Anyone can decorate on a basic level: fresh paint, new linens, or cozy rugs. However, if you’re wondering if the living room would look better with those support pillars knocked out, or if adding electrical components is as easy as matching up the coloured wires, you might want to bring in a professional interior designer.

In a boom time, which Vancouver is in now, it’s all too common for untrained workers to enter an industry they’re unqualified to work in. You constantly hear about shady contractors, electricians, and plumbers, but this extends into the stylish world of interior designers as well. Not using a qualified interior designer can have massive and costly repercussions, ranging from fines for not adhering to city building codes, to overbilling, or even the entire project being shut down if the right permits aren’t obtained. And that’s not to mention your disappointment if the end result isn’t what you had originally envisioned.

Unlike interior decorators and home stagers, who are more adept at surface-level aesthetics, designers have a far greater knowledge of the entire building process. With a background in architecture and 20 years in the interior-design industry, Judy Henderson, principal at Inside Design Studio (720–1201 West Pender Street, 604-899-2555), is passionate about her work and the knowledge she brings to her clients.

“All registered interior designers in B.C. have to have knowledge of building codes, the methods and legalities of construction, ”˜life safety issues’, and an in-depth knowledge of other relevant professions such as architecture, structural, mechanical and electrical engineering,” she insists. They are trained and must write and pass exams to earn the designation of interior designer.

To find a qualified interior designer, Henderson recommends checking out the Interior Designers Institute of B.C.’s Web site (www.idibc.org/). Not all qualified designers are here, but if they’re currently registered with the institute, if they’ve passed their exams, and if they’re paying their fees, then they’ll be on the list. Another good way is to ask other tradespeople you might already be working with for their professional recommendations.

If you’re on your own, Henderson advises asking these questions when interviewing potential interior designers:

• Know what kind of work needs to be done and ask to see examples of that specific work.
• When contacting references, don’t just ask if they’re happy with the results. Ask what the problems were and how they were resolved.
• Were the designer and his/her team communicative and easy to get hold of?
• Were the budget and time lines met?

Never judge a designer’s work based solely on their portfolio, cautions Michael Ngui, interior designer with Ledingham Design Consultants (125 East 4th Avenue, 604-874-4900). “A portfolio is good for establishing aesthetics but it can also be deceiving,” he says. “How much work did they put into it? It could have been a decorator or architect that actually did most of the work.”

Don’t put the emphasis immediately on the end you want to achieve. A trained designer can assess your needs, even if you can’t articulate your style sense yourself. A key part of this process is translating visual ideas into illustrated and written documents so that everyone on the team can clearly understand and execute the plan.

“The ability to communicate [that] vision clearly is the key to successfully achieving the desired end result,” Ngui says. An interior designer can also bring to a project ideas and resources otherwise beyond the scope of the average homeowner. One ambitious project completed at Ledingham Design involved wiring a country weekend home so that it can be remotely controlled all the way from the city by the owner. “Everything from what channels are playing on the TVs to the temperature of the hot tub—everything is ready and waiting for them before they even arrive,” Ngui describes.

Prices depend on the length and complexity of the project and designers can bill per meeting, per project, or per task. In general, however, the IDIBC reports that homeowners should expect to pay $80 to $200 per hour for a qualified designer. Working with a professional designer will lessen stress and the money spent should be considered an investment, because any improvement made to your home will increase its value.