How to Work With a Decorator – Part 2

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.

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.

How to Work With a Decorator: Part 1 Setting Realistic Expectations

Most of my clients are new to hiring an interior decorator. I think because I make decorating more accessible and affordable that clients feel more comfortable contacting me. However, most people who hire a decorator for the first time don't really have any idea what to expect, and this can lead to some anxiety and confusion about how best to work with a decorator.  So before you find yourself in an uncomfortable situation read through my two part blog for suggestions on how to get the most out of your experience.

Let’s get real!

I absolutely love HGTV.  Much to my families’ chagrin, I could spend hours watching that channel. I get great ideas for my clients’ and my own home. However, there is something that really bugs me about HGTV – most shows set completely unrealistic expectations of what it's like to work with a decorator both in terms of time and money.  So let's get real for a moment.

On television we see a decorator meeting with a new client one time, and then a week later, the decorator shows up with a complete, perfected plan for that client's home, a crew of professionals that will completely overhaul the space and accomplish all this for a budget of almost nothing.  That’s the magic of television.

In the real world, a beautiful, completed, artistic rendering of your room would take hours. And since many decorators charge by the hour, I’m pretty sure that you are less interested in spending your money on that than you are on significant tangibles – like furniture! Instead, your decorator will work through these decisions with you, and it will most definitely take more than a week (unless your project is very small).

Speaking of timing, on HGTV rooms are transformed within the space of 30 minutes. Which brings me to my next point – good design takes time. Decorating even one room easily takes two months and more. Why? Because first you and the decorator need to decide the scope and details of the project. Then the decorator has to research or “shop” for products, materials and work estimates. And unless you are giving complete design control to your decorator, under the best of circumstances it may take you and your decorator several weeks to really agree on materials and solidify a plan for your room. Once the decisions are made workers must be scheduled and orders must be placed.  Custom or special-order furniture can take up to twelve weeks (or more!) to be delivered.  Custom draperies can take six to eight weeks for completion – once the material arrives. So if you're planning on having your project completed for a special event or holiday, contact your decorator several months in advance and be sure that you are in agreement with the time frame.

And finally, and most importantly, let’s talk money. Probably the biggest issue that I face with new clients is an unrealistic, or no, budget. And again, I think we have HGTV to thank for this. Let’s be clear, while I do the best to try to pass on my discount to my clients for furniture, window treatments, lighting – all of these take my time to find which will cost some money, the items and materials themselves will still cost money and any labor that is involved will definitely cost money. Trust me when I say that $1000 isn’t going to cut it unless – again – it’s a very small project.