Absolutely! Paying a margin on products through an interior designer can be seen as a valuable investment rather than just an added cost. Here’s why:
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Consultation ,Expertise and Time: Designers invest significant time and knowledge in selecting the right products for each project. This time is generally charged through fees, but in many cases not all of it.
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Access to Trade Discounts: Designers often receive trade discounts from dedicated suppliers, and the margin reflects the value they provide in sourcing quality items that may not be available to the general public. Trade discounts vary and are often teared which reflects the designers time in the business, volume of product used. Trade accounts are beneficial to suppliers as the designers are in effect working for them as a salesperson saving that company time and money.
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Project Management: The margin compensates for the coordination involved in managing the entire design process, from sourcing to installation. Furniture, Joinery and window coverings are complex and the designer will spend considerable amounts of hidden time planning, arranging and assessing the situation. Every project comes with its own set of challenges, which require problem solving. From budget constraints to spatial limitations. Designers use their experience to solve these problems efficiently, providing clients with peace of mind. Project management will be charged through fees or margin but rarely both.
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Value-Added Services: This includes styling, installation, and any aftercare or support provided once the project is completed. The installation of a project can require a lot of logistics and practicalities that go far beyond the original design fees. The designer is often a go to between client and supplier and acts for the client should they need to.
- Position in the project: Often its the designer who has the big picture of all aspects of a design. This puts them in a unique position making them the go to person for all questions and queries by clients and subtrades. The designer will be acting for you and have your best interests at heart when answering these questions.
- Risk: Being the person that is specifying, ordering product, and answering questions all put the designer in a position of risk. The nature of variables in products and supply can often require sorting out problems like faulty goods, reselections ,site decisions. If these problems occur on product that is being supplied by the designer you will find that you are not charged time for this. The product margins cover a lot of this aspect of the role.
- Costs of a design business: A design business like every other, costs money to run. Storage facilities, Computer programs, insurance, travel costs, sampling and rep visits are just some examples of high costs that a client may not think of when engaging a designer.
Overall, the margin is a standard practice that helps ensure designers can offer high-quality service while sustaining their business and this doesn't mean you'll be paying over the odds for your products.
The mixture of fees and margins can be puzzling to clients, but hopefully having an understanding of the business you can see that by paying margin on supplied products is saving you on fees and allows the designer to manage the project well and guarantee their products and services.
Understanding this can help you appreciate the work that goes into creating beautiful, functional spaces. Good communication can help you and your designer have a good understanding of each other and leave you feeling a lot happier about the invoices received, so never be afraid to talk money, as its all just part of the job!
