I recently sat down with Alex Curtis, Chief Editor at wisconsinrealestate.com for an interview about my experience as an interior designer, and to answer some common questions about interior design. Check out a portion of the article below, and click over to wisconsinrealestate.com for the full article!

Tell us a little bit about your experience, company history and the services you offer.

I have been an independent designer for 11 years and still look forward to going to work every day. I offer full design services including remodeling and new build design consulting for residential and commercial clients, color consulting, the design, fabrication, and installation of custom window treatments, painting and faux finishing, as well as accessorizing. What makes my business unique, is simply I am the person who executes the work whether it be the designing, the painting, or sewing. When a client meets me for the first time, they know who they will be hiring for the job.

What is a common misconception that people have about interior design?

One of the common misconceptions is that designers/decorators are too expensive and a client cannot afford to hire one. For example, a client can hire me for a couple hours and get complete direction what colors to paint, what carpet to choose, where to place furniture, and what size and the number of accessories to purchase to complete a room, etc… This in turn saves the client time and money from making costly errors that they may have to correct later. For a minimal fee up front, the client can choose to execute the plan on their own or request my services to complete the job. If a client decides to hire me to shop for their accessories or paint, I provide the complete services. There is no minimum hours purchase necessary. A client controls how much time and money they want to spend on their projects.

How should someone who wants professional help decorating their house start the process?

A good starting point is simply making a call. Typically, a conversation is communicated via phone or email and a short list of questions is asked prior to setting up a consultation. Depending on what the project entails, I like to get a scope of what room(s)we will be looking at as well as the client’s ideas of what they want to change or create. This allows me to bring the correct reference items with me to assist in creating a design plan, choosing colors, window ideas, etc? during the initial visit.

Get the full interview at wisconsinrealestate.com!