have you ever hired an interior decorator? and decorating magazines

[etwahl]

i ask this because we have a new neighbor who has hired a decorator, and i was just curious how many people do this, for like decorating the major rooms in their house. apparently this woman charges $75 an hour. i asked evan if we shouldn't do a "quick" consult with her on the generalities of our house. i mean we have all the furniture we're going to buy, but as far as the other decorating (accessories, walls, etc.) we're still working on that. we have a pretty good idea of what we want, but i wonder if an hour or two of a decorator's time would give us even better ideas, and work with our existing ideas to make them better.

just curious what others experience and thoughts are on decorators! not like i need ANOTHER place to spend my money, but sometimes i wonder if you have someone like that, you may spend less because they may get it right the first time, rather than making mistakes and then having to go back and repaint, rebuy, or whatever!

edited to ask if you have any favorite "decorating" magazines or books?

Tammy,
Mom to Lauren Genevieve
03/12/2003
www.evantammy.com

[ddmarsh]

I have used one and found it to be really, really helpful. You have to really find someone that you feel comfortable with. I just love the woman I have used and never feel uncomfortable saying yes or no to things and also to even say I'm not willing to spend a particular amount of money on something. I had a consult with one decorator with whom I did not feel that way at all.

Good luck!

[bluej]

My mom isn't a professional decorater, as in she doesn't have a degree in that, but people hire her to do consults of just about everything, from picking out kitchen appliances, countertops, lighting, to picking out furniture, rugs, rearranging furniture, etc. My homes aren't nearly as fun for her as most of the homes she does, but she really can make the most of the smallest spaces or awkward size rooms. My dad is a natural at that sort of stuff as well and people hire him to go over their home plans before they finalize them. It really is helpful to have someone come in and look over your rooms. They see things you don't (either b/c you don't see them or you are so use to seeing them that you don't notice that it doesn't quite fit). I would say that if decorating is something that is important to you and you aren't sure you are headed in the right decoration or you just want a change but not sure what to change, it would be worth the money as well as being a lot of fun for you.

[hez]

I have a friend who's an interior designer (degreed and the whole nine). One of her previous companies hired her out at $100 an hour... Usually that fee was waived if you purchased furniture/big ticket items through her (she gets the commission instead). It's ridiculous how little of the fee she got when it all got watered down through that company...

We've used her services-- purchased furniture for 3 rooms, used her help on colors/window treatments for two, and had her help when we remodeled our master bath and put in a 1/2 bath in the baesment. I had NO idea where to start on the bathrooms, so it was nice to have a pro walk me through it. After I picked the theme for the nursery, she and a friend did the walls for us. It's fabulous to use her services, because I like her taste.

She's done several Home-a-rama and Citifest houses in the area, and if you're interested in a designer, I'd try to go to a show like that if they're doing a home. You can check out the designer's or decorator's style before you shell out a single dollar. Our old neighbors were building their current house when they saw and liked one of my friend's Home-a-rama homes, so we were able to set them up with her.

Since this is our first house, and I was (maybe still am!) a complete novice at making the whole thing really be OURS, it was nice to have the help. I'd do it again, but then I'm spoiled to have a friend in the business who knows my taste & budget, and can steer me right without a lot of trouble :)

[MommytoDylan]

The house we bought when we got married had been decorated by an interior decorator. It made it so cozy and felt "put together". So much so that when I walked in the front door during the open house I said to my husband with lots of emotion, "I have to have this house!" The owner heard me and said that we could buy all the furniture too because she wanted to start over in her next one.

I was thrilled at the offer and really wanted the house. My enthusiasm really killed us in the negotiation process though! They knew we were really interested and didn't come down much on the price.

As this to say...everyone that walks in the door of my home always says, "WOW!" That is only because a professional picked out the furniture and many accessories. If my DH or I had only walls to work with initially the house would look very different--and not for the better. It is also easy to add to the home because the designer picked a theme and we only need to ask ourselves if it works with the theme.

Meredith

[Calmegja2]

Yes. We hired a designer for one of our houses. She did a fab job, and really made the house looked pulled together. She really worked with me, to help me get the look I wanted. She relied a little more on wallpaper than I would ttypically use, but I couldn't argue with her results.

When we built this house, I went on my own, and did things myself.

My builder liked our choices so much that he used my ideas in other houses, and I do a little bit of consulting for their model homes now.

So, my lesson is, if you do hire a designer, pay attention! It could benefit you in the end more than you know! ;-)

[barbarhow]

One of my best friends has her own Interior Design firms just outside NYC. I rely on her to guide me in colors and schemes. We could never afford her services in the real world, though. My best friend designs showrooms/stores for a top clothing designer-She was essential in the process of designing the floorplan of our house.
My feeling is-if you can afford it-go for it. A good interior designer will take you basic tastes and rev them up a bit with accents that we pedestrians might not have considered. Sometimes they will choose a color and initially I'll say "oh no" and then you get over the initial feeling and grow to love it.
Barbara-mom to Jack 3/27/03