How do I choose an interior designer in Singapore? [3 minutes read]

Designed by freelance interior designer Ray

Many of us either know someone who’s had a stressful renovation experience, learned about a renovation horror story in the media, or have personally experienced it ourselves.

Choosing the wrong interior designer is a scary proposition. We could potentially lose $60,000 or more of our hard earned money. Worst still, we would have to pay more to correct the renovation work.

One simply cannot be too careful when it comes to choosing an interior designer.

We have 4 suggestions that will help you to choose an interior designer who is right for you, starting off with the most important tip.

Reasonable contract terms and conditions

Just because someone says an interior designer is good, or just because he’s got stellar reviews online, is no guarantee that he will deliver the same level of service for you. The firm may have hit hard times due to COVID-19 and hence need to improve their profit margins at your expense. Or they may use a different group of contractors because their regular contractors are busy.

In short, past performance is no guarantee of future performance.

Therefore, regardless of how confident you feel about an interior designer, do ensure that the renovation contract’s terms and conditions are reasonable. Here are 7 renovation contract clauses we think should be included.

Ask about the contractors they use

Speaking of contractors (the people who do the actual work), ask your interior designers about the contractors they will be using for your project. There are plenty of unlicensed contractors in Singapore’s renovation market. Your contractors would minimally have to be listed in HDB’s Directory of Renovation Contractors. It is illegal to use unlicensed contractors.

If you wish to be thorough, we list some ways you can check on the contractors they will be using.

Trustworthiness

Trust your gut on whether the interior designer is trustworthy. Ask him plenty of questions. Does he have a good grasp of the details? Does he know the necessary permits required? Does he provide you ideas on how your spatial planning can be improved or does he take your ideas wholesale without offering alternatives? Does he ignore your budget and push for you to include high ticket items? Pressure sales tactics are red flags to us.

Be wary of “freebies”

Freebies are also red flags to us. As the saying goes, if something sounds too good to be true, it probably is. Do not be suckered in by “freebies”. You will probably have to pay for these “freebies” in other ways. Instead, ask for itemised pricing and do your research on whether the items’ pricing are reasonable. Note we said reasonable, and not cheap. An item maybe costly due to better quality materials.

In short, focus your attention on whether you are paying reasonable prices, and try not to choose companies that offer freebies unless you have done extensive homework. For us, the risks that come with the freebies are just not worth it.

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