Interior designer receiving undisclosed commission from supplier

5 years ago

Hi - we are working with an interior designer on a kitchen and bathroom project.

I have come to learn that the interior designer is receiving a commission from the bathroom suppliers out of the amount I will be paying, but this wasn’t disclosed to me.

Is this typical, or even permissible? There’s nothing in our contract about this, and it wasn’t disclosed upfront.

Sort by:Oldest

Comments (4)

Sam Potter
5 years ago
Sounds a bit sus. I'd expect designers to get trade discounts but surely they should pass these discounts on to you in a transparent, broken down budget showing what they're charging for their expertise and time, vs costs of materials/furniture and fittings etc?
Having said this, do you think the commission has affected the quality of the advice and guidance the designer has provided? Are you happy with the overall price and finished design? I've got mortgages based on the advice of a financial advisor on commission, but he was transparent about this ( financial advisors have to be) and I got a mortgage deal I was happy with, so no harm done.
Sonia
5 years ago
I’m no expert, but anyone being paid to recommend a firm or product should declare it. Undeclared commission caused a complete meltdown a few years ago with financial organisations and now such commission must be transparent.
Related Discussions
meet the Pro's and fellow Design Enthusiasts !
Q
Comments (59)
Hi all I'm Carolyn from Brampton, Ontario. It's nice to read the bios and meet everyone who is so committed to décor and design. I studied Interior Decorating at Sheridan College about 30 years ago - yikes, I think I was 10 - a real prodigy :-) Kidding aside, it's a wonderful time to be in this field with all of the new technology, resources and product available to us. Like Keitha I started when my children were small. I remember having to design and water colour render a 2500 square foot house for our final project and now it's almost all done on the computer. A "Diva" I'm not. For me my job is about helping my clients create spaces that reflect them, who they are, where they have been and how they live. Helping them to define what they want and show them how to achieve it. The process is a collaboration and usually involves a team of contractors, trades and suppliers who all value the same commitment to providing exceptional, professional and timely service, whether it be a small or large budget. I guess it stands to reason that since my second passion is cooking my favourite spaces to design are kitchens. Creating a kitchen that not only looks good, but works and is a pleasure to be in is a great sense of accomplishment. I don't profess to know everything there is about design but I do know where to find the answers and am definitely a pit bull when it comes to a challenge. Not sure if it’s a blessing or a curse, but my mind doesn't stop exploring the possibilities until we find the best possible solution. It's definitely a profession where you are always learning, revaluating, exploring new possibilities and ideas and growing. I feel privileged to have worked with so many wonderful people over the years, as clients and associates and have made many lifelong friends through the process. My clients range from Baby Boomers who are downsizing and starting on a new path in their lives to young urban professionals who are just starting their lives and families. I look forward to learning and seeing all of the new projects here on Houzz and wish you all well. I'd also like to thank OnePlan for starting the post. It's a pleasure to meet so many like minded people.
...See More
From where do you buy your paint?
Q
Comments (54)
Mylands. You always regret your economies. I've repainted this kitchen 4X over the years, and last time was in Dulux which wore so poorly. Just custom mixed a new vibrant duck egg to paint my kitchen in marble matt walls, eggshell woodwork, and floor paint. Mylands matched impeccably. It was a dream of coverage, and looks spectacular. The quality of the pigment shows, looks the money, nothing like synthetic mediocre pigments in cheaper paint. It's a big improvement.
...See More
Hand drawn designs vs CAD designs...
Q
Comments (104)
Loved reading this discussion! I am an interior designer and have done my interior sketchign courses with BehindCanvas. The tutor is amazing and you can do the tutorials online in your own time and rewatch them. Highly recommend if you're interested in mastering sketching from zero!
...See More
what can be done with this wall?
Q
Comments (28)
Hi - Love the colours you have chosen. Inkmill Vinyl have a great selection of ready made wall art designs on our website which can be printed to size to fit your space. These tree designs are popular Or a bold graphic pattern to contrast with your base colour Or you can create your own design and upload it for us to print out in your choice of colour and is for a truly bespoke wall covering. Good Luck with your project.
...See More
Jonathan
5 years ago
I think it is standard in many industries that there is a fee for creative planning and it sounds like you have paid that. To source materials, process orders, organise deliveries and project manage trades there is significant extra time for the designer and it seems to me that the designer needs to be recompensed for that time. A commission payment would be one way of the designer earning appropriately for that work.
PRO
OnePlan
5 years ago
The way some designers work is via a commission payment on anything you purchase on the project. ( a bit like a showroom offering free design - but making a markup on whatever you buy through them)

Some designers charge a fee and then pass on some or all of their trade discount - but again that isn’t always as transparent as it could be.

The way we work is we charge a fee for our time and the design. Then our clients source things themselves.
It’s as transparent as we can be that way. We aren’t affiliated to any particular places - but some places do publicly offer a discount OnePlan clients .

They key is to find out the way that your designer is charging up front - as it will sour the relationship if you find things out at a later date. You might find the designer you used has the way they are paid detailed in their agreement paperwork ?! It’s worth having a good look through or asking them to offer you a bit more detail of how they are charging and earning from your project - I’m not sure how much detail you will get, but hopefully enough to help resolve the issue . Fingers crossed for you !

Interior designer receiving undisclosed commission from supplier

Comments (4)

Sam Potter

Sonia

Related Discussions

Jonathan

OnePlan

COMPANY

BUSINESS SERVICES

GET HELP

CONNECT WITH US