We recommend you have a budget or a dollar figure in mind when working with an interior designer. Decorating an entire house can take up to two years. Doing one or two rooms at a time often makes the most fiscal sense. Those with a limited budget in the $500 to $2,500 range are better off hiring a consultant who can draw a plan of the space, outline furniture purchases, and select fabrics and colors. Then the homeowner can implement the plans. Things to expect.

Work with a designer should begin with a meeting where the client's expectations are written up and agreed upon by both parties. As with any contractor, a written contract is a good idea, says the American Society of Interior Designers (ASID). Designers should guarantee the things that go into the rooms they design; if something is not right, the designer needs to make it right. Once the contract is signed, the designer will give the client preliminary drawings that give an idea of how the room will look. Once the client approves these drawings, the designer follows up with a more detailed set of floor plans and elevations, as well as photographs of furnishings, fabric swatches and paint chips. Nothing should be ordered without the client signing the order (unless discussed previously). Generally, a 50% deposit is required. Because furniture orders can take at least eight weeks or longer to be delivered, an entire project can take four to six months or longer to complete.

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