Another essential step is choosing someone whose design sensibility genuinely resonates with you. Whether you’re drawn to warmth, refinement, whimsy or restraint, choose someone whose work reflects how you want to live. “Looking at someone’s portfolio, you have to be really careful to understand the tenets of design and what you are seeing as a common thread,” says Arnold. The goal is to feel aligned from the beginning, creating a relationship that can withstand the inevitable ups and downs of a long project.And long it may be. As he notes, “Rome wasn’t built in a day,” a reminder that meaningful design takes time – sometimes even years. Budgets and timelines are important, but flexibility is equally crucial. “I’ve never heard of a project finishing early or going under budget,” he says, adding that taking the extra time upfront is usually what prevents costly mistakes later.