One of the greatest challenges facing interior designers today is how to find and retain quality contractors. In London, there are many interior designers and also many career plumbers, electricians, plasterers, painters, decorators and general contractors.

But how does one make sure to find the right person or team for an interior design job at hand? With this blog posting I will draw on my experience at Global Interior Design to suggest a few tips for how to choose contractors.

1. Don’t just immediately hire anyone listed on the internet! Whenever possible, interior designers should either work with contractors who are known to them or for whom they have received quality references.

2. Make sure your contractors are legally permitted to work in the United Kingdom. Within the London interior design contracting community, there are unfortunately a number of illegal immigrants or individuals who do not have EU work eligibility. This can be a huge liability and may lead to major future problems for interior designers and interior design consultancies. Do check all paperwork thoroughly before engaging a contractor.

3. Make sure your chosen contractor has the time to do the job. All too often, contractors will take on a number of jobs simultaneously from multiple interior design consultancies or individual interior designers. Talk to your contractor to make sure he/she will have the necessary time to complete the job.

4. Communication is key. An ongoing dialogue between the interior designer and the contractor team is essential to achieve outstanding results. This is especially true if English is not a contractor’s first language.

With the above tips for hiring contractors, I hope you and your interior designer will be equipped to make great projects happen on-time and hassle-free.