Lead Residential Interior Designer | Design Build Remodeling

The Opportunity: At IHR, our Interior Designers are more than designers. They are trusted guides who lead the design and client experience from the earliest conversations through construction and completion. We are looking for an experienced Lead Residential Interior Designer who can take meaningful ownership of both the design and the client experience. You will work closely with homeowners to understand how they want to live, develop thoughtful and buildable design solutions, guide them through important decisions, and lead the collaboration required to carry the design successfully through Design, Planning, Build, and completion. You will work alongside IHR's Project Coordinator, Drafter, Site Superintendent, consultants, suppliers, and trade partners to bring each project from vision to reality. This is an opportunity for someone who wants more than simply producing beautiful designs. It is a role for a designer who wants to lead projects, guide clients, influence outcomes, collaborate closely with the people building the work, and have a meaningful voice in how IHR continues to grow.

About Us: Innovative Home Renovations is a residential design build remodeling firm serving homeowners throughout Northeast Seattle. We reimagine existing homes around the way our clients want to live, combining thoughtful design, detailed planning, and exceptional construction in one integrated process. A successful remodel is about more than the finished home. We are equally focused on creating an exceptional remodeling experience where homeowners feel understood, informed, confident, and in control throughout their project. At IHR, we believe the homeowner is the hero of the remodeling story. Our role is to understand where they want to go, guide the decisions along the way, and bring that vision to life. What Leadership Means at IHRLeadership in this position is not limited to managing people. It means taking ownership of the client experience, the design, and the collaboration required to move a remodeling project toward a successful outcome. Lead the client experience. Build trusted relationships with homeowners, understand what matters most to them, and guide them through the many decisions involved in remodeling with clarity and confidence. Lead the design. Translate the homeowner's goals, lifestyle, aesthetic preferences, existing home, and investment priorities into thoughtful, cohesive, functional, and buildable design solutions. Lead project collaboration. Bring together the client, Project Coordinator, Drafter, Site Superintendent, suppliers, and trade partners around a clear design direction and the decisions necessary to keep the project moving forward. Lead the design through construction. Stay connected to the project after drawings and selections are complete. Help answer questions, resolve unforeseen conditions, protect the design intent, and ensure the original vision is successfully translated into the finished home. Help shape the future of IHR. Bring your experience, ideas, and perspective to how IHR continues improving our design approach, client communication, collaboration, standards, tools, and overall remodeling experience.

What You Will Do: Understand the Client and Their HomeLead conversations with homeowners to understand their goals, frustrations, lifestyle, aesthetic preferences, priorities, and how they want their home to function. Ask thoughtful questions that help clients clarify what matters most and uncover opportunities they may not have initially considered. Study the existing home, its architecture, layout, constraints, and opportunities so the design responds thoughtfully to both the homeowner and the house. Develop the Design VisionCreate cohesive design concepts that balance beauty, function, architecture, lifestyle, investment, and buildability. Develop space plans and layouts that improve how clients move through and experience their homes. Create and communicate design concepts through drawings, presentations, renderings, material palettes, finish selections, cabinetry, millwork, lighting, fixtures, furnishings, and other design elements. Help clients see and understand the possibilities for their home before construction begins.

Guide Client Decisions: Serve as a trusted guide throughout the design process. Help homeowners navigate complex choices without becoming overwhelmed by the number of decisions involved in remodeling. Lead design presentations, showroom visits, material and finish selections, site walkthroughs, and other important client conversations. Explain the reasoning behind design recommendations while remaining curious about the client's perspective and priorities. Help clients understand tradeoffs between design, investment, functionality, availability, schedule, and long term value.

Create Clear, Buildable Designs: Develop or coordinate floor plans, space plans, interior elevations, cabinetry layouts, custom millwork details, lighting and electrical intent, finish plans, material and fixture specifications, renderings, visual presentations, and other design documentation required for Planning and Build. Work closely with IHR's Drafter and project team to make sure design intent is translated into accurate and usable construction information.

Balance Design, Investment, and Buildability: Develop solutions that respect the client's investment priorities while maintaining the quality and integrity of the design. Collaborate with the IHR team and trade partners to understand construction feasibility, existing conditions, availability, lead times, cost implications, and schedule impacts. Identify potential conflicts or unanswered questions early, before they become expensive problems during construction.

What We Are Looking For: We are looking for someone who combines strong design ability with the interpersonal skills, judgment, organization, and ownership required to lead residential remodeling projects. Residential Design Experience. At least five years of professional interior design experience, preferably within residential remodeling, high end residential design, architecture, or a design build environment. Strong Design Judgment. A demonstrated ability to create beautiful, thoughtful spaces that respond to the client's lifestyle, the architecture of the home, functionality, and project goals. Exceptional Client Communication. The ability to listen carefully, ask thoughtful questions, build trust, explain recommendations clearly, and guide homeowners through difficult or complex decisions. Project Leadership. Experience taking ownership of design projects and coordinating multiple people, decisions, deadlines, and priorities from concept through completion. Technical Design Ability. Experience producing or directing floor plans, elevations, space plans, cabinetry, millwork, specifications, renderings, and other documentation required to successfully communicate a residential design. Experience with Chief Architect is valuable. Experience with AutoCAD, SketchUp, Revit, Illustrator, or comparable professional design software is also relevant. Problem Solving. The ability to remain thoughtful and solution oriented when existing conditions, budget concerns, material availability, schedule constraints, or construction realities require the design to evolve. Organization and Follow Through. The ability to manage multiple projects and many moving pieces while maintaining attention to detail and following decisions through to completion. Collaborative Mindset. A genuine interest in working closely with designers, drafters, project coordinators, site leadership, consultants, suppliers, and trade partners rather than treating design as a separate discipline from construction. Curiosity and Growth Mindset. A desire to continue learning, improve systems, challenge assumptions thoughtfully, and contribute ideas that make both the design work and the client experience better. Education and Professional CredentialsA Bachelor's Degree in Interior Design, Interior Architecture, Architecture, or a related field is preferred. Equivalent professional experience and a strong portfolio may also be considered. NCIDQ certification is valued and preferred, but is not required. Why Join IHR?This role provides an opportunity to have meaningful ownership while working within an established design build team. You will have support from a Project Coordinator, Drafter, Site Superintendent, consultants, suppliers, and established trade partners while still having significant influence over the client experience and design direction of your projects. You will also have an opportunity to influence how IHR's design practice develops as the company grows. We want talented people to bring their experience to IHR, not simply conform to the way things have always been done. Lead meaningful residential remodeling projects. Develop lasting relationships with homeowners. See your designs carried from concept through construction. Collaborate directly with the people responsible for building the work. Have a meaningful voice in improving how design and remodeling are delivered. Help create an exceptional remodeling experience for homeowners throughout Northeast Seattle.

Salary: $90,000 to $120,000 (DOE), bonus eligible