7 Things to Know Before Hiring Full-Service Interior Design in Ireland
Choosing an interior design can sometimes feel like a deeply personal choice. You invite someone into your home, show them what you like and hopefully feel comfortable giving them an insight into your lifestyle, without judgement. You know what type of feeling you want in your home, but what is less clear is how to achieve that.
That's the gap full-service interior design is meant to close. In Ireland, it usually spans the whole project: briefing, spatial planning, design development, drawings, material specification, procurement and project management, through to the day the furniture is installed. Usually is the key word, though — every studio draws that line in a slightly different place. Before you hire one, here's what's worth understanding.
1. Share the reality, not an edited version
Any good designer should start with how you and your family actually live in a space - the overflowing coat rack that takes up the full hallway or the door that never fully closes anymore. These daily frictions are tiring and take up more mental space then you may realise, particularly if you work from home and experience them all the time.
A designer should try to work out how to overcome these challenges as the main brief, long before mood boards or specific products are ever selected. Be open with your designer, if your family just dumps their bags, sports equipment, etc as soon as they’re in the door, it’s unlikely that a beautifully styled console table is going to solve this storage issue.
2. Understand what ‘full-service’ means
This term can be used in different ways depending on the studio that you’re working with. Make sure you get in writing exactly what should be expected in terms of outputs, but also what communication will look like for you, your architect and contractor. Your designer should be more than happy to talk about their process and have the ‘who owns what’ conversation.
For more about how Still Studio run a full service, have a look at our recent blog article.
3. Understand how the designer works with your contractor
Even though you can give your builder the exact drawings, there are often tonnes of small decisions that need to be figured out during any project. Understand who takes ownership of the site meetings, will the designer take all these on? Do you want to be brought in for bigger meetings?
4. Agree on communication expectations
One thing to also ensure that everyone is on the same page regarding anything discussed during site meetings is to make sure that everything is documented with a date that can be used to refer back to in the future. This really helps prevent delays in your project. If you’re not involved in every site meeting, request that your designer sends you a project update every two weeks so that you can see how the project is advancing.
5. Be upfront about budget
Yes, money can be difficult for Irish people to talk about with ease, but ss you’ve seen from number 1, being upfront and honest about your lifestyle and budget ultimately puts you in a much better position than pretending you have tonnes of money, only to tell your designer that their design is much more than you anticipated spending. Also ensure that your budget includes the less visually pleasing aspects of a renovation, such as insulation, rewiring or replumbing. (Have a look at our Choosing and Managing your renovation contract blog).
6. Choose a designer who understands family life
During the briefing, talk about your routines and the things you would like to make easier. How do you move through the home in the morning? Where do shoes, coats, and school items collect? Does the kitchen need to support cooking, conversation, and homework at the same time?
If you are looking for a home that compliments your busy family life, choose a designer that has also has experience in a pile of school bags, abandoned coats or the early morning search for the missing shoe. Ask your designer about their own life and how that informs the designs.
Durability is not the enemy of beauty. Honest materials, considered storage, and a layout that works hard can make a home feel calmer without making it feel precious.
7. Choose the process with the portfolio
You will likely gravitate towards the style of a designer that you admire, but make sure you also feel at ease with their process. A renovation is a big investment so you need to feel comfortable with the experience of working with a designer, letting them into your home and sharing with them the challenges you face daily. Ask questions of your designer about what are the common challenges in the process and see during your initial engagements with them if there is a feeling of effortless collaboration.
Questions to ask before hiring an interior designer in Ireland
What will you manage, and what will remain my responsibility?
What will I receive at each stage of the project?
How do you approach layouts, storage, lighting, and material decisions?
How do you communicate with contractors and suppliers?
How are fees, allowances, contingencies, and changes handled?
Which other professionals may need to be involved?
What happens after the initial consultation?
Frequently asked questions
Is full-service interior design only for a whole-home renovation?
No. The scope can be shaped around the project. You may need support across a full renovation, several connected rooms, or one specific space such as a kitchen, living room, or home office. Ask the designer what level of involvement would best suit the decisions in front of you.
What should I bring to an interior design consultation?
Bring plans, drawings, photographs, measurements, inspiration, and any information you have about your timeline. It is also useful to describe what currently causes friction at home and what you would like the space to make easier.
Does an interior designer replace an architect or contractor?
No. Each professional has a different role. Depending on the project, you may need an architect, engineer, contractor, quantity surveyor, or other specialist alongside your interior designer. Confirm the responsibilities before work begins.
A calm way to begin
The right design support can make a complicated project feel more legible. It can help you make decisions in the right order, bring the moving parts together, and create a home that suits your life now.
At Still Studio, we design calm, minimal and warm spaces for the ebb and flow of family life. We begin with how you actually live, then use thoughtful design to bring more ease to the everyday.
If any of this resonates, that is usually the right moment to talk. We would love to hear about your home, your routines, and the parts that are not quite working yet.