red", movement between the different living spaces ....these are the nuances that I don't see or don't know what to look for in a particular space.

And there have been times when we don't agree, and she can recognize and spell out when it is simply a difference of taste between us, and when it is something much bigger, like an issue where elements don't work together or flow well. Her ego is not tied to her choices, and this is essential. She sees the "big picture" so much better than I ever could.

Honestly, I had underestimated the value of having a designer, and I am so glad that our circumstances brought us together. My life is easier because of it.

Thank you, everyone, for your insightful comments. I believe the consensus here is that I should stick with my gut instinct to say "yes, help me!" rather than trying to do it all on my own. So, then, that brings me to another question: when choosing finishes for your home, did you splurge in some areas and save in others, thinking that you could switch out finishes at a later date? This is our (hopefully) final home and we're wanting to do it right, but I'm also fine with putting laminate counters in the mudroom/utility room and IKEA lights in the rarely used upstairs bathroom if it means I can have gorgeous reading lights next to my bed and the landscaping done before we move in. Thoughts?

I've done my own selections. I am comfortable to do it again because I enjoy it. It's a lot easier with the internet.

I suggest you ask this question at the Home Decorating Forum, too. They will help you to understand the designer's role, strengths and limitations. They will help make you a better consumer.

My advice would be to try to select very neutral permanent items such as tiles and flooring. Other items such as paint and fabric can be changed should you create a disaster. Lighting fixtures and hardware fall somewhere in the middle. Enjoy it and embrace it.

One other item. Don't be afraid to put up a cheap temporary light fixture. It takes time to pick the right ones and you may have to make a quick decision. Don't buy something unless you like it.

You might think about whether or not you would be a good candidate for a designer. Some of the pros on here mention Trust as a key factor in working with an architect and I think that goes for working with designers, too. We did not use an interior designer; if we build again, I doubt we will use an interior designer unless the architect also is willing to take that on.

(As a gift, a friend paid for us to have a consultation with an interior design firm to help with furnishings . . . it did not go that well.)

IKEA has a lot of good stuff. Have fun and best of luck with your decisions!

Oaktown, what didn't go so well when you met with the designer? Can you elaborate?

Actually met with the design firm twice plus emailed back and forth. I think on my part it was a trust issue and on their part I wasn't trendy enough :-P

If it is color and style, I'll do those portions myself. A designer that focuses on color and style will find you the best of these things if you plan to move in a few years, but they will never really know YOU. And the colors and style YOU find to be YOUR home, and not a page out of Better Homes and Gardens -- may well serve you best.

If you want someone to help design the best kitchen layout, I'd consider a kitchen designer (and/or bring your thoughts to the Kitchen forum here).

In my case for color, I picked the Sherwin-Williams color coordination scheme that most fits ME, and I'm running with that. (Sherwin-Williams, Behr, and other companies provide color sheets to help out.) In the SW case, they give examples for bold, moderate, and subtle within those color schemes -- I'm going moderate, because that's me.

Summary: for interior style or color: NO. For ideas for kitchen or closet layout -- worth considering!

I would love to hire an interior designer to help me make choices. That's where I get the most freaked out. I know what I like and what I am trying to achieve but putting everything together is my biggest concern.

honestly, other than the designers associated with furniture stores...I do not know of any local interior designers in my area. Pretty rural.

ILoveRed, you know the folks in Home Decorating will do consults for free! ;-)

While we did not use an interior designer to pick finishes, I did get input from the architect about the general direction of selections, and if I really got stuck could run items by the architect for a thumbs up/thumbs down. I did a lot of measuring, drawing elevations for the bathrooms (sconces, mirrors, shelving, tile height, etc.), measuring, checking faucet reach, height, compatibility with sink drain location, etc. Luckily I only messed up one sink. Repeating elements helps cut down on the number of decisions you'll need to make.

This is a very interesting discussion! I was thinking, personally I would hire a designer if I believed they could help me/my house be even more cohesively and successfully "me", but there are certainly other avenues.... Some designers would be hired because of their own unique style. A few years ago, I had an hour or two of advising that went very well, but we spent it with the designer showing me how better to use the furnishings we had in the living room, as opposed to mapping out a new plan. I learned a lot and that has been very helpful.

"Repeating elements helps cut down on the number of decisions you'll need to make."

great advice. I will remember this.

This is a helpful thread. My architect suggested waiting until we can walk into and see the spaces to decide -- he said something along the lines of " the house will tell you what it wants." I know I'm not great at seeing undertones in colors, and he said he will help with that. We will be buying a good deal of new furniture and probably will need to custom order the upholstered pieces, so I'll probably make limited use of the ID associated with the local shop I like the best.

Yes to repeating elements. In fact we intend to use the same paint and trim throughout. After living in a 1930s house that doesn't want to be cohesive and, although I love it here, I crave cohesion for a change!

Mojomom, our architect said the same thing :-)

Mojo mom...your architect has a good point. Especially when it comes to colors and textiles. But, what freaks me out are the architectural elements that need to be decided upon ahead of time. That need to be planned for ie: wainscoting, ceiling treatments, shiplap, etc. This is where I'm afraid I'm going to screw up.

You'll be fine. Spend some time looking at houses online. Collect some ideas, buy some magazines and look a bunch of pictures on Houzz. You will start to see that there is a common theme. Work from there. You will do fine.

ILoveRed, can you arrange a meeting or conference call with the architect, GC and finish carpenter?

We had an initial finish carpentry meeting/walkthrough during framing with the architect on the phone where we worked through a lot of items -- not just which rooms and how to transition (stairway might deserve extra thought) but also, e.g.:

the shiplap board alignment is based on the trim between the windows/doors and transoms to carry that line around the room; the bathroom wainscot, shower pony wall, bath cabinet base and top of console backsplash are aligned; how to handle outside corners; reveal sizes; ceiling treatment spacing taking into consideration recessed lighting; etc. Some things got worked out later (e.g. detail near stair stringer). The one thing I would change if I had to do it again is to make sure folks are coordinated so that in all of the rooms with shiplap, the shiplap could be the base without any extra molding. Worked out in the master bath with the tile folks but not in areas with the wood flooring. But I think it would be rare for anyone to notice.

(Thinking about it, next time I also would work some of the out with the plans rather than waiting for framing -- the earlier the better, so you can get pricing.)

Also, architect tip for items laid in rows like tile, shiplap, maybe pavers etc. it's often a good idea to start with a reference line.

The key with a designer is that you and him/her have to be able to have a good working relationship and y'all have to have compatible aesthetics. If you aren't compatible then the budget and end result will be all wrong. We've worked with three different designers before. The first time it didn't work at all and we ended up not even using the designer. We clearly expressed to the team that we wanted a British East Indies look and they gave us a plan that was Chinese/Japanese.

The sitting room they were supposed to help us with ended up not being decorated until years later when I was waiting in a long line at Hobby Lobby of all places. I started talking with a woman behind me who is an interior designer and the chemistry between us was great so I asked her to come over to see if she could help me with the sitting room. Not only did she understand my aesthetic but she helped me stay under budget. We liked working with her so much she helped us with some custom window treatments and with redoing some built-ins.

I think you're making a good choice to use a designer. I didn't, but I kind of wish I did. I do like the choices I made, but I really do think I've been spending at least 15-20 hours per week poring over choices. I've ordered and returned a million mirrors, lights, bathroom hardware pieces, etc. So far, I'm happy with the choices I've made, other than a couple of layout related ones (not functional, just aesthetic, and relatively minor in the grand scheme of things) that would be very expensive to change now. Maybe a designer would have noticed that, if engaged from the beginning?

Oaktown...we have lots of time, because we are doing some major work by the water and building a new boat house so I am going to try to figure out a lot of this ahead of time as you suggested. I hired Martha, an architect from this board to help us with some plan changes and she is going to help me with architectural elements as well. She lives 2hrs from me but when we get closer to building I think I will try to set something up between she, I, and the GC.

You mentioned the shiplap being used to the floor in lieu of base molding...is that what you meant?? Apparently you think this would look better than base trim?

TY

If you have the visual "eye" then no you don't need a designer. However if you cannot visualize, do yourself a favor and hire someone to pull it all together. My neighbor just used a designer and it really helped her to create a comfortable space that is wow and works for her.

CP...I don't have the visual eye, lol. My son however tested extremely high as a visual spatial thinker. Maybe I need to put him to work ;-)

ILoveRed, we have a small base molding like this where we have wood floors:

Habor Cottage, Maine · More Info

But in the bathroom (tiled) we didn't need the base molding, and I think it would look better for our house:

Cliff Road Area - Nantucket · More Info

A substantial base molding also can look good with shiplap in the right house:

Resident Center · More Info

Our architect made the suggestion about no base in addition to the shiplap. I'm sure you and Martha will have great ideas!

(Sorry for the OT mcothic, also bumping for you . . . )

Yes, sorry mcothic. Didn't mean to hijack. I hope some of this great information helped you in your decision making process. You said that the designer option was significantly more $$$. Did your builder say how much more?

oaktown...thanks for the explanation and the links to these great houses. Very helpful. Bookmarked.

No worries! The builder never did specifically say how much it would cost, I think I just assumed it would be a high per-hour fee. I think I'll do as much research as I can so I'm informed and pretty well certain what I want, then check in with the designer. I'm also interested in this idea of "letting the space tell you what it wants," which, in theory, sounds great, but don't you have to know pretty far in advance to avoid holding up the crews? I mean in terms of what lighting you want in the bathroom so they can run electric and such? Or do you think that by that time, it's easy enough to see what the space will be like?

mcothic, check with your builder to see if you can get a selection deadline/critical path schedule. That will let you know the dates by which you need to have made your selections (e.g. windows, rough plumbing, rough electrical, cabinets, tile, finish plumbing, lighting, etc.).

We had a placeholder electrical plan that we modified once framing was underway. The electricians just needed to know how many outlets, switches, fixtures, and what type (dimmer, recessed, wall, ceiling, separate photocells) etc. And if there were any special requirements, such as to account for weight of heavy chandeliers. I didn't choose the actual lighting fixtures and work out precise placements until later. We made changes along the way, our builder was very flexible, though some will charge change order fees. Good luck!

If you're concerned with cost you don't have to hire the designer to help with everything. For example, you could hire one to help with choosing the overall look of the home such as color palette for creating flow, style of major finishes such as trim and door style, etc. Another option to use the designer for help key areas such as the kitchen.

We've used a designer for some spaces in our current home (master bedroom and bath and sitting room) but some rooms we've handled ourselves (powder room, kids' bedrooms, guest bedroom and playroom) because we were confident that we knew what to do in them. When we put our house on the market we also consulted with a designer about a few minor issues such as what neutral color we should paint the rooms upstairs and which areas of the house were most in need of updating and how. As for doing the actual staging and updating work, we did it ourselves.

Keep in mind that there are different payment methods for designers. Some charge per hour and some charge a percentage on top of what they source for you. Also, find out how and what they charge you for. For example, some charge for shopping for you even if they are shopping for multiple clients at once.

We did not have a designer, but my wife has the eye for design and she did a great job pulling everything together. It did however take 3-4 hours a day on the computer planning and purchasing. I would draw out anything that she had doubts about. It worked out great and we saved a bunch of money but I don't know if I could do it again. If you have the time and eye for design I'd say go for it.