Short answer
Interview three, no more. Look for a designer whose completed work spans several styles — that proves they design for the client rather than repeating a signature. Ask how they charge, who orders and warrants the furniture, who talks to the contractor, and what happens when something arrives damaged.
The single most useful question is: “Tell me about a project that went wrong and what you did.” Everyone has one. A designer who cannot name one has either not worked long enough or is not being straight with you.
Never hire on photographs alone. Get the scope, the fee structure and the schedule in writing before any money moves.
On this page
When should you bring a designer in?
Earlier than most people do. The expensive mistakes in a project are made in the first three weeks, when the layout is decided, and they are made by people who have not yet hired anyone to think about layout.
Three moments where bringing a designer in early pays for itself several times over:
- Before you buy the house. A walk-through with a designer and, ideally, a contractor tells you whether the wall you assumed would come out is holding up the second floor, and whether the kitchen you dislike can be fixed for a reasonable sum or needs to be moved entirely.
- Before the architect finishes. Interior dimensions get set on an architectural plan long before anyone thinks about where a refrigerator door swings or whether a sofa fits between two windows. Adjusting a drawing costs nothing; adjusting framing costs a great deal.
- Before you order anything. Furniture bought one piece at a time, in the order that things went on sale, is the most common reason a room never quite comes together. See space planning and furniture layout for why the plan has to come first.
The one moment it is genuinely too late is after the cabinetry is installed and you have discovered the island is 4 inches too wide for comfortable passage. That is not a design problem any more; it is a demolition problem.
Where to actually find one in Dallas
In rough order of how well the source predicts a good outcome:
- A referral from someone whose finished house you have stood in. Nothing else comes close. You have seen the work, and you can ask the owner what the process was like, which is the part photographs never show.
- Your builder, if you already have one you trust. Builders know which designers draw clearly, answer quickly and do not change their minds after the tile is ordered.
- Professional directories. The American Society of Interior Designers lists members by area. Membership does not guarantee talent, but it does mean the person has committed to a professional body and its standards.
- Local search and portfolio sites. Useful for building a shortlist and seeing range. Treat the photographs as evidence of taste, not of competence.
Geography matters more than people expect. A designer who works constantly in the Park Cities already knows that Highland Park and University Park run their own permit desks, what the setback rules do to an addition, and which structural surprises the 1920s and 1930s housing stock tends to hide. A designer who works constantly in Preston Hollow knows what a large lot and a long single-story plan do to a furniture budget. That local knowledge is not glamorous and it saves months.
What the credentials mean
| Term | What it actually means |
|---|---|
| Interior designer | Space planning, construction drawings, code and clearance knowledge, specification and project management — as well as furnishings |
| Interior decorator | Furnishings, color, textiles and styling. No drawings, no construction scope. A legitimate service, and a different one |
| ASID Allied Professional | Member of the American Society of Interior Designers, bound by its code of ethics and continuing education |
| Registered general contractor | In Dallas, contractors register with the city and must carry insurance. Texas issues no statewide residential general contractor license, so no Texas builder is “state-licensed” |
| Design-build | The same firm designs and constructs. One contract, one point of accountability |
The distinction between designer and decorator matters most when walls are moving. If your project involves construction, you want someone who can produce floor plans and elevations a contractor can build from, not mood boards. The difference is set out in full in what an interior designer actually does.
What should you ask in the interview?
Interview three. Fewer and you have no comparison; more and every one starts to sound the same. Give each the same brief, so the answers are comparable. These are the questions that separate them:
- How do you charge, and what triggers each payment? Flat fee, hourly, cost-plus, a retail markup, or a combination. There is no wrong model, only an undisclosed one. See how interior designers charge.
- What is included, and what is billed on top? Site measurement, drawings, selections, procurement, delivery coordination, installation. Ask specifically about receiving, storage and freight — the three that surprise people.
- Who orders the furniture, and who owns the problem when it arrives damaged? This is the single most practical question on the list. A designer who handles procurement handles the claim; if you order it, you own it.
- Who communicates with the contractor, and how often? If the answer is “you do,” understand that you have just become the project manager.
- Do you produce construction drawings, or design intent only? Both are valid. Only one lets a builder price accurately.
- How many projects do you run at once? You are not looking for a small number. You are looking for an honest number and a clear answer about who covers when they are on another site.
- What does the schedule actually look like? Design, selections, ordering, lead times, install. Compare their answer to what a remodel timeline really looks like.
- Tell me about a project that went wrong. Listen for whether they describe a system they changed afterwards, or blame a supplier.
- May I call two recent clients — including one whose project had a problem? The second half of that sentence is what makes it useful.
Ask about fit as well as competence. You are about to spend months in frequent contact with this person, discussing money and taste, which are the two subjects people find hardest to be honest about. If the first meeting feels like being sold to rather than listened to, that does not improve later.
Bring this list of questions to Chateau Concepts and ask every one of them. You will get plain answers on fees, drawings and who owns a damaged delivery — in writing, before anything is committed.
If the project is not a fit, Jan will tell you that in the first meeting rather than in month three.
Reading the proposal
A proposal or letter of agreement should let you answer five questions without calling anyone:
- Scope. Which rooms, and what is being done in each. “Whole house” is not a scope.
- Deliverables. What you physically receive: plans, elevations, a finish schedule, specifications, a furniture plan.
- Fee and schedule of payments. The number, how it is calculated, and when each part is due.
- What is excluded. The most informative section in the document. Read it twice.
- Revisions and changes. How many rounds are included, and what a change costs once something is ordered. Related: change orders and budget control.
If the proposal is a single paragraph and a number, ask for a longer one. A designer who will not put scope in writing before the work is also unlikely to put a problem in writing during it.
Warning signs
- A large deposit with no defined deliverable. Money should be tied to something you receive.
- Reluctance to explain the markup. Markup on furnishings is normal and legitimate. Refusing to name it is not.
- No written contract. Ever, for any amount.
- A portfolio of one style, repeated. Fine if it happens to be your style. Otherwise you are commissioning their house, not yours.
- Renderings instead of drawings. A photorealistic image is a sales tool. A dimensioned elevation is a buildable instruction. See floor plans and elevations explained.
- Vagueness about who is insured. On any project involving construction, ask for a certificate of insurance and read the dates.
- Pressure to decide today. No competent designer needs an answer in the meeting.
Key takeaways
- Bring a designer in before the layout is fixed, not after the cabinetry is ordered.
- Interview three, with the same brief, and compare answers rather than photographs.
- Ask who owns the problem when furniture arrives damaged — the answer tells you how the whole project will run.
- “Tell me about a project that went wrong” is the highest-yield question in the interview.
- Read the exclusions in the proposal before the inclusions.
- Local knowledge — permits, housing stock, structural habits — saves months and is invisible in a portfolio.
- A designer draws and specifies; a decorator furnishes and styles. Hire for the work you actually have.
Frequently asked questions
How much does it cost to hire an interior designer in Dallas?
Do I need an interior designer or an architect?
How many designers should I interview?
Should I hire a designer who also does the construction?
What should I bring to the first meeting?
Jan has practiced interior design in Dallas since 1997 and founded Chateau Concepts in 2001. She holds a BFA in Interior Design from the University of North Texas. She designs and general-contracts residential and commercial projects across the Park Cities, Preston Hollow and North Dallas. Read her full profile →
Written and reviewed by Jan Revels before publicationWork with Chateau Concepts
Jan Revels handles both sides of a project in Dallas and the Park Cities — the design and the build.