You might be able to get a render, but the designer will charge you for however long it takes to do, so it could be a few hours of design work depending on how much detail is going into it.

When I was remodeling the bathrooms in my previous house I knew a designer that was willing to consult and draw up scaled plans with the tiles and fixtures I picked out. I got billed for however many hours it took. I used the plans to get accurate quotes from the GC I was using for the remodeling, so it was worth spending that money up front.

First you need to find a designer willing to work under your terms. Many have minimum project hours. While it might be your goal to spend as little money with a designer as possible, the designer's goal is likely to make money.

Like architects, most designers prefer to be presented with design goals or problems, not floor plans.

Call around and see if someone is interested in your project and then ask them their preferred process for best results.

I'm reasonably computer savvy (I used to use CAD, but that was 10 years ago...). Do you think I can handle the render myself?

Have you tried any of the online design sites? We have used Havenly for 4 different designs in our house. It's a flat (very cheap) fee with the only caveat that they only source from online retailers that they have agreements with - but that covers pretty much everything a low-budget design would use anyway. You're just not going to get super high end custom furniture. (We have stuff from Wayfair, West Elm, Pottery Barn, Article, Rove Concepts, Annie Selke, Ballard Designs, etc.). Havenly does renderings for you as well, which is really nice. Our designer even updated the rendering after we went a different direction on the color of our couch.

Haven't tried modsy but heard they are good as well.

Honestly for what you are looking for, it's probably your best bet.

You can post here your dilemma and a lot of people would willing to help you with an options and ideas.

As Kristen mentioned, it depends on the designer. Some will do whatever you want them to do and others have a method that they stick to. Many designers who take smaller projects and work on an hourly basis may not even provide mood boards or floorplans, but may have relationships with local furniture stores and go shopping with you once you've discussed your design plan. You will just have to ask a lot of question, but at least you're aware of what your expectations are.

Hate to say it, but most established designers wouldn't take a project like yours. Too small and not worth the time. You might consider seeing if there's are college students studying interior design who might take your project for a smaller hourly rate to help build their own portfolios.

My contractor's "designer" worked on an hourly basis. However, I was disappointed.

I'd like to know:

"Your budget doesn't stretch.........."

Give us an idea of the actual dollars that IF presented with an invoice for time would put you over the ledge.

Cad..... floor plans blah blah:

No designer wants you doing that. You can show any designer rooms you love, gather up inspo pictures , include the tiniest of details. You want it designed - but no decent designer is an "order taker" . Defeats the entire purpose, Yours and hers.

You're a "new homeowner" ...........

Okay, what type of home. How large? How small? How many beds, baths. Does it have a living, dining, family room etc . Where IS the home?

How decisive are you? WHY IS THIS QUESTION IN BOLD AND CAPS?

Because you are talking about hours. In a scenario where a designer would give you two or three options for any given element - a coffee table for instance, ( she already understands your look, your style, your inspos) , could you select "THAT one!" . Or is this likely to become a case of the endless "let's keep looking".

Sourcing takes time, and time is money. It takes time, because it involves a domino effect. One decision will impact another. One finish, one size or shape can change what surrounds that selection. It isn't JUST get me table, a lamp.

Thus I will ask:

If you had a scenario in the middle of Ohio, a three bed 1400 sq foot home, living, dining, and a designer said:

" I will plan and source the entire home for you, take into account that which you own and can be re purposed, source the new, select your paint color/s ......advise all necessary elements in each room, rugs to seating, to case pieces, to toss pillows and art on the walls. To bed linens, bedside tables E.V.E.R.Y single thing.

I will oversee the install and placement. I will sell you everything at 15% over my cost and charge you 150.00 an hour to do it.....and I estimate the entire project to take 100 hours soup to nuts if you are not a hand wringer and invoice for those hours will be: 15,000.

That's about the only way, any designer with any reasonable experience, talent, taste etc will do HOURS that result in a very good result for you. In the middle of the country.....: )

Make a list of all the questions you have and issues you want help with and post it here along with pictures of your space. Not only will you get some great answers, but you can start to get a very realistic perspective of how complex your design needs are. They might be exactly what you thought, or they might have some pandoras boxes that you never even considered. Best to test this out, and see if you have any buried surprises, for free on Houzz than with a designer who you have already signed a contract with.

There are different kinds of design services. At the outset of finding a designer let them know your budget, that you want hourly service, and the kind of help you will need. There are all kinds of designers out there and you just need to find someone who does tons of this kind of thing to make a living rather than the kinds of designers who will don't do this work.

You could be a good candidate for an online service. Those places are specifically for people who have a tight budget and need decorative recommendations more so than a huge interior design project.

Just found this on the Spruce. Maybe it is useful.

Best Online Interior Design Services of 2023

• Best Overall: Decorilla
• Best on a Budget: Havenly
• Best All-in-One Package: roomLift
• Best 3D Room Designs: Stuccco
• Best Online Consultations: The Expert
• Best for Swatch Samples: Serena & Lily
• Best Free Service: Crate & Barrel

You can also schedule free design consults with various chain stores and get different ideas from different stores that you then can pick and choose from. I did this with Room and Board. I gave them a very basic floor plan of my apartment with measurements, doors, windows, and they did a lot of layouts using different pieces of their furniture.

Thank you Jan and Kendrah for your insights. Clearly I may have a mistaken understanding of how designers work (I have seen per-hour rates online for some of the designers that I'm interested in, but that could simply be for simple consultations rather than bigger projects). I will discuss with a few designers in my market how they would want to approach this project – it seems like they are the best/only people who can answer this question for me.

A designer I talked with said she could charge by the hour or by the job, and that I could make that choice.

Havenly or a similar online service is what you need. I used Havenly (which is why I named them here) for help with two rooms and they did a great job. Their services are often on sale.

If you're willing to do all that work, why do you need a designer in the first place?

It's insulting to want to hire someone because of the expertise s/he has, and then to try to diminish that experience by nickle and diming the process.

Try living in your home for six months to get a sense of what you want to enjoy when you're home. Save your pennies while you're doing that. Then maybe you'll be ready to hire an expert.

I have worked a couple times now with a truly by the 90 minute/consult with us on anything. It was fantastic and something I could manage budget wise. I had papers with my bad drawings and questions ready. I ripped through details and wrote it diwn as I was expected to take my own notes.  It wasn't required, but I put together inspo pics on canva. For one visit I had pics of a couple couches and lighting options in my budget that I liked and she helped me pick the best combo.  Not everyone has the same business model regardless of what the frequent posters on here say. If they offer to consult hourly, the more you front load and get your ideas/questions into a communicatable format, the more you will get out of it. I paid well for their time and expertise. 375 for 90 minutes in my home.  They did not in any way make me feel uncomfortable with my budget/process.

Thanks kj very helpful – sounds some designers do hourly consultations, and that you had a good experience. Did your designer provide you with any finished products (mood boards, floor layouts, etc) or did you do that yourself?

The firm offers design drawings if you want to contract with them for a bigger interaction. For the consult, they were very clear note taking was ly respobsibility. They were mine for that 90 minutes but did no other work/write up outside of that. I've been able to get detailed bids from contractors with my notes and the details I hammered out in the design session (where to put light switches, how to finish tile, etc)

When searching for designers recently I found that different people charged in different ways - some hourly, those were often the less experienced ones, and others that charged a percentage of the overall construction fee. Some charged a combo of hourly plus a percentage of items purchased. It was all over the place. Most serious and experienced designers that charged by the hour had a minimum of number of hours, usually 10 hours, or around $2000k to $3000K for a basic consult. It does sound like what you are looking for is mostly furniture selection and layout and color schemes. Am I correct? That is really just simple stuff as far as design work. Yes, some designers won't do such a light project, and others will. Again, get a host of free ideas from working with staff showroom designers. Many chainstores allow you to schedule these meetings online and do them via zoom. They will help you really narrow down your look and potential layouts for free.

"It does sound like what you are looking for is mostly furniture selection and layout and color schemes. Am I correct? That is really just simple stuff as far as design work."

You wish................

Edit/add to my comment above:

Forgive me, and on behalf of any and all pro's.

Every photo over which you lust, every SIMPLE,

"easy peasy!" and gorgeous room you lay eyes on, here, Pinterest, Instagram, a coffee table book, a shelter magazine ? That was the result of not so damn simple. That is part and parcel of why you lust....why it appeals. Someone MADE it look simple : ) which is the most difficult part of any design any style design. There is no "just select" in any design. "Just"... is just a word that should JUST go away in this business.