The good news is you can hire an interior designer for the level of service that fits your budget, by Erin Carlyle, Houzz Editorial Staff. Here are several levels of service many designers offer:

"Full design services. The designer oversees everything from start to finish, from developing the vision to sourcing, ordering, inspecting, managing installation and dealing with any problems that come up along the way.

• A design plan. The designer provides a plan that includes all the information you’ll need to complete your project. For instance, a kitchen plan might include a layout, as well as the materials, fixtures and finishes to purchase to get the look. A living room plan might include space planning, furniture recommendations and lighting suggestions.

• A design consultation. The designer works on a specific scope of work, perhaps a color consultation or help with space planning.

• A room redesign. A designer might offer his or her professional eye on a room you don’t know how to take to the next level. With this type of design consultation you get a wide range of the designer’s expertise.

If full design services aren’t within your budget or you simply want to do some of the work yourself, hiring a designer for a design plan, design consultation room redesign could be a smart way to get started.

While there is no single answer to the question of how much does an interior designer cost — rates and fee methods will vary by designer and location — you should now be prepared to better understand interior design fees and how interior designers charge. This can be helpful background you as you meet with design professionals and consider which pros you’d like to work with."

Read the full story.