The Lesser Known Qualities of a Great Interior Designer
Choosing the right interior designer goes beyond taste and technical skill—one of the most valuable qualities is the ability to stay ahead of the curve. The most experienced designers plan extensively before construction begins, preparing detailed drawings, specifying and ordering products in advance, coordinating with builders, and ensuring timely site visits to keep the project running smoothly.
Most people know the obvious metrics for evaluating an interior designer to work with on a renovation project:
Excellent taste and design sense
Knowledge of different styles
Great listening and intuition about client preferences
Technical knowledge of construction components
For more information about what should be expected from an expert interior designer, please check out my article: “What does an Interior Designer Do?”
WHAT MAKES A SKILLED DESIGNER?
the lesser known critical skill set IS “Staying ahead of the Curve”
A skilled designer is always thinking and planning way out ahead of the construction phase! This is the path to an uninterrupted build phase without downtime and cost overruns. Based on the last 26 years’ experience I have concluded that there are generally 3 levels of interior designers.
The Three levels of Interior Designers
Level 1: The highest level designer:
The most skilled, veteran designers will:
Put together a highly detailed set of dimensioned drawings including elevations and floor plans before the start of construction.
Each product to be installed will be specified in a written presentation, with quantities specified
The designer knows the lead times of the product and pre-orders fixtures and finishes prior to construction
Be knowledgeable about the construction process and timeline. For example, after structural framing phase comes mechanical installations. The best designers know what phase their project is in to keep product arriving on time and finalize decisions in advance.
The designer arranges delivery to the site, coordinating with the builder for organized placement of the product at the right time
Check in the product when it is delivered and mark which room (on multi room renovations) it will be installed in. This means opening the boxes and checking the finish and for breakage.
Be in touch with the builder for timely site visits like pre-sheetrock walk through and tile layout meetings.
The Level 1 designer enables the builder to provide accurate pricing (see below example) and allows the client to have the full cost picture before even starting the project. For a sample of a project specification from a level one designer CLICK HERE.
Sample applicance build and pricing sheet by Level 1 Interior Designer.
Level 2: The just in time Designer
A good designer at this level will perhaps still have some unselected or “TBD” product choices when construction starts. They will:
Provide detailed design drawings of kitchens, baths, lighting plans
Assure that priority decisions are made and delivery is coordinated with the builder before the product is needed.
Follow up with the client on items the client has not selected yet during the construction phase, such as light fixtures, grout color, staying aware of the status of construction
Be highly responsive for on-site meetings for things that didn’t get decided or documented in the design specifications
Follow up and chase down missing fixtures or forgotten selections in a timely manner when they are missed or when what is delivered is not what was expected
The Level 2 designer will expose the client to some change orders that result from last minute decisions, but at least will normally avoid expenses associated with re-work.
A Great interior designer brings more than design to the table.
A skilled designer is always thinking and planning way out ahead of the construction phase in order to minimized disruptions or delays.
Level 3: Behind the curve
This is the designer that makes builders fume. It’s the designer that causes cost overruns and change orders and delays to progress. They think of things too late and sometimes even volunteer design ideas after they are built. A level 3 designer will:
Order the tile but forget to select the grout color & the bullnose or finished edges
Order the cabinets but forget the pulls
Say they do lighting layout “in the field” (In other words they don’t know how to draw a lighting plan)
Show up at the job site and retroactively say “That’s not what I wanted.”
Overlook checking to see if what was delivered was what the client selected, in the finish they selected, etc.
Not always be available when things are down to the wire and an urgent design decision is needed
Be chronically unaware of the status or phase of construction.
This level designer will need to be frequently reminded by the builder of what selection is holding up the job. They will sometimes be disconnected from the status of the construction project. Oversights will sometimes cause pauses in construction as the builder awaits the arrival of missing product. Re-work and change orders will result from design ideas presented too far down the construction road.
Unfortunately, it’s a bit surprising how many designers fall into the level 3 category.
What sets a designer apart from a client?
Most of our clients are intelligent people who know what they like, or at least certainly what they don’t like! So my question is, why would anyone hire a level 3 designer? A homeowner doing a renovation is better off enlisting the help of a friend with some renovation experience than to pay a designer who is chronically “late to the party.” The level 3 designer is even worse than a friend or family member since they have a tendency to disrupt the construction phase with ideas presented too late or with oversights on ordering product.
For example: When are fixtures needed? So many things are not needed until later on in the construction process, but nearly every selection will have some effect way earlier in the process than a client may think:
A sconce that faces down will need the electrical box set higher than a down facing sconce
Solid blocking needs to be installed before sheetrock for every bathroom accessory to be solidly fastened
The width of the molding around doors affects the location of light switches
The swing of a door affects the location of switches and outlets
Pipes and wires will need to be set up in advance for many kitchen appliances
Tile sizes, orientation and layout has a multitude of effects on tub and shower plumbing as well as electrical layout
This brings me to a distinction between: Selected vs. Delivered.
knowing the Process and the Schedule
Selected vs. delivered
For the reasons explained above, nearly everything has to be selected and specified prior to the framing phase of construction. However, this does not mean that everything has to be delivered. As long as a dimensioned specification is provided at the beginning of a project, the product itself is often not required at project start. A skillful designer knows what product is needed at what phase and coordinates with a savvy builder as to when it should arrive and where it should be placed so as to not be lost or damaged. When the designer works with proper suppliers (not Home Depot, Best Buy, Ikea, etc.) they will have control over when product is delivered.
Over the years, we’ve noticed a pattern of what things get forgotten by the Level 2 and 3 designers.
Most commonly forgotten items
Light fixtures – sconces and ceiling fixtures
Pulls for cabinetry
Doorknobs
Grout/Grout color selection
Finishing bullnose or Schluter strips for finishing tile edges
Lighting inside built-ins or cabinetry
Water filters, soap dispensers, garbage disposals, instant hot appliances
Paint colors and paint color samples
Matching valves and trip levers for toilets and pedestal sinks
CONCLUSION
In the end, the difference between a stressful renovation and a seamless one often comes down to how far ahead your designer is thinking. A truly skilled, Level 1 designer doesn’t just make things look beautiful—they anticipate obstacles, coordinate details before they become problems, and protect your time, budget, and peace of mind. By choosing a designer who stays ahead of the curve, you’re setting your project up for success long before construction ever begins.