How to Work With a Decorator – Part 2
Deciding on your decorator is just the beginning of the journey. If you want to get the most out of your decorator, especially during your initial consultation, make sure that you have some of your homework done first.
Know Your Style
Try to assess what style you are. Take a look at your current furnishings. What do you like most and what do you like the least? Are you more traditional or more contemporary? Do you like more formality or are you more casual? If you meet with your decorator without this most basic information, he or she will be forced to spend time – i.e. your money – trying to narrow down your style. You will save money if you have a general idea of the direction you want to go with the style of your home. What if you really have no idea? Take a look at your closet. Is your clothing more tailored or unstructured? Is it more patterned or solid? Pull out your favorite pieces and what they say about you. Another way to assess your style is to determine what you really don’t want in your house. Sometimes it’s easier to pinpoint what you dislike than what you like.
Try to assess what style you are. Take a look at your current furnishings. What do you like most and what do you like the least? Are you more traditional or more contemporary? Do you like more formality or are you more casual? If you meet with your decorator without this most basic information, he or she will be forced to spend time – i.e. your money – trying to narrow down your style. You will save money if you have a general idea of the direction you want to go with the style of your home. What if you really have no idea? Take a look at your closet. Is your clothing more tailored or unstructured? Is it more patterned or solid? Pull out your favorite pieces and what they say about you. Another way to assess your style is to determine what you really don’t want in your house. Sometimes it’s easier to pinpoint what you dislike than what you like.
Know Your Colors
Equally important to knowing your style is having some idea of your color preferences. You do not have to have your exact color palette chosen, but it is valuable to have some idea of what types of colors you enjoy. Do you like dark jewel tones? Do you lean more towards pastels? Do you prefer bright colors, or more subdued colors? Just as important is recognizing what colors you do not like. Again, you do not have to know the exact colors you want to use because your decorator will help you determine that. But in order for your decorator to have a solid foundation to build your new space, you need to provide her with some basic color preferences.
Bring Examples
The easiest and best way to help your decorator assess what you would like your space to look like is by looking through magazines or the internet for examples of rooms you like. Do not spend a lot of time laboring over this. Simply tear out or mark the pictures you like. Even if you're not sure exactly why you like a certain picture, this information will be useful for your decorator.
And Finally, Trust Your Decorator
You’ve gone to the trouble so now let your decorator work the magic. If you hire a decorator only to question each decision they make then you are wasting your time and theirs. This type of working relationship will only lead to frustration for both you and your decorator. Keep in mind that your decorator has the ability to visualize the completed project, and veering from the design plan could lead to a less than desirable outcome. That’s not to say you have no input in your project. With the right type of decorator relationship there should be collaboration, but at the end of the day you should trust your decorator to push you outside your comfort zone if you want a room that is truly, and uniquely yours.
