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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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?