Most homeowners hire an architect first and think about the interior designer later. That sequence costs more than any other decision on the project. Here's how the designer-architect collaboration is supposed to work, when to bring the designer in, and the questions that separate designers who actually work with architects from designers who just say they do.

"Interior designer" and "decorator" get used interchangeably online, but they describe two different scopes of work — one includes floor plans and architectural coordination, the other doesn't. Hiring the wrong one for your project usually shows up mid-renovation, right when it's most expensive to fix. Here's how to tell which one your project actually needs.

There's a simple, logical system behind why certain spaces feel right and others put you on edge. Here's what's actually going on the next time you beeline for a banquette, want to bolt from an airport, or can't figure out why one room in your home never gets used.