6 Red Flags to Look Out for When Hiring an Interior Designer

Choosing to hire an interior designer is no small decision, and if you haven't ever worked with a professional in this capacity before, it can be difficult to fully determine whether a specific person is the right fit.

To ensure that you can kick off your search process as well informed as possible, we spoke with pros who have established themselves in the industry.

Below, they share the major red flags to watch out for along the way as well as seven important questions to ask any designer before hiring them for your project.

It's important to develop a sense of a prospective designer's aesthetic and past work, and therefore, being able to view their online portfolio is a key starting point.

«A designer without a portfolio is a red flag,» says Nadia Watts, the founder of Nadia Watts Interior Design. She urges prospective clients to spend time on a designer's website or Instagram, reviewing past projects, press placements, and more.

Within one's design portfolio, photos should be professional quality, says Layton Campbell, the founder ofJ. Layton Interiors.

«It shows that you're serious and not just dabbling,» he says. «If it's on my website, it's been shot by a professional photographer.»

Campbell notes that getting a sense of a designer's background is also a must.

«It's nice to see if someone's got the education behind them,» he says. «You want to know that someone has had some background and training versus just deciding they want to be a designer.»

Designers aren't mind readers, and they should be asking you questions to develop a sense of your specific desires and needs from the get go.

«Even if your tastes align, you inevitably will have personal preferences you want to communicate to your designer,»