When my wife and I had to renovate our flat, we never hesitated in engaging an interior designer. No doubt, we could have saved the consultation fee if we had gone straight to a main contractor. But we were raising two young kids and didn’t have any experience with renovation matters. To us, our interior designer, Stacy, was worth every cent spent.

Your mileage may vary, and you may be in a dilemma as to whether your situation warrants this additional expense. So, let me try to break down her exemplary service into an actionable checklist for you.

1. Stacy was able to transform our ideas into drawings. Besides hand-drawn drawings, she also showed us digital drawings capturing our various ideas. My wife would pass her her rudimentary sketches and she would use them for her digital drawings. It was useful for us to visualise how different ideas might be manifested in reality, thus soothing our decision-making process.

2. She possessed a great network. She brought in a contractor for us, who was reliable and trustworthy. Our renovation process was smooth and devoid of horror stories, a testament to her collaboration with the contractor. We were also not the type who were inclined to shop for furniture and appliances in Johor Bahru. Stacey introduced us to some lightning and electrical shops, which made the process of procurement hassle-free for us. Due to her contacts, we were able to receive a 10% discount from these shops. I don’t know if she would receive a commission from her contacts. And I don’t really mind because time is of the essence to a working parent.
3. I wanted to bring in my own electrician. Stacy took the initiative to set up a WhatsApp group that comprised her, the contractor, the electrician and me. She served as a great project manager, so even though my electrician had not met the contractor before, they worked well together.
4. She came on site (our flat) and provided weekly updates through that WhatsApp group.
5. We decided to go with Benjamin Moore for the painting of the house, which was outside the scope of the main contractor’s work. Nonetheless, she met us at a Benjamin Moore showroom to give her two cents’ worth on the most appropriate colours. Not every interior designer would have been willing to do that.

6. This is not to say that she agreed with the main contractor all the time. When opinions differed, I felt that it was interesting how she provided a design perspective whereas the main contractor and electrician discussed things from a practical point of view. I thought that the diversity of views was a plus because it compelled my wife and I to consider all sides and reflect on the features that would work best for us.

To sum up, when sourcing for an interior designer, find someone who:

1. can be your co-driver, telling you which ideas to ignite and which other ideas to extinguish
2. is able to marshal you through the different stages of your renovation by coordinating the efforts of all personnel involved
3. has a deep understanding of materials and will be able to give you pointers

4) who isn’t simply a yes person and dares to offer a contrarian point of view, yet leaves the final call in your hands.