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Trust me when I say this...... a decorator is NOT going to control everything, a good one is going to interpret your wishes asnd desires, its in their own best interests to have a happy client.
They will also have access to better deals that you can get, a lot us us pass those deals on to the client instead of keeping the commission for ourselves, and we are NOT as expensive as you think.........
Trust me when I say this...... a decorator is NOT going to control everything, a good one is going to interpret your wishes asnd desires, its in their own best interests to have a happy client.
They will also have access to better deals that you can get, a lot us us pass those deals on to the client instead of keeping the commission for ourselves, and we are NOT as expensive as you think.........
I love your answer. Right on !!!!!!
Now if HGTV will only tell people that. Then they might believe it.
Now if HGTV will only tell people that. Then they might believe it.
That channel has done more to damage the decorator/client relationship than anything I know!
One of the first things I ask a prospective client is if they watch the channel, then have to launch into a dissertation about how false everything is that they have seen! -coughing up a hairball-
I HATE that channel!
That channel has done more to damage the decorator/client relationship than anything I know!
One of the first things I ask a prospective client is if they watch the channel, then have to launch into a dissertation about how false everything is that they have seen! -coughing up a hairball-
I HATE that channel!
When I bought this house people said "Oh you HAVE to watch some HGTV for inspiration" so I watched a few programs. What a boring network with wall to wall nothing. Nothing but stainless steel and granite all day long.
First, you should determine what you like. This isn't all that easy really. Many of us like elements of many styles. So, you need to do your homework to determine what really appeals to you. You can do that by going to one of the big book stores and looking at decorating books and magazines. I do believe in inspiration rooms - they can really give you a place to start. Study photographs of good design. Visit open houses in nice areas, design homes, showrooms.
I'd never hire someone until I had an idea of what styles and colors appeal to me.
There should be a number of design firms and independent interior decorators in your area. Visit their shops, look at their portfolios, ask questions. Set your budget and work only within that budget.
Many interior decorators will charge by the hour or room. Maybe you should think about hiring someone to help you with one room. If you work side by side with the decorator, you should learn a lot , and then perhaps you could continue on your own with the rest of the rooms or get limited guidance from the decorator.
One thing I would not do is to start buying a piece here and a piece there and leave accessories for the last - after your major furniture pieces and rugs/drapes are in place - you'll save yourself money and grief if you do this. Educate yourself about your own personal tastes and the basics of design and then come up with an overall plan for a room (either with or without help). Then proceed slowly. This isn't a race - it is your home :-).
When I bought this house people said "Oh you HAVE to watch some HGTV for inspiration" so I watched a few programs. What a boring network with wall to wall nothing. Nothing but stainless steel and granite all day long.
I used to love HGTV....until this granite and stainless fad hit! There are still a few good shows on there, but not as many as there used to be. DIY network is still pretty good, although I feel as if they're headed for the "tile every bathroom", granite the counters and all stainless appliances, route as well.
Although certain posters state that HGTV is damaging client/designer relationshihps, these DIY channels have done a tremendous thing. They are telling/showing people that they can do things themselves. They are giving homeowners ideas. Most of all, and this is on a personal note here....they are showing that the "average Joe/Julie" is capable of doing home repairs themselves! In today's economy, it's tough for the average homeowner to afford the materials for a project, much less having to pay someone to do it for them. The average human being has, over the years, been led to believe that it takes special schooling, to know how to do anything around your house. Well, it doesn't. My father was one of the most incredible carpenters, had his own construction company in fact.....went to school until the 8th grade and never had any special training at a college or tech school. A whole lot of your old construction firms were like that. It doesn't take a "brain child" to do most of the things that need to be done around your home. If you can follow directions, you can do pretty much anything on your own. The only thing the pros have that you don't?.....PRACTICE!
What kills me? People go out and buy tools, lots of them, really great tools and they don't use them! They have no idea WHAT to do with them. LOL My recommendation....this was shared to me by a dear departed friend, years ago... "Get your butt out in the workshop, take some stuff you don't need...stuff you were going to throw away ANYWAY....and practice making some cuts, practice with every tool you have.....build some things just for the sake of building them. If you don't like what you've built, throw it away! OR tear it apart and use the pieces to build something smaller...It's not what you make, it's that you're learning HOW to make something. You're learning how to use those tools and getting over your fear of them. I doesn't matter if you make mistakes. Mistakes are GOOD! They show you how NOT to do something and why you shouldn't do them. Besides, what's the loss?.....You were going to throw it away, anyway!" It's the same way with painting and refinishing projects. If you were going to get rid of it, repair it, refinish it, and if you end up loving how it turned out, keep it.....if not, get rid of it. You were going to dump it anyway! Also, don't be afraid of going to garage sales or 2nd hand stores in search of "learning pieces". You might find an in-table for $5. Buy it JUST to use as a learning piece. Shop with that purpose in mind....for something you can totally disassemble, refinish, and put back together....That's a pretty cheap way of learning how to do something.
That being said, you're going to make mistakes. You'll buy something one day, haul it into the house, and six months later it'll be in a spare room or a closet. Don't fret -- it's all perfectly normal.
I had a couple of husbands like that. They looked so great when I first saw them but, when I got them home, they didnt go with anything else in the house...
First, you should determine what you like. This isn't all that easy really. Many of us like elements of many styles. So, you need to do your homework to determine what really appeals to you. You can do that by going to one of the big book stores and looking at decorating books and magazines. I do believe in inspiration rooms - they can really give you a place to start. Study photographs of good design. Visit open houses in nice areas, design homes, showrooms.
I'd never hire someone until I had an idea of what styles and colors appeal to me.
There should be a number of design firms and independent interior decorators in your area. Visit their shops, look at their portfolios, ask questions. Set your budget and work only within that budget.
Many interior decorators will charge by the hour or room. Maybe you should think about hiring someone to help you with one room. If you work side by side with the decorator, you should learn a lot , and then perhaps you could continue on your own with the rest of the rooms or get limited guidance from the decorator.
One thing I would not do is to start buying a piece here and a piece there and leave accessories for the last - after your major furniture pieces and rugs/drapes are in place - you'll save yourself money and grief if you do this. Educate yourself about your own personal tastes and the basics of design and then come up with an overall plan for a room (either with or without help). Then proceed slowly. This isn't a race - it is your home :-).
There are a few things I need to point out.....
1) The initial consultation with a decorator is a fact-finding mission for the decorator. I always hand the prospective client a bunch of magazines, ask them to pull out a pile of EVERYTHING they love, and thern another pile of everything they hate......I then meet them a couple of days later and discuss the piles, why they love and hate what they do. That gets me into the clients head, it ALWAYS works.
2) If the clients budget is not realistic for their expectations, I am going to tell them what reality is.
3) I am not there to train the client as a decorator, its MY intellectual property until the contract is signed. You would not believe how many times I have been approached by prospective clients that "just wanted ideas". That always means that they are trying to take advantage of my education and get something for nothing.
Not trying to attack, you have some great advice, I just want folks to see whats going on from the other perspective, namely the decorators.
When I bought this house people said "Oh you HAVE to watch some HGTV for inspiration" so I watched a few programs. What a boring network with wall to wall nothing. Nothing but stainless steel and granite all day long.
I agree! The stupid programs that show everything being done in 24 hours make me crazy!!!!!!!!!!
That just DOES NOT happen, not with a reputable designer, anyway.
There are a few things I need to point out.....
I am not there to train the client as a decorator, its MY intellectual property until the contract is signed. You would not believe how many times I have been approached by prospective clients that "just wanted ideas". That always means that they are trying to take advantage of my education and get something for nothing.
Not trying to attack, you have some great advice, I just want folks to see whats going on from the other perspective, namely the decorators.
I don't think you read my post very well. I clearly said that the OP should think about HIRING someone to decorate one room and working along with them to learn about decorating....why should I feel "attacked"? I in no way suggested stealing intelectual property....please read my post again.
Also, if I were paying by the hour or job, I would choose to educate myself rather than pay a decorator to give me magazines to look at, come back later, etc. Certainly if a client was unsure of what they wanted and hadn't taken the time to figure out what appealed to them, then going about it the way you suggested would work. However, it would certainly simplify the process to have that out of the way before you hired a decorator. I stand by my advice - educate yourself, learn what appeals to you and then hire someone if you need to. I accessorized for an interior decorator and I know of what I speak.
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-coughing up a hairball-
