Get Quotes from Top Interior Designers in Jacksonville, FL

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

To work in Jacksonville, interior designers must possess a license. The Florida Board of Architecture and Interior Design oversees this procedure through the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation (DBPR).

To obtain a license in Florida, you must first pass the National Council for Interior Design Qualification (NCIDQ) exam. You must also complete a four-year degree program in interior design approved by the Council for Interior Design Accreditation (CIDA) to sit for the exam.

Florida has several colleges and universities, like the Miami International University of Art and Design and Florida State University, that provide interior design programs that the CIDA has approved. A minimum of six years of combined study and professional experience are required for interior designers before they may obtain their license.

After finishing one of the CIDA-accredited interior design schools, the interior designer would only have two years to work under the supervision of a professional interior designer before they would be eligible to become licensed.

The Council for Interior Design Qualification (CIDQ), which oversees the NCIDQ exam, has three sections:

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

To apply for all three categories, a $225 application fee must be paid. The applicant must register and take all three parts of the exam within a 10-day timeframe after applying. The IDFX test costs $295 to register for, the IDPX exam costs $350, and the PRAC exam costs $455. If the applicant postpones any exams, they will be charged a $150 postponement fee.

Applicants obtain their certification once they have completed all three stages of the examination. This certification must be renewed yearly for $75 and requires documentation of 10 hours of continuing education.

Applicants can apply physically or online to the board for an interior design license once they have provided documentation of their education, professional experience, and passing the NCIDQ exam. The licensing application fee costs $30. The license must be renewed every two years by paying $125 and completing 20 hours of continuing education.

Unlicensed contracting is typically charged in Jacksonville as a first-degree misdemeanor, punishable by up to a year in jail, twelve months of probation, and a $1,000 fine. To verify your interior designer's license, use the DBPR's license search tool.

Call (850) 487-1395 to reach the Florida Board of Architecture and Interior Design for further details about licensing and certification in Jacksonville.

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

Jacksonville interior designers usually use different pricing structures when billing for their services. These include:

• Percentage Fee Structure: A percentage of the overall cost of your home remodeling project, which usually ranges from 10% to 25%, will be paid to the interior designer using this structure. This pricing system is advantageous when there are no upfront expenses, and estimating how much the interior designer's services would cost is easy. However, dishonest interior designers could use this pricing framework as an excuse to suggest or purchase only expensive items to ultimately drive up the project's cost and fees. 
• Hourly Fee Structure: In this structure, you will be billed hourly by the interior designer for the time they spend working on your project. This structure is ideal for small and medium-scale projects. However, you might need to make a payment before the interior designer chooses to begin working on your project.
• Flat Rate Fee Structure: Using this payment structure, the interior designer will impose a fixed rate cost on you in exchange for specific services or obligations, such as design evaluations or reviews.

Always inquire about a designer's preferred pricing method before hiring them. Due to factors like the size of the room that requires designing and the designer's reputation, hiring an interior designer in Jacksonville might be pricey. Before picking an interior designer to work with, it is a good idea to gather quotations from at least three different local designers and compare them. By being intentional about this, you can spot inflated prices and other questionable company practices.

Interior designers in Jacksonville earn an average annual wage of $58,310. The list below provides the average hourly wages of these professionals compared with the average hourly wages of interior designers across the rest of Florida as well as several other locations in the United States:

What Kind of Interior Design Services Do You Offer?

Understanding the services that an interior designer provides is essential to guarantee that you receive the highest quality and value for your money. Most interior designers offer residential and commercial interior design, sustainable interior design, interior restorations, event and holiday décor, and interior design.

It should be noted that "interior decorator" and "interior designer" are occasionally used interchangeably by homeowners. However, the two jobs have a few significant variances despite sharing the same broad categories.

Interior designers usually have more formal education than interior decorators, with a focus on enhancing the appearance and functioning of living spaces. They work closely with general contractors and architects as well. On the other hand, interior decorators frequently overlook structural planning and restoration in favor of an aesthetic focus while rebuilding a property.

After confirming that the nature and extent of your project are consistent with the selected interior designer's area of competence, it is a good idea to learn how much these services will cost. The list of interior design products and services in Jacksonville is provided below.

Residential interior design services cost estimates

Commercial interior design services cost estimates

What is Your Favorite Interior Design Style?

When making improvements to your house or constructing a new living space, it's crucial to understand your desired interior design aesthetic clearly. It is usually a good idea to ensure that your interior designer has the skills necessary to translate this style into reality to prevent having a home that makes you feel absolutely uncomfortable.

If you want to work with an interior designer who is well-known for a particular style or design, it is a good idea to look over their portfolio to ensure the styles and designs they use align with your vision for your living space.

The following interior design styles are typical in Jacksonville homes:

• Art Deco
• Bohemian
• Coastal
• Contemporary
• Eclectic
• Glam
• Mid-Century Modern
• Minimalist
• Modern Farmhouse
• Organic Modern
• Rustic
• Scandinavian
• Shabby Chic
• Traditional
• Transitional

Another option is to work with your interior designer to create a unique style that reflects your personality and age if you don't have a certain theme in mind for the interior design of your home. Some of the more well-liked interior design fads among the city's various age groups include:

• Baby Boomers (Generation X) - Traditional and Rustic
• Millennials (Generation Y) - Contemporary, Minimalist, and Industrial
• Gen Z - Eclectic, Rustic, and Glam

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

Recommendations from friends, family, or websites run by groups like the American Society of Interior Designers are normal when seeking experienced interior designers to manage your home remodeling project. Regardless of how you locate an interior designer in Jacksonville, you should never sign contracts with them before requesting references from former clients.

Making a point to do this will make you better able to confirm their legitimacy and get first-hand feedback on their designs, background, and work ethics.

Professional interior designers in Jacksonville would be pleased to assist you with references and provide a portfolio demonstrating their previous work and designs. Be wary of interior designers who either cannot provide you with up to three local references or are unwilling to do so; this is typically a sign of subpar services and dishonest behavior on the designer's side.

You should check out your intended designer's profile on places like Google Reviews and the Better Business Bureau before hiring them. Then, you can look at their history of complaints and, if any, the categories of grievances that have been brought against them.

How Do You Structure Your Interior Design Projects?

When searching for seasoned interior designers for your Jacksonville home design and remodeling project, it is imperative to contemplate their organizational and spatial methods. You can follow your interior design process more successfully if you are better aware of how interior designers organize their time and understand what to anticipate from the design process.

Due to this, you can be sure that the interior designer will also consider any unique project milestones you may have while establishing the project timeline, such as suggested move-in dates or visits from friends and family.

The following are the steps in a typical interior design process:

• Discovery: Finding out about the client's needs and preferences, looking at inspirational images, and discussing the fundamental layout of the house are all part of the exploration process.
• Inspiration: The interior designer and their design team now create concept statements for each room that will act as the project's main compass based on their inspiration.
• Design: In this case, the client receives completely developed design thoughts from the interior designer. This process could include multiple presentations and design revisions before a final design is approved to satisfy the client's needs.
• Procurement: The interior designer must make the appropriate furniture, fixture, and accessory purchases to carry out the mutually agreed upon concept.
• Installation: The proposed living space's fixtures, furniture, and other extras are set up at this point. Depending on the size of the project, this can take one to five days or even longer.
• The Big Reveal: After the interior design process is completed, the client is shown the finished product by the interior designer.

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

Depending on the nature of the project, an interior designer may collaborate with architects, builders, or general contractors, or, if necessary, they may function as the lead contractor and employ carpenters, flooring experts, and other subcontractors. In addition to the specialists' fees, it's crucial to ensure that the contractors your interior designer is dealing with are licensed and insured to offer their services.

According to the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics, there were 57,780 work-related injuries suffered by employees in the construction industry in 2020. If the contractors your interior designer selected don't have insurance, you can be liable for these mishaps. You should thus confirm that each of these subcontractors has general liability insurance sufficient for the scope of your project.

Verify that your interior designer is covered by general liability and errors and omissions insurance to avoid being held responsible for any incident that may occur during your interior design project. Bear in mind that employers performing labor in Florida must provide workers' compensation insurance covering their employees, so ensure your interior designer has this coverage if they have employees.

Always request proof of insurance from your interior designer and any subcontractors. You can verify it in person by speaking with the insurance company that gave it before you sign any employment contracts with them.