Fact: A good designer can
help you get the most from
your space.

Facts & Fiction

When you think about hiring an interior designer for the first time, two concerns may come to mind:

"It's too expensive."

"A designer will try to impose a style that doesn't reflect my personal taste."

Both are myths, according to the American Society of Interior Designers (ASID), the oldest and largest national organization devoted to this profession. A designer can save you time and money in the long run by managing your budget as well as the work of other professionals, possibly saving you from hiring inexperienced or unscrupulous tradespeople. With a wide range of resources at their disposal, interior designers can frequently obtain products you can't find on your own, and they can also buy some products at a discount. Most designers are also quite willing to help you make the best of what you already have.

Although many designers enjoy tackling a project with creative carte blanche, most want the homeowner to contribute ideas. In a recent ASID survey, 69 percent of the designers polled said an exchange of ideas was "critical" to a project's success, and nearly half said the results were even better when clients brought a lot of suggestions to the table.