Interior Designer, Architect, Project Manager?

I think if you're spending $750K, you want your place to look designed and yet personalized, with the kind of small details that reflect your ideas of quality and customization. In my mind, you're paying bespoke prices.

I think the way to get that is to have you interior designers working with your architect from the get-go, so if there's a certain effect the designer is after, say, the architect has already provided the light to make that happen.

So I don't think that the designers are giving you the wrong advice. I think it's that you just don't like them.

And since it's your money, you should find someone you like. I can certainly give you less "well-known" names who might make you happy, but I think the first place to start is with the architects that you already like. Ask them if there are designers that they work in tandem with, and consider hiring one of those people.

ali r.
DG Neary Realty

Frederic, if you need another recommendation for an Interior designer - I can recommend Design by Francois.
www.francoistenenbaum.com

Frederic,

I have a hard time understanding their value at all.

I'm also doing significant amount of restoration to two apartments. A friend of mine kept insisting I meet a designer he knew. It seems that her job is simply to make everything "fit" and "look right." So she would make sure the kitchen cabinets worked well with the fridge...but for the amount she would charge, I could install cabinets, hate them, install entirely new ones, and still spend less then if she chose them.

Basically it comes down to whether you trust your own sense of taste.

But more to your point....I'm just in the beginning stage of my renovation. I had a really high-end designer come over before I had spoken to any general contractors. The two apartments I am renovating are connected by this great old staircase, which both me and my brother love (it really adds character to the apartment). This designer actually said that it should be removed and he would just design a new apartment from scratch. He also said that it would be cheaper to remove it and install another staircase then for a contractor to work around it. Every contractor I have spoken to said that is ridiculous. So I completely understand your feeling that top designers seem only to want to do things their way.

Thanks for your response. I'm starting to feel that 30 to 35% up charge on a $500k job (or another words $150k) gives me a decent slush fund for making my own mistakes...

I agree with Frontporch as well. Problem is I am finding it very difficult to find a good designer who is also reasonable. Also, regardless it is hard to comprehend to pay a designer for non design items (plumbing, A/C units, AV, etc...(

A good designer should ask what your style is and what you are looking for by asking for suggestions from magazines, websites on the kind of style you want for your apt or house. Yes 35% is standard but some will do it for 25% depending on the project and level of involvement. In terms of fixtures, furnishings, etc, designers get a trade discount of 30-35% so basically on that end you would get the "shopping and putting together" portion almost free. In terms of designing a room or whole apt, a good designer should sketch a rendering that you are happy with and that the GC and construction guys can use to follow to build the room/s. A good designer should be able to do all this and I would say also should have somewhat of an engineering background - not as an architect but enough to be able to read blueprints from the architect and know that you cant move X wall because its bearing etc. A prissy guy/girl who just picks out a couch for you is NOT what you want in a designer - and while some really high end ones are excellent- a lot of them fit the "prissy, I dont get my hands dirty I'm just here to pick your couch out" description.

It sounds likes you're about to embark upon a very interesting, and challenging, renovation. As an architect, I've had the same interior design conversation with many clients. The final answer comes back to your preference/tolerance for selecting all the finishes. On each of my projects, I create a furniture plan during the early phases of the design in order to discuss how the spaces will work. Once approved, these plans go on to inform how we lay out the lighting, switches, outlets, etc. A good interior designer would be involved at this point to ensure all the pieces work. However, a full-service architect may work this out with you as well. The same holds true for designing all your millwork/cabinets, selecting tiles, paint colors, floor stains, and decorative lighting.

If you've brought in an interior designer, perhaps this individual could consult at an hourly rate during Phase 1 of the project providing you comfort that your initial selections will work with your fully completed project. Another option is to strictly work with your architect through construction and then engage your interior designer on a fixed fee basis (there are interior designers at all price points who will offer this service) to do the furnishings, window treatments, etc.

Regardless of when you bring in the interior designer, make sure to keep sight of the furniture budget throughout your project. The 10 to 15% in change orders you may encounter during construction can easily swallow what you've left aside to decorate the spaces.

If you have questions, please contact info@hirshsondesign.com for more information. Best of luck!

There are many different types of designers. One of my favorites is great at the finish product, which is paint color, wall coverings and furniture. She does mark up the items purchased but after her discount I believe you end up paying the retail price. Another great designer I work with is very good at the actual design of space, where to put up walls and and placement of fixtures.

I personally believe some people need design help and some are ok going at it alone. Some people also do not have the time or energy to go looking for the items they need to buy.

what a joke

frederic12,

Hi, I so understand where you are coming from.
I am happy to share with you the best recommendation of an architect/ interior design firm I have ever been given and because construction is my passion I have been given and worked with a lot in the industry.

HS2 Architecture.

I had Tom and Jane (the principals) do architectural and Interior Design on my last 3 homes. Initially I had a separate well known Interior designer pushing up the cost on the first job, but even more painful to me than the significant cost was the delaying, draining energy and stress it caused me because the IDesigner was so "wedded" to his vision while at the inevitably long meetings, Tom, Jane and I kept having to push back with my input about how I wanted my space to be and live in.

Now I would only work with HS2
1. It is beyond an indulgent treat to have talented people help create the space you really want to live in. I would so look forward to our regular meetings with them bringing amazing, ideas, materials, drawings that were compelling because they really listened to what I wanted. It felt like Christmas for the 9 months of the project.

2. Not only did they get the essence on me in my home, they had a challenging job, because my fiancé (at the time) had the opposite taste to me in everything and somehow thru really active listening and probing to both of us they magically created what we both wanted.

3. They do both Architecture and Interior design, even thou Jane is an architect, I found out on my first job with her, I always wanted her ideas, rather than the well known expensive Interior designer and when I asked her if she would consider taking over the interior design part, she was hesitant to even tell me that she did IDesign, after I found that out it was a no brainer. No more of the common fights you hear between an Architect telling the IDesigner it can't be done, or the IDesigner telling the architect they have no design taste, and most importantly NO DOUBLE BILLING for an architect and a Idesigner.

I am not the only one who loves them, Ralph Lauren had his choice worldwide and he selected HS2 to do his flagship on Madison Ave http://www.hutsachs.com/commercial.html This is so Ralph Lauren HS2 does what the client wants and wants to be only better.

They did my favorite residence in NYC, Palazzo Chuppa or 360 west 11th st. Anyone who knows the artist Julian Snabel and his paintings and sculptures, knows the home HS2 created for him is the epitome of him.
http://www.hutsachs.com/threesixty.html
[Make sure you press the forward arrow at the top of the header to get all the pictures......;love that place]

Working with them is probably one of the most beautiful gifts I have given myself.

As if that wasn't enough they came in lower than all other bids.
One girlfriend of mine even had them do a small job, drawings and a plan for a window to be enlarged and turned into a door for DOB and Landmarks for $1200. If you meet them, you will see they are not about the money, they get excited about creating beautiful functional spaces that suit there clients. IE Jane has given her talents to various human rights groups.

Good luck with your job, I hope this helps you I would not have spent the time writing this if I hadn't been beyond fulfilled and wanting the same experience for others.

Gabrielle

Are you going against the grain, design-wise, by any chance? If so, I agree with Ali that it's really important to find a designer who is willing to work within the parameters of your vision.

When reconfiguring the floorplan of our apartment, we broke with the current trend of open and lofty in order to create a couple of defined rooms and put up a wall (anathema to today's architects!). I suspect a lot of the architects we interviewed only mocked up our desired configuration in order to show us how wrong we were. The one we chose, who also initially favored an open plan, found an amazingly clever way to give us what we want and still make it look cool.

Whatever you do, don't hire anyone who isn't buying into what you want -- assuming of course that you're set on what you want. If there's a disconnect from the start, it won't get better and will probably get worse.

Thank you everyone for your advice. I will contact HS2.