Interior Designer -Residential Remodeling Part-Time/Contract

About the role Creekstone Designs is an award-winning custom design-build remodeler in the Portland metro, crafting high-end kitchen, bath, basement, and whole-home remodels for more than 20 years. We’re looking for an experienced interior designer to own the selections and client-design side of our pre-construction process. What makes this different from most design roles: we’ve deliberately stripped the administrative load off it. You won’t be drowning in spec uploads, bid packages, or quote-chasing — a coordinator handles that. Architectural and construction drawings are handled by others. Your job is the part that actually requires a designer: guiding clients through selections, owning the design decisions, and making sure every choice works for their budget, their timeline, and the build. You design and advise. We built the support around you. This is a part-time contract role with real autonomy, active projects ready to start now, and room to grow as our project load builds. What you’ll own Your own time management to accomplish the design brief in the schedule sold to clients for the design phase. Run client selection meetings and trade-day design prep. Lead the selections process with homeowners — all fixtures and finishes, input on layout and overall plans. Typical selections: flooring, tile, counters, paint, cabinet style and finish, plumbing and lighting fixtures, shower glass, hardware, accessories, millwork, doors, windows, etc. Specialty items occasionally, such as fireplaces, built-ins, and mantels. Be the trusted advisor in the room. Educate clients on aesthetic and budget trade-offs so there are no surprises later. Manage expectations. Own the selections schedule, allowance-vs-requested, and vendor quote audit for accuracy. What you won’t have to do (so you can focus on design) Architectural concept and permit/construction drawings. Cabinet and lighting layout creation. Appliances selection. Design-board production, spec uploads, bid packages, quote collection, sub scheduling. Who thrives here A seasoned, trusted advisor who can help clients manage themselves and to the design/budget brief. Someone who can read the room. Awesome customer service (doesn’t always mean “yes”). You have a point of view. You can articulate your design sensibility and defend your selections — not “whatever you like,” but “here’s what I’d recommend, and why.” You think in consequences. Every selection carries a cost, a lead time, and a buildability reality — and you flag it before it’s a problem. You’re autonomous. You manage your own workplan and hit deadlines without daily direction. You see systems as infrastructure, not interference. You use SOPs to move faster and improve them when you spot something better. Not ideal if you… See design as picking pretty things rather than advising on cost, scope, and buildability. Need to be developed into a senior role rather than already operating as one. Wait for direction instead of running your own work. Feel process and templates as interference rather than infrastructure. Would rather take the client’s order than guide them through trade-offs. Want full-time, salaried, or work with no accountability. What it takes Required 5+ years residential design, with a portfolio of real, completed client projects. Direct experience leading selections and design conversations with homeowners yourself. Direct experience in creating layouts and selections for: Plumbing and electrical fixtures Cabinets and countertops Tile - floors, showers, backsplashes, fireplaces Doors and millwork (including stairs/railings) Paint Flooring - carpet, engineered, LVT, laminate, wood, tile, concrete finishing, etc Hardware and accessories Sourcing spec sheets, install standard,etc. Comfort reading architectural drawings and working inside an existing plan set; usable CAD (Chief Architect, SketchUp, or similar). A working understanding that design choices drive scope, budget, and schedule — and the confidence to advise on it. Preferred Remodeling or design-build background. Material specification and vendor experience. Working at Creekstone & the details Small, process-driven firm that competes on quality, not volume. Clear expectations, real autonomy, no drama. Part-time 1099 contract that surges in busy season, with room to grow. $70–85/hour based on experience. Remote-friendly with client meetings in the Portland/Tigard area. Reports directly to the owner. Local candidates only; no agencies. Pay: $70.00 - $85.00 per hour Application Question(s): Paste a link of portfolio of real, completed client projects — kitchens, baths, basements, or whole-home. Have you worked directly with homeowners, leading the design of kitchens and baths across all fixtures and finishes? Have you led selections on projects with fixed budgets and fixed schedules? What CAD / design software have you used in actual work? This is a 1099 contract, part-time role that surges in summer. Does that work for you? Are you based in the Portland / Tigard metro? Tell us about a time a client wanted a selection that didn’t fit their budget or wouldn’t build well — and how you handled it. Experience: Design: 5 years (Preferred) Work Location: In person