Ugh - Design selection

[Eric Lahoda]

How do you find and compensate a good designer for overall material choices and color selections? I think I'm pretty good with most aspects of rehabbing. But I am very slow at designing choices. I know what I do or don't like when I see it.  But designing feels like it requires a different part of the brain. I hate cookie-cutter designing and copying everyone else's designs. I see so many rehabs that look like last year's styles copied and copied and copied. (gray, gray, gray, etc) or other old trends. Many rehabs look like the other guys "contractor specials" - no heart, no joy.

So how do you find a designer who will commit to creating and selecting a scheme for an overall project? What or how would you compensate that person? I don't want to design, I want to say, "Yeah, I like that"

[Kennedy Webb]

There are some interior designers who provide these services, but you may have to search a bit to find what you are looking for. I would suggest googling (or using Instagram) to find designers in your area that fit your style and visiting their website to see what services they offer.

Another avenue is to search for interior design "build recipes" or "design recipes". Some interior designers offer packages or PDF type documents to assist in product selection and design. Here are a couple I found during a quick search:

https://www.kelseyleighdesignco.com/build-recipes

https://elegantsi.com/design-recipes

I am unsure if any of this information will be helpful, but I hope you find what you are looking for!

[Jessica Lynn Thornburg]

I rehab for selling and rentals, I think sticking to the same products is always safe. This also makes it faster for the contractor because they are always familiar with the products. I wouldn't mind sharing what we use! 

[Peter Mckernan]

Quote from @Eric Lahoda:

How do you find and compensate a good designer for overall material choices and color selections? I think I'm pretty good with most aspects of rehabbing. But I am very slow at designing choices. I know what I do or don't like when I see it.  But designing feels like it requires a different part of the brain. I hate cookie-cutter designing and copying everyone else's designs. I see so many rehabs that look like last year's styles copied and copied and copied. (gray, gray, gray, etc) or other old trends. Many rehabs look like the other guys "contractor specials" - no heart, no joy.

So how do you find a designer who will commit to creating and selecting a scheme for an overall project? What or how would you compensate that person? I don't want to design, I want to say, "Yeah, I like that"

 You can also partner up with someone local.. A designer that has some following, post their work when you do a project together, and they tag you and you tag them. Then you start to get a following, people reach out because what you did with them.. Those people could be private money investors, or investors that can bring you deals! 

[Ryan Treacy]

Hi @Eric Lahoda, I’m glad to see property owners recognize this as an issue. I’m an architect and do the interior design on my projects. I’ve found that a lot of owners, for financial and risk aversion reasons, want to repeat what they’ve done in the past. In my experience, good design is good business; building something with character stands out to potential tenants (increased rent) and helps lower vacancy rates. Building the right way the first time lowers future repair and capex costs. 

When hiring a designer, look at their past projects and speak with a few different offices. You can search on social media or search your local chapter of the AIA (American Institute of Architects) or IIDA (International Interior Design Association). I always recommend using a professional with a license or at least a certificate. If you find an architect that can do the interior design, you’re better off; if the project needs a permit, the interior designers cannot submit permit and you’ll have to hire an architect separately. Cost is always going to depend on project needs, but you can expect to be in the multiple $1000s.

You can always use Pinterest, Google searches, or websites like Material Bank to get a feel for what you’re interested in. I know you’re not interesting in designing it yourself, but inspiration images can help the designer understand your style.

I hope this is helpful. Reach out if you want to discuss more. I’d be happy to help give a recommendation for designers in your area. Good luck! 

Ryan Treacy
Habit Architects PLLC

[Scott Mac]

Your designer should be a business/ independent contractor type of person who will bill you for the services used.

If you are expecting this person to go out and source the items and then place them in the unit that involves a lot of work, designer time, and designer energy.

One way to get yourself on boarded with a designer would be to make some phone calls and see if they have openings for new clients as far as spending the time needed, because in our business time is money vs a family having their living room dining room and entry hall redecorated, where time is not probably of the essence.

That is something to cover on the phone on your first contact with the person.

Interview a few on the phone or in person.

I have interviewed and worked with several designers, you need to have a budget for the designer to spend.

And when the designer brings to you, I found this beautiful carpet or embellishment to set on a shelf but it breaks our budget but I wanted to show it to you in case you wanted to buy it, be ready for that. Because these people are artists.

Ask if they take debit cards and credit cards or must you write a check, 

The way I am comfortable with paying is payment for the job x amount, payment for the decorations according to a gross budget for everything, as they are purchased vs giving a pool of money to draw from. I hold a tight reign on the funds only paying when the purchase needs to happen (Look for financing for certain items if you need it).

You should talk to your chosen designer about the budget for the project . 

Be aware that certain staging items are not designed for regular human use , and may be slightly undersized in order to make the space look bigger. If you are looking for something that will hold up under use talk to the designer about that also, because that's an important aspect. 

That goes for individual items as well as fabrics . Some fabrics are animal resistant more than others , and some are so delicate that you're going to have problems with them quickly . Discuss these things while you're setting your budget because they are part of the cost of doing this . 

Also be ready for some duds, as far as rooms are concerned. You may have an idea for a bedroom and have spent time speaking with the designer about it and then the designer carries out that plan. But in real life it just doesn't click- it's just not the right look. So having your budget some flexibility to redo some things if needed.

I hope this helps you because it's not very difficult on your end you just need to choose things presented to you and decide if you like them or not.

It would also be wise to get a lean release from the person as well as any subcontractors that they use on your job.

Good Luck!

[Jim Adrian]

I would create a list of items you are looking before reaching out to someone.   This will help you make a selection of who to reach out to.  Typically, I would reach out to an interior designer or an architect.  You might find a Home Decorator as well.  Depending on how many rehabs you do a year, it may be easier to say "Design me 5 color and product pallets".  Then you can repeat and pull the pallet you want to use on each house.   Maybe 2 pallets are very high end and other are middle of the road to low end.  

[Bruce Woodruff]

Even designer are not without fault...sometimes no better than what you would end up with on your own. I worked with many high-end designers, and some were great and other were just into their little niche styles (green for instance) and so the project sometimes can end up just looking weird.

I would go on Zillow (or similar) and see what the houses in your neighborhood look like when they are fixed up pretty and ready for sale. Just take the average look and copy it. Easy peasy....