How I Chose an Interior Designer in Dubai After Comparing Five

The keys sat on our kitchen counter for almost a month before anyone laid a finger on a paint swatch. We had a two-bedroom apartment, a rough budget, and a living room that echoed every time someone spoke. I knew I wanted help. What I didn’t know was how to pick an interior designer in Dubai when everyone’s Instagram grid looked equally beautiful.

So I did what I always do when I’m unsure. I made a spreadsheet. I booked five interior design consultations and promised myself I wouldn’t sign a contract until I’d met them all.

Why I Didn’t Pick the Designer With the Best Portfolio

The first interior designer I met had a wonderful portfolio. Marble everywhere, sculptural lighting, the sort of villas that appear in magazines. I was ready to say yes on the call itself.

Then one of the questions I’d prepared slipped out: “Have you done many apartments around this size?” There was a pause. Most of their work was large villas. They were delighted to take on our project, they said, but I could hear the calculation in their voice. They would have preferred a villa. Our 1,100-square-foot space would be a sideshow next to a 5,000-square-foot villa.

That moment set the precedent for the rest of my comparisons. I stopped measuring potential interior designers against the fantasy homes in their portfolios and started measuring them against the reality of my own.

The Questions I Asked All Five Interior Designers

I kept the questions the same for all five interior designers so I could compare their answers. Before the calls, I pored over a client guide from the American Society of Interior Designers on how to work with a designer, and it pushed me to think beyond “Do I like their portfolio?”

Here’s what I asked all five:

• How do you charge: flat fee, percentage of the budget, or hourly?

• Who do I speak to for day-to-day updates, you or someone junior?

• What’s a reasonable timeline for fitting out an apartment this size?

• How do you handle building approvals and contractors?

• Can I speak to a past client with a similar brief?

The last one turned out to be the best question of all.

How the Five Interior Designers Compared

Designer one: the villa specialist

Beautiful work, but not the right fit for our needs. I would have been a small footnote next to their villa briefs.

Designer two: the budget option

Their quote came in well below the rest, which made me pause. When I asked what it included, several things turned out not to be. Furniture sourcing was an add-on, and so were site visits and any revisions after the second round of changes. The low quote was a hook, and the full job was much bigger than the number suggested.

Designer three: the fast talker

They were very confident and extremely quick. They promised to finish the entire apartment in six weeks. Anyone who has renovated in Dubai knows that building management approvals alone can take time, and many buildings require a fit-out NOC before work can even start. I later double-checked the requirements for a general renovation on the Dubai Municipality website and cross-checked them with our building’s management. Six weeks wasn’t impossible, but it was misleading.

Designer four: the design-only studio

They had lovely concepts and beautiful mood boards. In a parallel universe, I would have paid them for the drawings and a shopping list and taken it from there myself. With a full-time job, I couldn’t manage the day-to-day coordination with contractors.

Designer five: the one who asked me more questions than I asked them

This might have been the most important difference. She didn’t ask about our budget first, or the size of the apartment. She asked how we used the living room on weekday evenings, where the school bags went when the kids came home, whether we hosted often, and whether anyone worked from home.

This was Amanda Dsouza. She has over ten years of experience, and it showed. She laid out the project in phases, told me which ones needed building approvals, and gave me a detailed cost breakdown without any fiddly small print. She also set up a call with one of her past clients, who had fitted out a similar apartment. That ten-minute conversation was an education.

What I Learned From Comparing Interior Designers

Looking back on the process, a few things stand out.

Style makes for good Instagram posts, but it doesn’t make good interior design on its own. Almost all the interior designers I met could have pulled off a similar version of our apartment. Where they differed was in communication, value for money, and how they handled logistics.

The cheapest quote isn’t always the cheapest project. Once I factored in what the second designer called “extras,” their price came very close to everyone else’s.

A realistic timeline is a good litmus test. The designer who laid out the longest time frame was the one I trusted most, because she could see every step it would take to get there.

Past clients are always a good touch point. They’re useful for asking about the project and for finding out whether the client’s needs were actually met. A portfolio shows the finished result, but a phone call with someone who’s been through the process will tell you about the sleepless nights in the early stages, or the relief when it was all over.

My Tips if You’re Comparing Interior Designers in Dubai

Get more than one opinion, even if you’re captivated by the first portfolio. Ask each designer the same questions so you can compare them directly. Notice how well they listen to you, and watch for red flags.

Above all, pay attention to the designers who ask you questions, not just about your budget and your space, but about how you live in it. I work from home, so that was the one thing that mattered most to me. Not a single designer asked me about it, except Amanda.

We’re a few weeks in, and the walls still echo, but there’s now a plan on paper, a realistic timeline, and someone who asked the right questions to get us there. I’ll share how the first stage of the renovation goes in my next post.