When fellow real-estate pros ask me how to pick an interior designer, I borrow a page from fashion: anyone can buy a full look off the mannequin, but it takes an artist to build a wardrobe that feels unmistakably you. In residential interiors, that artistry shows up as curation.

The Three “Designers”

Over the years I’ve met dozens of people who call themselves designers, yet they fall into three clear camps:

1. The Decorator. They visit a showroom, pull matching pieces, and replicate the vignette in your living room. The result may be attractive, but it’s rarely memorable.
2. The Trend Copier. Scrolling Instagram or glossy magazines, they chase last season’s boucle-and-brass craze. You’ll get a space that photographs nicely—until the algorithm moves on.
   
3. The Curator (a.k.a. Artist). This pro edits, layers, and invents. They’ll wrap a lounge chair in mohair, then edge it with leather piping—small gestures that turn furniture into conversation pieces. Curators don’t decorate rooms; they compose experiences.

If you want a home that stands apart and sells faster when the time comes, hire the curator.

Why Curation Translates to Market Value
Even buyers with utterly different tastes feel the pull of a well-curated space. Think about spotting a sharply dressed stranger: their outfit may not mirror your style, yet you instinctively admire the poise. Elegant rooms evoke the same reaction. They whisper, Everything here was chosen on purpose. Prospective buyers step inside and—before debating square footage—connect with that underlying sense of beauty and care. Properties like these routinely command stronger offers and shorter days on market.

My Designer Litmus Test
I’ve collaborated with LA-based designer Doug Levine for years because he passes every filter below. Whomever you choose to hire, hold candidates to the same standard.

• Original Eye. Ask to see a project detail that doesn’t exist anywhere else. Doug bordered our Macassar-wood dining table with a thin line brass inlay—subtle, dazzling, impossible to knock off at the big-box store.
  
• Custom Craftsmanship. Do they sketch and prototype? Doug designed our nightstands: floating shelves and a central drawer, all pinned by an elegant brass dowel. When a designer can call a millwork shop by first name, you’ve struck gold.
• Story Behind Each Choice. While sourcing in Los Angeles we found what looks like bundled logs clad in mirror-chrome—a sculptural cocktail table that reminds me of the 5” white oak floorboards that were installed throughout my home—but with a lobster-trap playfulness. Doug explained why chrome would balance our family-room palette through a mix of luscious metals. A curator can articulate why every element belongs.
• Respect for Practical Living. Creativity matters, but so does durability. Our dining-chair upholstery survives red-wine spills because Doug selected performance fabric that mimics silk. A true artist refuses to sacrifice function for novelty.

Interview Questions for a Prospective Designer

1. What piece in your portfolio best demonstrates your personal signature?
2. How do you balance a client’s taste with pushing creative boundaries?
3. Describe a time you commissioned a custom item—what problem did it solve?
4. Which craftspeople or ateliers do you collaborate with regularly?
5. How will your design choices support resale value five years from now?

If the answers center on catalog orders and Pinterest boards, keep looking.

Curated Homes, Happier Owners
Humans are hard-wired to seek nests that feel refined and secure—no different from birds weaving tighter joints or animals digging smarter burrows. Partnering with a curator elevates that nesting instinct into living art, one that resonates with future buyers, too.

So before you sign off on the trendy sofa set, ask yourself: Is this décor or curation? Choose the latter and you’ll live—and eventually sell—Happily Ever Always™.