Get Quotes from Top Interior Designers in Boston, MA

Are You Registered or Certified to Practice as an Interior Designer in Boston?

Anyone looking to qualify as an interior designer in Boston and offer their services within the city must first pass the National Council for Interior Design Qualification (NCIDQ) exam administered by the Council for Interior Design Qualification (CIDQ). Interested persons must have at least an associate's degree in the relevant discipline and four years of experience working with a certified interior designer or architect to be qualified to take this exam.

Note that applicants with higher educational qualifications need fewer on-the-job experience requirements. For example, applicants with a bachelor's degree with at least 60 semester hours of interior design education only need two years of job experience to qualify for the NCIDQ exam.

Many colleges and universities in Boston, including the Boston University and Massachusetts College of Art and Design, Boston, offer interior design degrees. Earning one of these degrees will put you one step closer to being qualified to take the NCIDQ exam. The NCIDQ exam is divided into three sections:

• The Interior Design Fundamentals Exam (IDFX)
• Professional Interior Design Exam (IDPX)
• Exam for the Practicum (PRAC)

A $225 application fee is required to apply for all three categories, and an applicant must complete the examinations within ten days of the application. The registration fee for the IDFX test is $295, the IDPX test is $350, and the PRAC test is $455. Applicants must provide a $150 postponement fee if they want to postpone any tests. Successful applicants are awarded the certification. Note that certified interior designers must complete at least 10 hours of documented continuing education each year to be eligible to renew their certificates.

How Much Do You Charge Compared to Other Interior Designers in Boston?

Boston interior designers bill for their services using different price structures. Common types include:

• Percentage Fee Structure: The interior designer charges a portion of the overall cost of your home renovation project, which typically varies from 10% to 25%. The benefit of this pricing structure is that, in most cases, there are no up-front costs, and you can easily predict the interior designer's final bill. On the other hand, dishonest interior designers might use this pricing structure only to inflate the prices of work materials and, as a result, their overall fee.
• Hourly Fee Structure: The interior designer charges for each hour they spend on your work. Usually, you pre-agree a standard hourly fee with the professional. At the end of the project, the final fee is usually the number of hours spent on the project multiplied by this standard hourly fee. This pricing structure is recommended for small and medium-scale projects.
• Flat Rate Fee Structure: The interior designer charges you a predetermined lump sum, which may include the cost of materials, depending on your agreement.

Always ask what pricing structure your prospective interior designer intends to use for the job. Be mindful that different factors influence the price of hiring an interior designer in Boston, such as the size of the space and the interior designer's reputation. It is a good idea to request and compare estimates from at least three local interior designers before choosing one to work with. By doing this, you can identify exorbitant prices and other dubious practices.

Interior designers in Boston earn an average annual wage of $75,060. The list below provides the average hourly wages of these professionals compared with the average hourly wages of interior designers across Massachusetts as well as several other locations in the United States:

What Kind of Interior Design Services Do You Offer?

To ensure you get the best quality and value for your money, it helps to understand the services an interior designer offers. These services often include sustainable interior design, interior restoration, event and holiday décor, and residential and commercial interior design.

It should be noted that homeowners occasionally confuse the terms "interior decorator" with "interior designer." Even though the two vocations fall under the same general categories, they slightly differ. Interior designers typically have more formal education than interior decorators and can collaborate closely with architects and general contractors. On the other hand, interior decorators typically focus more on aesthetics than structural considerations.

After ensuring that the scope and type of your project fall within the chosen interior designer's area of expertise, the next thing to do is to ascertain the cost of these services. Below is a list of Boston-based interior design goods and services:

Residential interior design services cost estimates

Commercial interior design services cost estimates

What is Your Favorite Interior Design Style?

It cannot be overstated how important it is to have a clear picture of your interior design aesthetic before changing your home or designing a new living area. To avoid having a home that makes you feel uncomfortable or does not look pleasing to the eye, you must ensure that your interior designer has the skill and expertise to transform your preference into reality. You can confirm this by reviewing your preferred interior designer's portfolio and getting customer reviews.

While Contemporary is one of the more popular interior design styles in Boston, homes in the city tend to have the following interior design styles as well:

• Art Deco
• Bohemian
• Cape Cod
• Coastal
• Colonial Revival
• Eclectic
• Federal
• Glam
• Italianate
• Mid-Century Modern
• Minimalist
• Modern Farmhouse
• Organic Modern
• Queen Anne
• Ranch
• Rustic
• Scandinavian
• Second Empire
• Shabby Chic
• Split Level
• Traditional
• Transitional
• Tudor Revival

If you do not have a specific theme in mind for the interior design of your house, you may collaborate with your interior designer to develop a distinct look that reflects your personality and age. Among the various age groups in the city, some of the more popular interior design trends include:

• Generation X (Baby Boomers): This group favors Art Deco, Traditional, and Rustic styles.
• Generation Y (the Millennials): This group loves Contemporary, Minimalist, and Organic Modern styles.
• Gen Z: This group favors Eclectic, Rustic, and Glam styles

Can You Provide References from People You Have Served in Boston?

When looking for interior designers to oversee your home remodeling project, recommendations from friends, relatives, or websites sponsored by organizations like the American Society of Interior Designers are very useful. However, before hiring any professional, request references from previous clients. This way, you will be better positioned to verify their credibility and acquire first-hand opinions on their designs, backgrounds, and work ethic.

Professional interior designers in Boston are always happy to provide references. Most of them also have a portfolio of their prior work that includes "before and after" images that show how their designs turned out. Be cautious of interior designers who are unable or unwilling to give you up to three local references. They are likely dishonest or perform shoddy jobs. 

Before selecting a designer, you can also check websites like Google Reviews and the Better Business Bureau for information about them. Likewise, ensure to check if the designer has any history of complaints against them on such platforms. 

How Do You Structure Your Interior Design Projects?

It helps to consider your prospective interior designer's organizational and spatial strategies when looking to hire one for your home design and remodeling project. This way, you can follow the procedure better and have more confidence in the interior designer's work, especially if their preferred strategies align with your preferences. You also have a better idea when it comes to agreeing on reasonable project milestones and timelines with your interior designer. 

The steps in a typical interior design process are as follows:

• Discovery: The exploration step includes learning about the client's specific wants and preferences, looking at reference pictures, and talking about the basic structure of the house.
• Inspiration: Based on their inspiration, the interior designer and their design team then develop concept statements for each room that will serve as the project's main compass.
• Design: At this stage, the interior designer provides the client with fully developed design concepts. To meet the demands of the client, this procedure could involve several presentations and design revisions until a final design is accepted.
• Procurement: This involves purchasing the necessary materials and equipment to implement the agreed design and concept.
• Installation: Fixtures, furniture, and other accessories are now installed in the envisioned living space. This could take one to five days, or perhaps longer, depending on the magnitude of the project.
• The Big Reveal: The client gets shown the finished result by the interior designer upon completion.

What Builders, Architects, or Contractors Do You Work With?

An interior designer may collaborate with architects, builders, or general contractors depending on the project's needs. Sometimes, they may act as the lead contractor and hire subcontractors like carpenters and flooring specialists. Always confirm the rates of the contractors that your interior designer is working with and whether this has been factored into overall costs. Likewise, confirm that they are licensed and insured to perform the relevant job.

The United States Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that there were 57,780 work-related accidents involving construction workers in 2020. Should an accident occur during your project, note that you may be held responsible if your interior designer or their subcontractors are uninsured.

Note that every interior designer who employs staff and conducts business in Boston is obliged to maintain workers' compensation insurance for their staff, regardless of the number of employees or the number of hours worked. As such, ensure that your interior designer and subcontractors comply with relevant insurance requirements. Ideally, ensure they carry general liability and workers' compensation insurance and that the coverage amount is adequate for the size of your project.

Make it a point to always ask your interior designer and any subcontractors they hire for proof of insurance. Before you sign any employment contracts with them, you are allowed to verify such proof of insurance with the insurance company that provided it.