We are glad you asked. Check out this article we wrote to learn everything you should know about working with an interior designer for the first time.

Your home is a major investment, and the way you design it not only benefits your life and state-of-mind, but it can lead to higher returns on the home should you ever decide to sell it in the future. An interior designer will advise you on the best use of your budget, guide you through the design process for a higher standard of living and longer lasting design, scale your design choices appropriately through each room, and most importantly, design a home that is completely unique to your lifestyle.

You should hire a degreed interior designer for the same reason that you hire educated professionals in other areas of your life—such as attorneys, financial advisors and nutritionists. We are experts in our field and have dedicated our own time and money in honing our craft. Your home is a major investment, and mistakes and poor time management can be incredibly costly. You can avoid those expensive mistakes by hiring the best of the best upfront.

Decorators primarily deal with colors, finishes and furniture for residential properties. Most decorators work individually, and their hourly fees vary widely.

Interior designers have the necessary education, experience and affiliations with professional organizations such as the American Society of Interior Designers. They are experts in building codes and city permits, and usually have their own network of industry-standard general contractors. Interior designers can also read architectural plans and prepare construction documents for sub-contractors, allowing them to take your project from start to finish, even if you’re building your home from scratch.

We are asked this question all the time. We design our clients’ homes around their unique personalities, habits and lifestyles. Read our Approach page to learn about every step of the process.

Urbane Design can be retained at an hourly rate. For the cost of our services, are not only gaining the expertise of the entire Urbane Design staff—you gain access to their team of industry-best general contractors. Together, these two teams make sure your project is executed seamlessly. Contact us to learn more about our rates and schedule your design consultation.

Yes. The initial consultation is crucial for the success of a project, and a two hour in-home visit is required (or if the home isn’t built yet, an in-office visit is required). During this time, you will discus your project’s budget, goals and needs with us.

Contact us to schedule your design consultation.

The duration of design varies from project to project to depends greatly on your budget and scope of work. For a general overview, visit our Approach page.

In most cases, an interior designer will concentrate on the internal configuration and decoration of your home. Any external additions—such as a loft conversion or additional room—usually require the expertise of an architect. We work closely with structural engineers and architects and can advise you on the required services and personnel for your project.

Our projects are most successful when we are able to use our own general contractors. We have built strong relationships with them over the years, and with those relationships come a high level of trust and communication that keep the project running efficiently and without errors. Therefore, we prefer to only use our network of contractors.

It is definitely possible to achieve a new look with the items you already have. If you want to keep your heirloom pieces or reupholster existing furniture, we can help. We will guide you through space planning to change the focal point in your room or alter the wall and trim colors for a revived ambiance.

Different styles within the household are expected, and there are many ways we can assist you both. We can create a look that either blends your two styles or design multiple areas using different styles based on the function of the room. (I.e. a gentleman’s room or game room may reflect one partner’s taste, while the master bedroom may sway more towards the other partner’s taste.)

We sure do! Gift certificates are available for purchase by the hour and are the perfect gift for newlyweds, new homeowners and friends. Get in touch using the contact form today to give the gift of great design.