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What Questions Should You Ask a Luxury Interior Designer Before You Hire Them?

by | Mar 17, 2026 | Modern Interior Design Ideas

Freestanding tub, black door, large mirror, side tables, wood-look floor, and sliding glass doors to an outdoor patio—Living with Lolo.
11 min readMarch 2026

What to Ask a Luxury Interior Designer Before You Hire Them

Hiring a luxury interior designer is one of the most significant decisions you will make for your home. The firm you choose will have access to your space, your budget, and your daily life for anywhere from six months to two years. Getting it right matters. Most designers will show you a beautiful portfolio and tell you what you want to hear in a first meeting. The questions below are designed to get past the presentation and into the substance of how a firm actually works. We are sharing these because we believe informed clients make the best clients. If you ask these questions and a firm cannot answer them clearly, that is information worth having before you sign a contract.
Modern bedroom with wave-patterned wallpaper and neutral decor

Stephanie H.
Paradise Valley Home Remodel + Furnishing Client
★★★★★

"Between business travel and kids’ schedules, we had no time for design decisions. Living with Lolo’s process gave us total confidence to hand over the reins. Our Paradise Valley home is now polished, peaceful, and perfectly us- without the stress or guesswork."

Questions About Credentials and Licensing

Do you hold a general contractor license in Arizona?

This is the single most important question you can ask a designer in the Scottsdale market, especially if your project involves any construction, remodeling, or renovation work. An interior designer without a GC license cannot legally pull permits, cannot supervise construction, and is not legally accountable for construction outcomes. They can coordinate with a contractor on your behalf, but the contractor is a separate entity with a separate contract and separate accountability. Ask to see the license and verify it at roc.az.gov. A firm that holds both an interior design credential and an active ROC general contractor license is a fundamentally different offering than on

Are you NCIDQ certified or a member of ASID?

These are the primary professional credentials in interior design. NCIDQ certification requires passing a rigorous exam and meeting experience requirements. ASID membership indicates professional standing in the industry. Neither is legally required to practice interior design in Arizona, but they signal a commitment to professional standards.

What is your insurance coverage?

Any firm doing construction work should carry general liability insurance and workers compensation coverage. Ask for a certificate of insurance and verify that coverage is current. This protects you if something goes wrong on your property during the project.

Questions About Process and Project Management

Who will be my day-to-day point of contact?

In many design firms, the principal designer sells the project and then hands it off to a junior designer or project coordinator. Ask directly who you will be working with day to day, who attends site visits, and who makes design decisions when questions come up during construction. At Living With Lolo, our founder Lauren Lerner is involved in every project. We do not sell work and hand it off.

How do you manage communication during construction?

A whole-home remodel involves hundreds of decisions over many months. Ask what the firm's communication process looks like. How often will you receive updates? Through what channel? Who do you call when you have a question or concern? A firm with a clear answer to this question has managed complex projects before. A firm that fumbles this answer probably has not.

How do you handle changes during construction?

Change orders are a normal part of construction. Hidden conditions behind walls, product substitutions, and client-initiated changes all happen. Ask how the firm documents and prices changes, how quickly change orders are presented, and what approval is required before additional work proceeds. A firm that cannot answer this clearly may be the type that presents a large surprise invoice at the end of a project.

How do you manage procurement and what happens when something is delayed or arrives damaged?

Custom furniture, lighting, and finishes have long lead times and are occasionally damaged in transit. Ask how the firm tracks orders, what their process is when something arrives wrong, and how they manage substitutions when a product is discontinued mid-project. This is a real operational question and the answer will tell you a lot about how experienced the firm is at running complex projects.

Questions About Budget and Fees

How do you charge for your services?

Fee structures vary significantly across luxury design firms. Some charge hourly, some charge a flat project fee, some charge a percentage of total project cost, and most use some combination. There is no universally right answer but you should understand exactly how you will be billed before you sign anything. Ask for the fee structure in writing, ask what is included and what is not, and ask for an estimate of total design fees for your project scope before work begins.

Do you apply a markup on furnishings and materials?

Most full-service designers purchase goods on your behalf and apply a markup above trade cost. This is standard practice and it compensates the firm for the time, relationships, and expertise required to source and manage high-quality goods. Typical markups in the luxury market run 20 to 35 percent above trade cost. Ask about this directly. A firm that is not transparent about markup structure is a firm worth being cautious about.

Have you completed projects at my budget level before?

This is a direct question that deserves a direct answer. A firm that primarily works on $150,000 furnishing projects operates very differently from a firm that manages $800,000 design-build renovations. Ask for examples of completed projects at your budget level and ask to speak with past clients if possible.
Bright dining room with black table

Scott G.
Scottsdale Luxury Home Design Client
★★★★★

"We hired Lauren’s team while relocating to North Scottsdale for work, and they took care of every detail- from contractor coordination to final styling. We literally walked into a fully designed home that felt both elevated and easy to live in. For busy professionals, this is the only way to do it."

Questions About Their Portfolio and Experience

Can I see completed projects similar to mine in scope and style?

A portfolio of beautiful photography is not the same as a track record of successfully completed projects at your scale. Ask to see specific completed projects that are similar to yours in scope, whether that is a whole-home remodel, a new construction interior, or a specific room type. Ask about the timeline, budget, and any challenges that came up during those projects.

Do you have experience with Scottsdale and Paradise Valley specifically?

The local market matters. HOA and ARC approval processes, preferred trade relationships, permit timelines, and the specific aesthetic sensibility of the luxury buyer in this market are all things an experienced local firm will know intuitively. Ask how many projects they have completed in Scottsdale and Paradise Valley specifically and whether they have relationships with local trades and vendors.

Have you been featured in any design publications or won any industry awards?

Press recognition and industry awards are not vanity metrics in the luxury design world. They signal that the firm's work has been evaluated by outside authorities and found worthy of recognition. Phoenix Magazine's Best of the Valley, Houzz Best of Design, Architectural Digest AD Pro, and Luxe Interiors and Design features are all meaningful signals in the Scottsdale market.
Entryway with arched door and gold chandelier

Sally H.
Scottsdale Luxury Home Renovation Client
★★★★★

"I didn’t have time to project-manage a major renovation while leading a company but Living with Lolo made it effortless. Their team kept everything on track, and the final result is a Scottsdale home that reflects my lifestyle, not just my Pinterest board."

One Final Question

Why should I hire you over the other firms I am considering?

This question will tell you everything. A firm with genuine confidence in their differentiation will answer it directly and specifically. They will tell you what they do differently, what their clients say about working with them, and what makes their approach uniquely suited to your project. If the answer is vague or sounds like a rehearsed pitch, trust that instinct. At Living With Lolo, our answer is this. We are the only luxury interior design firm in Scottsdale that also holds an active general contractor license. We design and build your project under one roof, under one contract, with one team that is accountable for every phase from concept through construction and final installation. Our work has been recognized by Architectural Digest, Phoenix Magazine, Luxe Interiors and Design, and Houzz every year since 2018. And our clients will tell you that the experience of working with us is as good as the finished product. That is our answer. Make sure the firm you hire has one just as clear.
White cushioned chairs surround a round table on a patio with textured wall art and a woven pendant light.— Living with Lolo.

Derek T.
Scottsdale Home Remodel Client
★★★★★

"As two working parents running a business in Scottsdale, we needed a full-service interior design firm that could lead without hand-holding. Living with Lolo delivered exactly that- our home is elegant, functional, and completely turnkey. They thought of everything so we didn’t have to."

Ready to Ask Us These Questions?

We welcome them. Book a consultation and come prepared. We will answer every one. 📞 Call us at 480-702-1189 and book your consultation.
✨ Explore our latest projects and portfolio ✨ Want to work with an award-winning designer? Book your consultation today
Related Post: Living With Lolo Named a Top Scottsdale Interior Design Firm by AD PRO 2025
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I have been answering these questions from prospective clients for over a decade. The ones who ask the right questions upfront end up with better projects. The ones who skip due diligence and choose based on portfolio photos alone often regret it. These are the questions I would want you to ask me, and I am prepared to answer every one of them. — Lauren Lerner, Living with Lolo

Ready to ask us these questions directly?

A discovery call is 30 minutes and completely free. We will answer everything on this list and give you a realistic read on your project.

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What a real design walkthrough with our clients looks like:

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the first question I should ask a luxury interior designer?

Ask to see projects that are similar in scope and style to what you want, and ask how the designer handled specific challenges on those projects. A portfolio with beautiful photos is expected. What separates good firms is how they talk about problems and how they solved them.

How do I know if a luxury interior designer is right for me?

Beyond portfolio fit, look for clear communication about process, honest answers on budget and timeline, and evidence that they have done projects like yours before. A firm that listens more than it pitches in the first meeting is typically a better long-term working relationship.

What is the difference between a designer and a design-build firm?

A designer handles the aesthetic planning and specification but passes construction to a separate general contractor. A design-build firm, like Living with Lolo, handles both under one roof. This matters when accuracy of execution is as important as the design concept itself.

Should I interview multiple interior designers?

Yes, especially for whole-home or significant renovation projects. Most firms offer a free or low-cost discovery call. Talking to two or three firms gives you a basis for comparison on both working style and fee structure.

Ready to Transform Your Home?

Lauren Lerner and the Living with Lolo team work with clients across Scottsdale, Paradise Valley, Arcadia, and the greater Phoenix metro area.

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Lauren Lerner, principal interior designer at Living with Lolo

Lauren Lerner

Principal Designer, Living with Lolo

Lauren Lerner is a luxury interior designer based in Scottsdale, AZ and the founder of Living with Lolo. Her work has been featured in Architectural Digest, House Beautiful, Vogue, Martha Stewart Living, The Wall Street Journal, and GQ. She specializes in high-end residential design across Scottsdale, Paradise Valley, Arcadia, and the greater Phoenix metro area.

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About Living with Lolo

Living with Lolo is a Scottsdale, Arizona-based luxury interior design and construction firm. The company specializes in full-service interior design, design-build remodeling, and construction-led renovations for high-end residential homes in Scottsdale, Paradise Valley, and Phoenix. Living with Lolo manages both interior design and licensed general contracting under one roof, guiding projects from concept through construction and white-glove installation.