Designer and mark up norms

[Anonymous]

High end designers pass on their trade discount to the client. They charge high fees which are “made up” to an extent through the trade discounts. This isn’t hard.

[Anonymous]

OP has your designer passed NCIDQ?
Have their shared digital files of the design in AutoCAD or equivalent (not free basic software without measures)?
Can they spell and do maths (properly)?

If not, please walk. You have the design. Signing this contract would be madness

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Cost+ is a completely normal way of charging for high end design.

Goods and services are not the same thing.

When you pay an hourly rate, you are paying for the designer's time and expertise.

When you pay a mark-up on materials, you are paying for the materials in the same way that you pay more for a block of cheese at Giant than Giant paid for it from their supplier.

A contractor will charge mark-ups also.
So will retail (it'll just be lesser materials so may cost less overall, which is fine).

It's understandable that people with more modest budgets don't like this model. But crying "not fair" is...not fair. It's just maybe not a good match. For these people, try working with a contractor and picking things out yourself, or try working with a design build that charges a flat fee. Or see if you can pay a designer as a consultant for time, and take that inspiration to a contractor for them to source/purchase (at a mark-up).

Nope. High end designers (not the pretend ones without the professional exam and licensure) do not charge cost plus. “Plus” my friend isn’t your mark up on materials. Plus is labor and design. Learn the basic terms. Less Botox more studying

Hi there I am an NCIDQ certified designer and we absolutely do have multiple types of charging that include markups. You may have had a different experience, and good for you, but it's not universal.

Everything you buy is marked up by the final seller: FF&E is no different. You're either buying it marked up by the designer, or the retail store, or the contractor, or the tile store.

There are many different fee structures that people use and design services + a markup on materials purchased is absolutely standard for residential work.

Goods and services are two completely different things.

Not sure what botox has to do with it, but I do get it, so thanks for noticing.

[Anonymous]

You’re joking right?

New Ravenna is accent tile unless you’re building an adobe retreat in Santa Fe. Delta is China-made inferior product. Ditto Brizzo. Daltike has lead.

If the designer upcharges, and you can’t control the delivery dates, you can get Dornbracht, Hansgrohe, Duravit, Toto on Amazon delivered for free on demand.

I go straight to the manufacturers. Stick with Europeans because of the quality and strict regulatory standards. Designers here hate Porcelanosa because the product is excellent and the customer gets the same 40% discount during sale.

[Anonymous]

Technology has changed the game, designer.
Just like with realtors, it’s upending your industry.

Anyone worth their salt can subscribe to AD and similar, go on Instagram, go to trade shows. No one should pay you above retail for a good that you received a trade discount for - that is just stupid.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You’re joking right?

New Ravenna is accent tile unless you’re building an adobe retreat in Santa Fe. Delta is China-made inferior product. Ditto Brizzo. Daltike has lead.

If the designer upcharges, and you can’t control the delivery dates, you can get Dornbracht, Hansgrohe, Duravit, Toto on Amazon delivered for free on demand.

I go straight to the manufacturers. Stick with Europeans because of the quality and strict regulatory standards. Designers here hate Porcelanosa because the product is excellent and the customer gets the same 40% discount during sale.

With all due respect, you are not the kind of client that would be a good fit working with a designer.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Technology has changed the game, designer.
Just like with realtors, it’s upending your industry.

Anyone worth their salt can subscribe to AD and similar, go on Instagram, go to trade shows. No one should pay you above retail for a good that you received a trade discount for - that is just stupid.

You're talking about decorating, and I agree.

AD and Insta is not design.

[Anonymous]

The great designers pass on their trade discount; they charge a high fee which is easier on the consumer because it is lessened by the trade discount.

Manufacturers and large retailers have phenomenal discounts. Even my garage has murano glass lights from Italy. You should have seen the Ferguson nonsense the designer wanted to upcharge.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Technology has changed the game, designer.
Just like with realtors, it’s upending your industry.

Anyone worth their salt can subscribe to AD and similar, go on Instagram, go to trade shows. No one should pay you above retail for a good that you received a trade discount for - that is just stupid.

You're talking about decorating, and I agree.

AD and Insta is not design.

It is when most “designers” in DC which DOES NOT license don’t even know that much and then upcharge. You can see a beautiful design you like and it will tell you the source. That knowledge used to be why people hired designers. Now designers need to work harder and pass on their discounts to stay in the game.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You’re joking right?

New Ravenna is accent tile unless you’re building an adobe retreat in Santa Fe. Delta is China-made inferior product. Ditto Brizzo. Daltike has lead.

If the designer upcharges, and you can’t control the delivery dates, you can get Dornbracht, Hansgrohe, Duravit, Toto on Amazon delivered for free on demand.

I go straight to the manufacturers. Stick with Europeans because of the quality and strict regulatory standards. Designers here hate Porcelanosa because the product is excellent and the customer gets the same 40% discount during sale.

With all due respect, you are not the kind of client that would be a good fit working with a designer.

You must be joking. Why? Because I’m savvy and can assure you have higher end items in my house than your customers receive from you.

Why don’t you explain how Delta is better than Dornbracht?

Share a link to the design with all hand painted tile from VA?

Come on!

[Anonymous]

We did work with a designer by the way. With an architecture degree. What’s yours? A kitchen design associates?

Very happy on all sides. They were excited by our finds.

[Anonymous]

If you are not happy that your customer obtained a recommended item at a discount, you are in the wrong business and are not a high end designer

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We just did a bathroom, and this was not how our designer did it. She said we needed x sq feet of tile at y cost. I looked up the tile myself and found it cheaper elsewhere, but ended up just letting her deal with it. I’m sure she gets a discount from the tile place and charged us msrp.
Overall, I get like the design was pretty useless for a bathroom. I think we paid her around $8,000, and I feel like the designers at the tile place could have helped me with tile and the contractor could have recommended countertops and the glass.
So, no, i don’t think it’s normal. I think your designer is likely trying to rip you off.

This.

Also, our designer couldn’t calculate the tile properly; we had to recalculate everything.

Same, she added a few $ to the total estimate for tile and didn't even mention it to us, and we had 4 pieces leftover. I don't know what happened, but she doesn't seem very good at executing her designs.

[Anonymous]

Discalculia? Botox?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You’re joking right?

New Ravenna is accent tile unless you’re building an adobe retreat in Santa Fe. Delta is China-made inferior product. Ditto Brizzo. Daltike has lead.

If the designer upcharges, and you can’t control the delivery dates, you can get Dornbracht, Hansgrohe, Duravit, Toto on Amazon delivered for free on demand.

I go straight to the manufacturers. Stick with Europeans because of the quality and strict regulatory standards. Designers here hate Porcelanosa because the product is excellent and the customer gets the same 40% discount during sale.

With all due respect, you are not the kind of client that would be a good fit working with a designer.

Why?
Can’t take me for a ride to Chantilly and upcharge me for Chinese substandard products?