Get Quotes from Top Interior Designers in Detroit, MI

Are You Registered or Certified to Practice as an Interior Designer in Detroit?

There are no mandatory regulatory requirements for interior designers who wish to ply their trade in Detroit. Nevertheless, professional interior designers in the city typically undergo voluntary certification with organizations like the Council for Interior Design Qualification (CIDQ) to demonstrate their experience and competence.

While the specific requirements for being certified by these organizations vary, they generally include providing proof of educational and work experience, passing a certification examination, and paying a certification fee.

In addition to obtaining voluntary certifications, many professional interior designers in Detroit also join reputable local and national trade associations to legitimize their business, build and strengthen their network of contacts, and gain access to relevant interior design-related information and resources. Examples of these associations include:

• The American Society of Interior Designers (ASID)
• The Designer Society of America
• The Interior Design Society (IDS)
• The International Interior Design Association (IIDA)

It is always a good idea to hire interior designers who have been certified by the CIDQ or other similar organizations or belong to a reputable trade association, as these qualifications are usually an indication of competence, experience, and on-the-job professionalism.

Note that you should always verify claims of certification or trade association membership made by any interior designers in the city by requesting proof of this and authenticating this proof with the appropriate organization.

How Much Do You Charge Compared to Other Interior Designers in Detroit?

Factors like the size of your home, your preferred interior designer's reputation, and the types of materials to be used for the job generally affect the cost of hiring interior designers in Detroit.

Nonetheless, it is always a good idea to get cost estimates from several interior designers in the city and compare their rates before making your hiring selection. This way, you get a fair idea of the cost of executing your remolding project and also avoid getting scammed by dishonest interior designers who fraudulently inflate their rates.

Bear in mind that you should never automatically hire the interior designer who offers the lowest cost estimates, and also find out how the interior designer calculates their rates. Professional interior designers in Detroit typically calculate their rates using one or more of the following methods:

• Percentage Fees: this method involves the interior designer charging the client a percentage of the total cost of their remodeling project. While many interior designers in the city typically charge 10 to 25 percent when using this method, this figure may be more or less, depending on the size and scope of the project
• Hourly Fees: this method involves the interior designer billing the client for the amount of time spent working on the project. The hourly rates are typically discussed and agreed on before the job commences
• Flat Fees: this method involves the interior designer charging the client a fixed fee for specific tasks or services related to the remodeling project, such as design assessments, design reviews, and color consultations

Interior designers in Detroit earn an average annual wage of $61.040. The list below provides the average hourly wages of these professionals compared with the average hourly wages of interior designers across the rest of Michigan as well as several other locations in the United States:

What Kind of Interior Design Services Do You Offer?

It is important to confirm the scope of services that an interior designer offers when making hiring arrangements with them and ensure that these services align with the nature of your project. Detroit interior designers typically offer interested clients a wide variety of services, such as:

• Space planning
• Color and paint consultations
• Fixtures and accessories selection and procurement
• Custom furniture design
• Post-project monitoring

It is also important to understand the difference between interior design and interior decoration when planning your remodeling project to avoid misunderstandings and unsatisfactory services at the end of the day.

Interior designers study an individual's behavior, characteristics, and preferences to create functional and aesthetically pleasing living spaces for them, while interior decorators simply furnish or adorn a space with decorative and fashionable items to achieve a particular look or aesthetic.

Thus, interior designers have the necessary skillset required to perform interior decoration work, but interior decorators are not trained or experienced enough to provide interior design services.

Finally, once you have determined that an interior designer's area of expertise and services they offer align with the requirements of your remodeling project, find out how much you will be expected to pay for these services and agree on the charges before they commence any work. Cost estimates for interior design services in Detroit based on various billing methods are listed below:

Residential interior design services cost estimates

Commercial interior design services cost estimates

What is Your Favorite Interior Design Style?

It is common to have an idea or vision for the interior design style or aesthetic you wish to implement in your home when planning a remodeling project. However, the only way this vision can be satisfactorily brought to life is by ensuring that the interior designer you intend to hire has the right level of imagination and necessary experience required to implement the design style or aesthetic.

You can do this by requesting and perusing a portfolio of their completed work. If your preferred interior designer has a particular design style that they are famous for, make sure that it fits your desired aesthetic for your living space.

Although the Mid-Century Modern interior design style is considered one of the most popular design styles among homeowners in the Detroit area, other favored design styles in the city include:

• Art Deco
• Rustic
• Scandinavian
• Transitional
• Bohemian Chic
• Contemporary
• Minimalist
• Eclectic

You also have the option of working with your interior designer to develop a distinctive style and aesthetic that complements your age and personality. Some common design styles and aesthetics implemented by Detroit interior designers based on the clients' age group include:

• Generation X/Baby Boomers –Rustic, Transitional
• Generation Y/Millennials – Mid-Century Modern, Minimalist, Contemporary
• Generation Z – Art Deco, Eclectic, Rustic, Mid-Century Modern

Can You Provide References from People You Have Served in Detroit?

When planning your remodeling project in Detroit, it is advisable to get referrals or recommendations to reputable interior designers from trustworthy sources like friends, relatives, or associations like the American Society for Interior Designers and the Designer Society of America.

However, once you get in touch with any of these interior designers, make sure that you ask them for references to past clients that they have worked with in the city.

Asking for references is an effective way to vet an interior designer and ascertain the level of their competence and professionalism, and professional interior designers who have a reputation for satisfactory service delivery do not hesitate to provide this information.

Thus, consider it a major red flag if the interior designer that you plan to hire either cannot provide you with verifiable references of local past clients that can vouch for the quality of their services or tries to convince you that this information is unnecessary. Make sure that you contact any references that you are given to get first-hand reviews on the interior designer.

It is also a good idea to look up additional reviews and testimonials on the interior designer online via third-party websites like the Better Business Bureau, Yelp, and Google Review.

How Do You Structure Your Interior Design Projects?

The way an interior designer structures their projects is a crucial factor to consider when searching for competent interior designers in Detroit, as it helps you determine how they manage their time and get a sense of what to anticipate from the design process.

This, in turn, enables you to make sure that any project-related milestones and upcoming events that you may have, such as new births, anticipated move-in dates, or family visits, are properly taken into account when the interior designer creates a project timeline.

Interior designers in Detroit typically structure their projects as follows:

• Discovery: this entails determining the client's unique requirements and preferences, going through inspiration images, and discussing the overall space plan for the home that is to be remodeled
• Inspiration: at this point, the interior designer and their design team develop concept statements for each room in the home, which will serve as a guide for the project's overall direction
• Design: this stage involves the interior designer presenting fully formed design ideas and concepts to the client. This phase typically involves follow-up presentations and design adjustments as needed to accommodate the client's particular demands or preferences until a final design is chosen
• Procurement: during this stage, the interior designer orders the fixtures, furnishings, and accessories required to implement and execute the agreed-upon design
• Installation: at this point, the procured fixtures, furnishings, and accessories are installed in the appropriate rooms and spaces of the home that is being remodeled. This usually takes one to five days or more, depending on the size and scope of the project
• Big Reveal: this is the final phase of the interior design process, and at this point, the interior design job is complete and ready to be unveiled to the client

What Builders, Architects, or Contractors Do You Work With?

Interior designers often collaborate with architects, builders, and general contractors or act as the primary contractor and subcontract carpenters, flooring installers, and other craftsmen when handling remodeling projects in Detroit.

In situations where your interior designer will be working with subcontractors, it is crucial to verify the nature and cost of services that these subcontractors will be providing and also confirm that they are properly licensed and insured to perform the work at hand.

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics recorded approximately 58,000 injuries among interior designers and construction workers in 2020. Construction-related fatalities were also estimated to account for over 17 percent of all work-related deaths recorded in Michigan during this time. You can be held accountable for these injuries if the subcontractors who work with your interior designer are not properly insured.

Therefore, you should always make sure that your interior designer and each building professional or subcontractor who will be directly involved in your project are properly insured before they commence any work. You can do this by requesting copies of their insurance certificates and contacting the appropriate insurance providers to authenticate these documents.

Note that Michigan state law mandates all business owners in Detroit to carry workers' compensation insurance for their employees, and interior designers, architects, builders, and general contractors are not exempt from this requirement. Also, make sure that these parties carry general liability insurance that is sufficient for the scale of your project, as well as professional liability insurance to cover design defects and other errors caused by negligence, mistakes, or oversights.