motherto2
Well-Known Member
Joined: Dec 18, 2010 15:42:27 GMT -5
Posts: 1,719
|
Post by motherto2 on Jan 29, 2014 22:06:33 GMT -5
I'm a huge HGTV fan. Shows like the Property Brothers, Rehab Addict, etc. Not the House Hunter shows, since they are saturated with that show any more. But watching the end of the show with the big reveals, makes me wish I could have my house decorated by a professional. Part of me tells myself it's because they spend a lot of money on the furniture and chachkies (sp?). Have you ever used a professional designer? If so, were you happy with the job they did, and was it crazy expensive to pay for their services? If you haven't, and you could afford to, would you? When I retire in a few years and move to a new state, my big plan is to pitch or give away a ton of stuff that I currently have (best way ever to not hurt people's feelings that gave you something you don't care for - moving a great distance costs a lot, so I can feel better about getting rid of it). Then I'm going to start with a fairly clean slate and be able to decorate using things that I want.
|
|
Sharon
Senior Associate
Joined: Dec 19, 2010 22:48:11 GMT -5
Posts: 11,285
|
Post by Sharon on Jan 29, 2014 22:17:28 GMT -5
Many, many years ago my Grandma had someone come to the house and help her decorate/arrange with what she had. It was amazing the difference it made in her house. The picture that was completely unnoticed in her den really added to the living room. Some of the furniture was rearranged etc. This person may have also helped her pick out new carpet and drapes. Not sure on that but know that it all happened around the same time. I don't know why I say this but for some reason I seem to think this person was from JC Penney.
I know that Grandma would not spend a lot of money on such a service, it just wasn't in her nature.
|
|
Deleted
Joined: Oct 8, 2024 14:22:40 GMT -5
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Jan 29, 2014 22:30:26 GMT -5
I watch for the reveals too and they are wonderful. My problem is most of them are too busy, translate that to too much dusting and cleaning. I pick up whatever tips I can and I'm implementing them.
|
|
Bonny
Junior Associate
Joined: Nov 17, 2013 10:54:37 GMT -5
Posts: 7,459
Location: No Place Like Home!
|
Post by Bonny on Jan 29, 2014 22:54:06 GMT -5
I think a decorator can be really helpful but you need to do your homework.
First, find out how they are paid. Many get paid by getting on mark up on what you buy. Like any commissioned salesperson you can see the temptation to get you to buy more and higher end.
Just like you can get a Fee Only Financial Advisor you can also hire a designer for a set number of hours or a flat fee who has no vested interest in what you buy. This kind of designer is most likely to optimize what you have and not get you to buy stuff you really don't need.
My favorite design show was "Design on a Dime". I don't know if it's still on the air. They would take an expensive look from a magazine or decorator design and give the same feel by buying stuff at off-price places like Marshalls, resale shops or making simple replicas. Some of the "copies" were better than the original design!
|
|
Sunnyday
Well-Known Member
Joined: Aug 3, 2013 0:36:39 GMT -5
Posts: 1,425
|
Post by Sunnyday on Jan 29, 2014 23:12:55 GMT -5
Well recently, we had some damage to our bathroom. So we hired a home staging expert to come in and give advice. She listen to our wants and budget, and she is suppose to come back with a report outlining what we can do.
I will keep you updated if it's any good. I didn't want to commit to her without having a real idea of what her work is like. That is why I did the consultation only service. She charged $100.
Otherwise, I think that in most big-box stores (flooring, tiles, carpet, paint, home renovation), they have their own designers. But I think their quality may vary greatly. Maybe you should try them out. You might get a good one.
|
|
|
Post by The Walk of the Penguin Mich on Jan 29, 2014 23:43:24 GMT -5
A friend of mine uses a decorator. I know she has spent a lot of time and money on it. Some things that she did, I liked. Some were just ok. The decorator she uses is really into custom furnishings and my friend has these huge picture windows that overlook the lake. After spending a lot of time (and$$) choosing fabric for the drapes, the decorator came in and hung them. They were not what my friend expected to see when she got home and he wasn't happy with them, but couldn't figure out why. Friend dug around and found the swatch of material that she chose or the drapes, and the fabrics were way off,
She called the decorator back and told her that those were not what she ordered. Decorator argued with her, until my friend produced the swatch that the drapes were supposed to be. Decorator fouled up, and it took several more months before she finally got what she wanted.
Next time, she went with the same decorator to do her bedroom. Decorator was doing custom linens and drapes. Total cost for the linens was close to $8000 after they totaled up the cost of the fabrics that were chosen. My friend knew her husband was going to balk big time on that, so she told the decorator not to proceed, that they couldn't spend that much.
She took a week to come out and see me, and in the meantime she found an alternative online for about 1/3 the cost that she liked better. When she got home, she found out hat the decorator had proceeded with what she had chosen and it was too late. My gut feeling was that the decorator felt like if she presented them with the bill, that they'd have to pay even though it was waaaaay over budget. They paid, but I suspect it was to largely to preserve their reputation.
If you go with one, I really would make sure that you communicate clearly about expectations and keep tabs on things. I think for the drapes, the decorator substituted a cheaper fabric and thought that it was similar enough that my friend wouldn't notice.
|
|
zibazinski
Community Leader
Joined: Dec 24, 2010 16:12:50 GMT -5
Posts: 47,912
|
Post by zibazinski on Jan 30, 2014 7:07:05 GMT -5
We had one that worked with us when we bought furniture for the new house. Things had to be ona smaller scale. He made nice money, I am sure but DF doesn't feel he overpaid for quality so there's that. The only thing i would do different is the two smaller chairs. I'd have recovered them in leather but the decorator chose fabric. I argued but I lost and now DF wishes he had listened to me. But he also, included in that price, went through all our old stuff and made it work in new house. I like his "eye." Because it all fits well now.
|
|
Shooby
Senior Associate
Joined: Jan 17, 2013 0:32:36 GMT -5
Posts: 14,782
Mini-Profile Name Color: 1cf04f
|
Post by Shooby on Jan 30, 2014 7:19:50 GMT -5
Check your network of friends. I have an Aunt who just knows how to put things together. She could go to a yard sale and buy stuff and put it together in a way that looks very chic. Some people simply have that gift. But, if you are doing a pretty big redo, then getting a decorator might save you money in the long run if you achieve the look you are really looking for.
|
|
Miss Tequila
Distinguished Associate
Joined: Dec 19, 2010 10:13:45 GMT -5
Posts: 20,602
|
Post by Miss Tequila on Jan 30, 2014 7:51:21 GMT -5
I used a decorator to help me a few years after we built our house. One room I was just not happy with and couldn't figure out what to do. I didn't buy the $7,000 couch that he wanted me to get (I had 2 smalls kids and a dog..that would have been stupid!) but I found a similar one (admittedly not the same buttery leather) for a fraction of the cost.
overall, I was very happy with his ideas. I couldn't afford to use him for the entire house because he wasn't cheap.
|
|
Deleted
Joined: Oct 8, 2024 14:22:40 GMT -5
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Jan 30, 2014 8:32:11 GMT -5
My ex-MIL had a natural eye for design. She collected antiques and eventually opened her own shop. She helped me with my house a couple of times. It mostly consisted of picking up the couch, moving it at least a dozen times, and then finally she would say, "Ok, that's it!" You would swear you must have had it in that exact place once or twice before, but it always looked perfect.
Her house was beautiful, but even she hired a designed to come give it a tweaking. The designer charged her only for the design; everything else came out of the shop or was already in the house. It really looked better when the designer finished, but it was great beforehand.
My daughter-in-law has a degree in interior design. I'd like to say her house was perfect, but she is HGTV with ADD. Every room has a project going on. But she does have the talent to do anything herself or with her mother's help. She can tile, paint, hang light fixtures, hang wallpaper, etc. Her kids' rooms are themed with murals, etc.
|
|
steph08
Junior Associate
Joined: Jan 3, 2011 13:06:01 GMT -5
Posts: 5,504
|
Post by steph08 on Jan 30, 2014 9:08:26 GMT -5
I love the way the Property Brothers, Love It or List It, etc., decorate houses, but I know I would never spend that much. I watched one episode of PB where they were buying a $1400 lamp. My couch didn't cost $1400, I'm not paying that for one lamp!
I also agree that they use too much "stuff." One house they redid had this bookshelf/wall thing where they had all these vases and random other chachkies. The couple had a 3-year-old and twin babies. They're going to pull that stuff right off those shelves! It just didn't make sense to me.
|
|
Bonny
Junior Associate
Joined: Nov 17, 2013 10:54:37 GMT -5
Posts: 7,459
Location: No Place Like Home!
|
Post by Bonny on Jan 30, 2014 9:21:44 GMT -5
BTW the word is tchotchkes
|
|
Deleted
Joined: Oct 8, 2024 14:22:40 GMT -5
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Jan 30, 2014 9:25:17 GMT -5
DH has a gift for picking out room colors. The way the rooms are set up seems to be the only way that makes sense to us. If they also look good it's pure coincidence!
|
|
gooddecisions
Senior Member
Joined: Dec 22, 2010 13:42:28 GMT -5
Posts: 2,418
|
Post by gooddecisions on Jan 30, 2014 9:39:51 GMT -5
The people I checked with charge $100+/hour (on the lower scale). They charge for the time for in-house consultations, phone calls and pinning things to pinterest or a web-page. You don't get a final picture of the room, but rather close up images of specific items. You could then go buy/assemble what they suggest, paint the colors they suggest, etc. So it could be a few thousand dollars for their ideas and it's a ton more money for them to actually do anything. There is no exciting reveal because you literally do all the work. I would love to have somebody with good taste, sketch it out for me (even better if I could get a rendering) and then handle everything from buying to arranging, just like on the shows.
I almost always loved the reveals on Divine Design, Design Therapy and High Low. But, I'm too cheap to shell out a few thousand dollars for ideas and still have to do the work. So, I flip through houzz pictures until I see a room I like and replicate it. For example, I couldn't decide what color to paint my dining room, so I searched dining rooms on houzz and stopped at the one I liked the paint color- I did white below the chair rail so I can go back and put in picture frame molding, exactly like the picture. Houzz gives you the paint number and brand, so I just bought it and painted it. I skipped looking at dozens of different color swatches and stressing over which color. It turned out perfect and looks as good as the professionally decorated room. I did the same process for my kitchen (including cabinets and hardware), which now looks amazing and next will be my bedroom. Maybe it could look better with a decorator, but I would be pissed if I paid all that money, still had to spend all the time doing it and wasn't blown away.
|
|
Anne_in_VA
Junior Associate
Joined: Dec 20, 2010 14:09:35 GMT -5
Posts: 5,545
Member is Online
|
Post by Anne_in_VA on Jan 30, 2014 9:45:55 GMT -5
I had a decorator come in once when I moved into my second house. XH and I had just moved and bought a house and I didn't know what to do with the rooms plus we didn't have enough furniture to put in it.
The decorator was from the store he worked in so we didn't pay anything for it. She did recommend custom drapes for some of the windows and we got those. She also recommended some furniture pieces for the LR and it looked really nice when we were done.
I'd like to hire a decorator as we just moved into this house and I need some new furniture. I don't know where to place things and I'd like some help with that as well as where to hang pictures and place tchotchkes.
I'll probably get someone in this spring.
|
|
gooddecisions
Senior Member
Joined: Dec 22, 2010 13:42:28 GMT -5
Posts: 2,418
|
Post by gooddecisions on Jan 30, 2014 9:50:21 GMT -5
I know Pottery Barn and Crate & Barrel will send a designer to your home for free. They'll take pictures of your room(s) and then email you ideas. You don't have to buy their products and could buy similar ones elsewhere to get the same end result. It's not a bad way to go if you were starting relatively fresh.
|
|
bookkeeper
Well-Known Member
Joined: Mar 30, 2012 13:40:42 GMT -5
Posts: 1,783
|
Post by bookkeeper on Jan 30, 2014 9:54:04 GMT -5
I went to a professional meeting for my work and one of the speakers at the meeting was an interior designer. This woman had a masters degree in interior design and presented basic principals of updating your home or office. She had many before and after slides of her work. I believe she charged for her consultations by the hour along with mileage to your home. She specialized in using what you already owned as well as redesigning kitchens for better function. She encouraged anyone considering new furniture to use her services.
She got a boatload of referrals from presenting at this meeting. I signed up for the email list and she shared the before and after pics of her work going forward.
We live in the middle of rural America, so I think her consults were around $200 to start plus mileage. She encouraged two or three people that lived near each other who wanted her services to arrange it on the same day to split travel costs.
Often times her fixes included uncovering the windows, rearranging the furniture, and just taking down the previous dated decorations in favor of a few new pieces from the Hobby Lobby. She was also big into books. She remarked how many people do not own books. She was always scrounging matching hardcover sets from Goodwill or the Salvation army to use on her client's bookshelves.
Do you suppose she wants my World Book Encyclopedias from 1978?
I took some ID classes in college and the biggest mistake I see most people make in their interiors is buying furniture that is too large in scale. Most of what is at the furniture store is made to fill the McMansions. You really have to look to find chairs or a sofa for a 1000 sq. ft. home or an apartment.
|
|
bookkeeper
Well-Known Member
Joined: Mar 30, 2012 13:40:42 GMT -5
Posts: 1,783
|
Post by bookkeeper on Jan 30, 2014 9:57:57 GMT -5
Last time we were in Phoenix, we spent a few hours touring the model homes close to our neighborhood. There were many fresh decorating ideas presented there. I noticed the large scale artwork that was hung in every room. I don't know if big pictures are in or what, but the looked really good.
|
|
Deleted
Joined: Oct 8, 2024 14:22:40 GMT -5
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Jan 30, 2014 10:01:34 GMT -5
My in-laws have hired interior designers and I don't think the fees are too bad...maybe like $100/hour or something. We've never done it, but we have been doing a lot of changes in our house (flooring, area rugs, painting) and I can see the value. If you don't get another opinion, you just end up reverting back to your typical way of decorating.
|
|
Bonny
Junior Associate
Joined: Nov 17, 2013 10:54:37 GMT -5
Posts: 7,459
Location: No Place Like Home!
|
Post by Bonny on Jan 30, 2014 10:04:14 GMT -5
bookkeeper said
"She was also big into books. She remarked how many people do not own books. She was always scrounging matching hardcover sets from Goodwill or the Salvation army to use on her client's bookshelves."
LOL she should come over to my house...or our cabin. I'm sure between the two homes we have over a thousand books.
We could probably benefit from a designer. We have some beautiful stuff from DH's grandmother's house. But it is big. Even though our house size is probably average for the US (2500 sq.ft.) it was built in the early 60s and the two secondary bedrooms are really small.
|
|
Formerly SK
Senior Member
Joined: Feb 27, 2011 14:23:13 GMT -5
Posts: 3,255
|
Post by Formerly SK on Jan 30, 2014 10:07:57 GMT -5
Reading this thread makes me realize I don't care about the appearance of my home nearly as much as others do, and no doubt it shows.
|
|
Bonny
Junior Associate
Joined: Nov 17, 2013 10:54:37 GMT -5
Posts: 7,459
Location: No Place Like Home!
|
Post by Bonny on Jan 30, 2014 10:08:46 GMT -5
Last time we were in Phoenix, we spent a few hours touring the model homes close to our neighborhood. There were many fresh decorating ideas presented there. I noticed the large scale artwork that was hung in every room. I don't know if big pictures are in or what, but the looked really good. Bookkeeper,
Some of the best home decorating porn can be found in Phoenix Home and Garden. I picked up a copy when I was turning our house earlier this month. January issue is on Santa Fe style. I almost started a thread on color as I am now painting my 20+ wall of Swiss Coffee
|
|
bookkeeper
Well-Known Member
Joined: Mar 30, 2012 13:40:42 GMT -5
Posts: 1,783
|
Post by bookkeeper on Jan 30, 2014 10:50:52 GMT -5
The designer I posted about earlier had some very simple guidelines for decorating that I have taken to heart.
1. You need a focal point in every room
2. The paint colors throughout your house need to flow from room to room. Not that they all have to be the same, but all the colors need to work together.
3. Put your bright splashy colors in the accent pieces, window treatments, rugs and pillows. You will have the ability to change the color scheme of your room without replacing expensive pieces such as sofas, dining room sets and other hard furniture.
4. You need something some interesting textures in each room. This could be rugs, drapes, baskets, décor items, etc.
As my DH and I are looking at homes for sale on the internet, we see who can yell "Debbie Decorator" first when we view pictures of home interiors someone painted gawd awful colors. Some people just can't stand a white wall.
|
|
The Captain
Junior Associate
Hugs are good...
Joined: Jan 4, 2011 16:21:23 GMT -5
Posts: 8,717
Location: State of confusion
Favorite Drink: Whinnnne
|
Post by The Captain on Jan 30, 2014 10:59:12 GMT -5
Reading this thread makes me realize I don't care about the appearance of my home nearly as much as others do, and no doubt it shows. My brother co-owns a business in the industry. His clients don't have to worry about tchachokey's because they have staff to clean them, usually multiple staff at multiple houses - they're that rich. He's done some work on my house. It drives him nuts - the few things we've ordered we've gotten at his cost and I'm still like . I couldn't afford him. The fabrics they work with run hundreds, and sometimes thousands of dollars per yard (that is not a typo). They had one job where a staff mis-measured a cut and ruined 8 yards of fabric. They were out about $2G on that but still made a profit on the job. I got some REALLY nice pillows from that fabric.
|
|
Bonny
Junior Associate
Joined: Nov 17, 2013 10:54:37 GMT -5
Posts: 7,459
Location: No Place Like Home!
|
Post by Bonny on Jan 30, 2014 11:57:57 GMT -5
The designer I posted about earlier had some very simple guidelines for decorating that I have taken to heart.
1. You need a focal point in every room
2. The paint colors throughout your house need to flow from room to room. Not that they all have to be the same, but all the colors need to work together.
3. Put your bright splashy colors in the accent pieces, window treatments, rugs and pillows. You will have the ability to change the color scheme of your room without replacing expensive pieces such as sofas, dining room sets and other hard furniture.
4. You need something some interesting textures in each room. This could be rugs, drapes, baskets, décor items, etc.
As my DH and I are looking at homes for sale on the internet, we see who can yell "Debbie Decorator" first when we view pictures of home interiors someone painted gawd awful colors. Some people just can't stand a white wall.
Thanks for posting these guideline Bookkeeper. I meant to ask you what she said.
They are very practical. I follow most of them but still sometimes have trouble pulling colors and patterns together. For example last year after the remodel I painted two of my kitchen walls yellow. It's a nice soft yellow, picks up some of the yellow in the two kitchen light fixtures and is pleasing with the blue on the opposite wall in the living room. But something's not quite right and I'm probably going to repaint a warm cream as one of my friend's suggested.
My challenge in my living room is that I have competing focal points which are nearly on opposite sides. I've got a wall of windows looking Northwest where we have a beautiful ocean, mountain and valley views. On the east wall we have a see-through fireplace with a huge firebox. I need to figure out how to tone that down.
|
|
tskeeter
Junior Associate
Joined: Mar 20, 2011 19:37:45 GMT -5
Posts: 6,831
|
Post by tskeeter on Jan 30, 2014 12:53:47 GMT -5
Are decorators worth the cost? Well, like every industry there are good folks and not so good folks. So the answer is probably, but not always.
DW and I are both accountants. We think beige is a color and rectangular is an arangement. We use the help of decorators from time to time.
|
|
Spellbound454
Senior Member
"In the end, we remember not the words of our enemies but the silence of our friends"
Joined: Sept 9, 2011 17:28:42 GMT -5
Posts: 4,095
|
Post by Spellbound454 on Jan 30, 2014 13:17:08 GMT -5
I think I'm pretty good at decorating...Just do lots of research and find out what schemes there are....and moreover what I can stand to live around day after day. Then pull everything together in a colour scheme....For a fraction of the price. My accents, ornaments and rugs have to be expensive...and if the drapes don't match I'll make them. but I'm picky and wouldn't trust anyone to do it to my liking but me.
|
|
Deleted
Joined: Oct 8, 2024 14:22:40 GMT -5
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Jan 30, 2014 13:52:05 GMT -5
Reading this thread makes me realize I don't care about the appearance of my home nearly as much as others do, and no doubt it shows. My brother co-owns a business in the industry. His clients don't have to worry about tchachokey's because they have staff to clean them, usually multiple staff at multiple houses - they're that rich.
He's done some work on my house. It drives him nuts - the few things we've ordered we've gotten at his cost and I'm still like . I couldn't afford him. The fabrics they work with run hundreds, and sometimes thousands of dollars per yard (that is not a typo). They had one job where a staff mis-measured a cut and ruined 8 yards of fabric. They were out about $2G on that but still made a profit on the job. I got some REALLY nice pillows from that fabric. Exactly! I do my own housework so a lot of those designs won't work for me. I can't have a roomful of glass and bling! I don't have time to polish it!
|
|
Peace Of Mind
Senior Associate
[font color="#8f2520"]~ Drinks Well With Others ~[/font]
Joined: Dec 17, 2010 16:53:02 GMT -5
Posts: 15,554
Location: Paradise
|
Post by Peace Of Mind on Jan 30, 2014 13:54:43 GMT -5
I love decorating as a hobby and didn't hire a decorator but got lucky when we built this house because they had models of homes that were professionally decorated. Most of them were gorgeous (IMO as it was my taste) and I took a lot of their ideas when I decorated our house after it was built. I did have one room that had some wall placement issues that I was concerned about how I'd place things so it flowed properly. One of my favorite model homes had my exact floor plan so I just copied a lot of the ideas that were in that house. I didn't pay a dime except on the new stuff I was going to buy any way and everybody thinks I bought one of the models and just moved in. God, I'm so cheap! <<wears YM badge proudly>>
|
|
Bonny
Junior Associate
Joined: Nov 17, 2013 10:54:37 GMT -5
Posts: 7,459
Location: No Place Like Home!
|
Post by Bonny on Jan 30, 2014 14:30:39 GMT -5
I love decorating as a hobby and didn't hire a decorator but got lucky when we built this house because they had models of homes that were professionally decorated. Most of them were gorgeous (IMO as it was my taste) and I took a lot of their ideas when I decorated our house after it was built. I did have one room that had some wall placement issues that I was concerned about how I'd place things so it flowed properly. One of my favorite model homes had my exact floor plan so I just copied a lot of the ideas that were in that house. I didn't pay a dime except on the new stuff I was going to buy any way and everybody thinks I bought one of the models and just moved in. God, I'm so cheap! <<wears YM badge proudly>> POM, you were born with good taste. That's why you hang out with us!
|
|