How to find an interior designer?

[Anonymous]

We just bought a lovely new (well, it was built in 1915 but it's new to us and has been renovated) house. Our living and dining room furniture-- a mishmash of handmedowns, some nicer antique pieces, the couch from my 20s-- look sort of awful. We have a few nice items, like some art pieces and rugs, but overall it doesn't feel cohesive. Would love to upgrade but I get paralyzed looking at furniture catalogues. So many options and fabrics and I can never decide what will work.

I'd like to hire someone to advise on what to do. How do I go about finding an interior designer? We also could do with some built in shelves and cabinets, and some reupholstery, which I hope the designer could weigh in on or help us find workers for. I tend to like a more casual, vintage feel. We have a modest budget. How much are designers typically compensated and how do I find someone who matches our style?

[Anonymous]

I browsed ads on houzz.com and asked if they would work on an hourly basis. It turned out to be a great idea. I got a ton of great advice for $40/hr, which was a total bargain.

[Anonymous]

OP here. Thanks PP. Did the designers come to your home? Or did they work remotely?

[Anonymous]

The Wednesday home section of the Washington Post features a designer each week who makes over a room. I think these posts give a snapshot of how well the designer does- I've seen some excellent work and some that misses the boat... You can probably look through the archives of these rooms and maybe get a sense of what designers you like.

[Anonymous]

Our designer works on an hourly rate. You put down a retainer for the first batch of hours (10-20) and then you can switch to paying for what you use in a given month.

You can search for a designer here:
https://www.asid.org/referral-service

Also, I think local designers participate in a Spring Shape Up -- you can hire one for four hours or so to get help with something specific. If you liked that designer, you could hire her or him for more.

[Anonymous]

The designer came to my house once or twice for measurements and to get a feel for the space. Then we worked mostly over email. I also asked her to meet me at a tile store once when I was having trouble making decisions.