Is Hiring an Interior Designer Worth It? A North Shore Designer’s Honest Answer
The contractor needs decisions by Friday. You have three Pinterest boards, a stack of tile samples, and a feeling that every choice will affect the next one. That’s usually when people start asking whether hiring an interior designer is worth it, or whether that money should go toward furniture and finishes instead.
It’s a fair question. I’m the founder of Stojakovic Design, an interior design firm in Northbrook serving Chicago’s North Shore. My answer is yes for the right project, and no for some others. I’ll explain both.
First, where I’m coming from. I started the firm after my own home renovation was published, and our work has since been featured in House Beautiful, Apartment Therapy, MyDomaine, and Livingetc. My background is in project management, and that shapes how we run every project.
Here’s what a designer is worth in real projects, not in theory.
1. We See the Room You’ve Given Up On
I worked with a family in Glenview whose formal living room barely got used. It had multiple openings, limited wall space, and an awkward layout. No furniture arrangement was going to fix that.
So instead of forcing a living room into it, I proposed a home library. We designed custom cabinetry with built-in bookshelves, storage, a window seat, and comfortable seating, and the family saw detailed renderings before anything was built. Wallpaper, lighting, and layered finishes pulled it together.
The room they used to walk past is now a space the family spends time in. We didn’t add square footage or change the footprint. We made better use of what was already there.
Often the biggest value a designer brings is a solution you wouldn’t have considered yourself. We solve the problem first. Then we make it beautiful.
2. A Beautiful Renovation Can Still Feel Generic
This is the mistake I see most often. A homeowner renovates, buys good pieces, and ends up with a house that looks like every other renovation on the street.
Beautiful things don’t add up to a beautiful home. Interesting homes have some tension. That’s the idea behind our signature style, Traditional with a Twist: timeless design with unexpected color, pattern, and personality.
It also means knowing where to hold back. Every room doesn’t need a “moment.” Neutral can be beautiful, but it should be intentional, not a fallback because you were afraid to choose wrong.
My test is simple. If I can swap your furniture into another client’s house and it still works, I haven’t done my job.
And you don’t need a fully formed vision to start. Most of our clients know what they love when they see it. Figuring out the rest is our job.
3. We Protect Your Investment
A lot of my work happens behind the scenes. I’m evaluating quality, questioning manufacturer claims, and making sure every material fits how the family will use it.
Why I rejected a manufacturer’s “performance” fabric. While sourcing custom chairs for a client, I found that a manufacturer’s linen fabric, sold as performance upholstery, had problems with color transferring when spills were wiped away. That wasn’t acceptable for a family that needed furniture to handle everyday life. I contacted the manufacturer, talked through the problem, and supplied our own performance fabric instead. My clients never had to research fabric or negotiate with anyone. It was handled before the chairs were made.
When the right fabric really matters. Another client recently told me how happy she was with the performance upholstery we chose for her family room. After the family welcomed a new baby, they had a particularly messy diaper leak on the upholstery. They cleaned it up with no stains left behind.
Not the glamorous side of interior design. But I don’t choose a fabric only for how it looks. I choose it for who’s sitting on it and whether it will hold up.
4. Knowing Where to Spend, and Where to Save
Does hiring an interior designer save money? Not necessarily upfront. What a good designer does is help you spend more intelligently and avoid decisions you’ll regret.
I don’t believe every piece needs to be expensive. A well-built sectional is worth investing in because it gets used every day. I’ve seen sofas from popular furniture brands whose cushions lose their shape much sooner than homeowners expect, and replacing a costly sectional after a year or two isn’t saving money. A decorative side table usually doesn’t need the same budget.
Renovation mistakes cost even more. A tile can look beautiful in a showroom, then change completely once it covers a whole bathroom: the scale, the pattern, the grout color, the lighting. If you don’t like it, replacing it is expensive.
Small mistakes snowball. A countertop that stains. A fixture that leaves the room dim. A sofa that won’t fit through the door. That’s why I encourage homeowners to bring in a designer before major renovation decisions are made. Changing a drawing is far easier than redoing finished work.
5. You Don’t Manage the Problems. We Do.
Furniture arrives damaged. Products get delayed. Contractors have questions, and measurements need to be verified. These things happen on most projects, and they take time and experience to resolve.
On our full-service projects, furnishings go to a professional receiving warehouse, where they’re inspected before installation. If a piece arrives scratched or damaged, I work with the warehouse and manufacturer to arrange a replacement or repair. On another project, a client’s office chair developed an issue after delivery. I contacted the manufacturer and coordinated the service, and they came out to fix it. My clients don’t spend their evenings on the phone with furniture companies.
The same goes for renovations. A rendering is only the beginning, especially with custom cabinetry, lighting, and other permanent features. We work alongside your contractor, with your interests in mind. We provide drawings and specifications, answer questions, and review the work as it progresses. Your contractor is still responsible for their workmanship. Our job is to make sure what gets built matches what was designed.
This is where my project management background shows up most. Planning, coordination, and catching problems before they grow are a big part of what you’re hiring us for.
When Is Hiring an Interior Designer Worth the Cost?
It depends on the scope of your project, how many decisions are involved, and how much of the process you want to manage yourself. On larger furnishing projects and renovations, the cost of mistakes, delays, and the wrong materials adds up quickly. For smaller updates, a consultation may be all you need.
Full-service interior design is worth considering when you’re:
- Furnishing an entire room or several rooms
- Renovating a kitchen, bathroom, or a larger part of your home
- Investing in custom cabinetry, upholstery, or window treatments
- Looking for one cohesive design across your home
- Too busy to coordinate vendors, purchases, deliveries, and installation
- Making significant decisions you want to get right the first time
These projects involve decisions that all depend on each other. Furniture dimensions affect the layout. Cabinetry affects electrical placement. Finishes have to work together. Bringing a designer in from the beginning ties those decisions into one plan.
When you might not need full-service design. If you need help choosing paint colors, selecting accessories, or refreshing a room with your existing furniture, a smaller service may fit better. We offer consultations and our Designer by Your Side service for homeowners who want professional guidance without a full-service commitment.
How to Choose the Right Interior Designer
Loving someone’s portfolio is a start. The relationship matters just as much. We’re working in your home, getting to know your family, and helping you make big financial decisions, sometimes over many months. Some of my clients have become good friends along the way. Trust and communication matter.
Before hiring an interior designer, ask:
- What’s included in your design fee?
- Do you handle purchasing, deliveries, and damaged items?
- How involved are you during construction and installation?
- How do you communicate updates and decisions?
- What happens if I don’t like a proposed design?
- How do you help clients prioritize their budget?
Pay attention to how the designer listens, too. In my first conversations with a client, I want to know what isn’t working in their home and what they hope will change, not only which styles they like. A designer should lead with a point of view, but your home should still feel like yours.
Frequently Asked Questions
Not always upfront. A designer helps you put money where it matters most, like a sectional you use every day, and spend less where it doesn’t. The bigger savings come from avoiding mistakes, such as tile or finishes you’d have to rip out and replace.
Before major renovation decisions are made. Adjusting a drawing or changing a material selection is much easier than redoing finished work.
No. You don’t need a fully formed vision. If you know what you love when you see it, that’s enough to start. Shaping it into a plan is our job.
Yes. We provide drawings and specifications, answer questions, and review the work as it progresses. Your contractor remains responsible for their workmanship.
Full-service design covers the design, purchasing, deliveries, and installation, so you don’t have to manage them. Designer by Your Side is for homeowners who want professional guidance on a lighter budget without a full-service commitment.
We work with homeowners in Northbrook, Glenview, Winnetka, Wilmette, Glencoe, Lake Forest, and surrounding North Shore communities.
So, Is Hiring an Interior Designer Worth It?
For the right project, yes. But I don’t measure the value only by how the finished room looks in photos. It’s the living room nobody used that became the family’s library. It’s the upholstery that survived real family life. It’s the expensive mistake that never happened, and the damaged delivery the homeowner never had to deal with. And it’s knowing someone experienced is looking out for you the whole way through.
Planning a Project on Chicago’s North Shore?
If you’re furnishing a new home, planning a renovation, or living with a room that has never quite worked, tell us about your project. Book a discovery call with Stojakovic Design.