Questions a Good Interior Designer Will Ask You

Building a successful relationship with your interior designer relies heavily on how well they get to know the needs of you and your family. A good designer will want to get to know their customer beyond the basics…not just what colors and styles they like. They should ask you a lot of questions that help them gain a deeper understanding of how who is living in the home, how the spaces in the home are used and what the family’s priorities are in. Potential questions include:

• What stage of life are the homeowners in…just starting out? An active family with children living in the home? Empty nesters? All these stages have different needs that drive the design decisions we may recommend to you.

• Does anyone work at home and is there/should there be a space dedicated to that?

• What kind of play/leisure activities are done in the home and is there a need for appropriate space dedicated to that activity or its equipment?

• Do you have personal passions that will determine the materials we recommend (i.e., are you vegan?)

• Do you entertain at home and if so, in what manners? Barbecue’s your thing? Formal dinner parties? A home bar for football season? Understanding the activities you most enjoy at home helps us make the best furniture, fabric, and décor suggestions for these activities.

• What’s in your closet? This is a favorite of A&R founder, Adrienne Rich…because getting a peak into someone’s closet tells us so much about their personality. What are the homeowners’ favorite colors, styles, and level of formality? Are they minimalists? Do they like a lot of accessories?

Choosing to work with an interior design is not only about décor…it’s about how your home functions and loving where you live because it works for your life. So, if you’re thinking about working with an interior designer, don’t be surprised if some of these questions come up during your consultations…understanding you helps them make the best-informed recommendations for you.