Hiring a designer or decorator to spruce up your home is something that can go a long way toward making your home more livable and esthetically pleasing. People often hire a designer when they have a certain look they want to express through decor or design that they are not skilled enough to do themselves. Many people look at designers as nothing more than people who like to put rooms together for fun. However, the truth is that design contractors are highly skilled professionals.

Design contractors are most commonly hired to help with bathroom, kitchen, and common room designs. Most people want to take a more personal direction with their own bedrooms, so these rooms are not common jobs for design contractors. However, everyone is different. You may end up wanting to hire a design contractor to completely renovate your bedroom along with other rooms in your home.

Decorators are not necessarily the same thing as designers. Designers dream up an overall concept for a room that includes a number of different elements. The decorator is the professional who makes all of these design elements come together. Decorating contractors are also sometimes hired to do simple decorative work on pre-existing rooms.

There are a lot of different qualifications that you should look for when you are hiring a design or decoration contractor. The most important of these qualifications is a long work history involving diverse projects. You want to make sure the designer is capable of working in tandem with your needs and that he or she can make your vision come to life. You may only have a general feeling that you want to room to express to visitors and to you. A good designer should be able to help translate that general feeling into actual physical progress.

There are also a few professional organizations that offer certification in design and continuing education for designers. The goal of these organizations is to help raise the standards of professionals in the industry of design and home decoration. One of the most influential of these professional organizations is the National Council for Interior Design Qualification. The council specializes in providing results-based training for design professionals. Certifications from this organization are a great indication that a designer takes his or her career very seriously.

You should understand that a designer is not there to hold your hand and teach you about design as he or she works. The designer's job is to listen to your needs, learn about what you're looking for, and translate all of that into a design. You need to be able to step back and let your contractor do what you hired him or her to do.

Remember that top-quality designers are often very busy throughout the year. You shouldn't just start a project and assume that you'll be able to find a quality designer. Always try to find a designer months in advance. This way, you will be able to ensure a seamless transition into the design aspect of your home project.

Design contractors should always have a portfolio of previous work that you can look through before making a hiring decision. This will help you make a more realistic assessment of the skill your contractor possesses.

Be prepared for worst-case scenarios during your project. You may find that your contractor needs to spend more time on the project than you had budgeted for. This is normal and it happens when real-life doesn't match up with "best-case" scenarios.

You should have a contract written out between you and your contractors. A contract for work like this doesn't necessarily have to be a legal document. All it really needs to do is help provide a foundation for the relationship you have with the contractor. For example, the contract should plainly detail the exact terms you have worked out with the contractor when it comes to payments. The method, timing, and amount of the payments should be plainly detailed in the text of this document. You can also go further into explaining the exact extent of the work you're hiring the contractor for.