Interior Decorator

It’s the first task on your to-do list; getting furnishings, painting, wallpapering, choosing carpets. Putting your stamp on a new property is more than just aimless enthusiasm; decorating is what turns a house into a home. As such, it’s worth taking a bit of time to think about the look you want for your home. And this is about more than just making sure that the furniture matches; it’s about creating a mood, whether that means a ‘theme’ for your décor or just the feel of each room. This is one of the reasons that interior decorators are so popular; they come to each job brimming with fresh ideas and bring a wealth of experience to the task at hand.

Whether you choose to decorate your home yourself, or decide to employ the services of an interior designer, you will need to make quite a few choices early on about the way your home is going to be decorated. These include obvious dilemmas over furniture, color schemes and flooring, but also other fittings. Curtains or blinds? What kind of light fixtures will you choose? How will you decorate the walls, and how will your chosen decorations interact with the furnishings, with the light coming in through the windows – even with your family! It’s easy enough to look at an individual room and come up with ideas for making it look attractive, but coming up with an overall plan for your home can be quite a major task, and for that reason alone you may find the services of an interior decorator invaluable.

Interior decoration is the art of decorating a room in such a way as to be attractive, fulfill its function well, and make the best possible use of the available space and surroundings. It encompasses aspects of décor such as color schemes, paint, wallpaper and wall decorations, carpeting and flooring, and furniture, as well as curtains or other window coverings, light fittings, and so on. A good interior decorator will be able to decorate a home in such a way as to convey a definite and consistent “feel”.

We probably know what kind of feel we want for our own homes, but it can be difficult to turn that sense into a coherent vision of how a home should look, and even tougher to translate that into a practical plan of action for decorating. A good interior decorator helps bridge that gap.

Decorating a new home is about more than just wallpapers, as you’ll know if you’ve ever tried it before! Interior decorators have lots of experience in different styles of decoration, and will be able to advise you on the best way to use your available space, bearing in mind factors like budget, the size of the room, the light and weather in your location, the function the room will be put to and so on. Looking at a piece of furniture in the store is one thing, but looking at a bare room and visualizing it filled with light and life is quite another.

Interior designers can also be useful if you’re trying to freshen up your existing home. After a few years, even the most imaginative decoration may come to seem stale and tired. The problem is that after a while with the same décor, it’s hard to picture a room any other way – just as it’s hard to imagine your favorite movie with anyone else in the lead role. But who knows if something different might not actually be much better?

An interior decorator doesn’t come to your home with this baggage. He or she will therefore find it much easier to picture it differently, and may be in a much better position to come up with fresh ideas for your home. And, last but not least, an interior decorator won’t be as attached to your old clutter as you are. You should get some honest advice, so be brave, and get rid of that old rug.

Not convinced? Not a problem. Plenty of people prefer to be their own decorator, and there’s no doubt that it can be a much more cost-effective option. If you’ve got strong opinions on the way you’d like a room to look and feel, why not do it yourself? You don’t have to be a certified interior decorator to sketch out how you’d like your home to look, pick out colors that match, or hunt for furniture that fits in with your chosen style.

And the truth is that, when it comes to redecoration, we can take on a lot of tasks ourselves. If, in addition to deciding on the theme for your redesign, you want to do the heavy work yourself too, you’ll save even more. Supplies can be sourced yourself, and thanks to the Internet, heavy items of furniture can be delivered straight to your door. Carpets can be fitted yourself; shelving can be erected, rooms wallpapered, curtains put up without the need for expensive contractors and handymen. Even if you’re not very practical, a few days of painting may save you hundreds, and that’s money that can be spent elsewhere.

If you’re confident enough in your own sense of style and knowledge of materials to feel that you don’t need professional help, that’s great. But ask yourself if you might not benefit from a fresh perspective on things. You can always end the arrangement after your first consultation if you’re not totally convinced.

OK, so you’ve decided to get some help sprucing up your home, or designing the interior of a new one, and you’re going to get an interior decorator in to give you some advice. But how to find an interior decorator, and how to choose between them?

One avenue you might consider exploring is looking at some magazines – if you’re lucky, you may find a feature on a home that was decorated by someone based nearby. Alternatively, there will be plenty of advertisements, as well as helpful hints and tips for redecorating. Ask around, too. Speak to friends, relatives and work colleagues to see if they have any recommendations.

Once you have a few names to choose from, there are a number of ways your choice of interior decorator can be narrowed down a bit. Take a look at the previous work of the designers on your list. Any interior decorator will have an extensive portfolio of their past jobs, so you can get an idea of their style and their strengths before you approach anyone.

Decorating your home may be made easier by hiring an interior decorator, but it is not a job that you should leave them to do on their own. Your decorator is a partner, not just a contractor. It’s important to the success of the job, and absolutely vital to your satisfaction with the end result, that you work together at all stages of your decoration. There’s nothing to be gained from trying to do their work for them, of course, but by the same token you should retain a close involvement with every aspect of the job. After all, you wouldn’t expect necessarily to like someone else’s taste in décor, would you? Hiring the services of an interior decorater is meant to help you decorate your home the way you want it, not substitute someone else’s taste for your own.

Your interior designer will sit down with you at the beginning and ask you all sorts of questions about your proposed redecoration. Do you have a theme in mind, or a particular style? Are you planning to make any major changes to the house – for example, converting a spare bedroom into a home office? What are your favorite materials, colors, types of furniture? What is your budget? It pays to think about some of these questions before your first meeting, so you can give the interior decorator as much guidance as possible.

Having discussed your hopes and ideas, the interior decorator will come up with some suggestions for each room, based on what you have suggested. They may go away and come back with drawings, sketches and so on, or photos of completed projects that evoke the kind of feel you are looking for. You’ll want to go round the house explaining your thoughts and preferences, and in return your interior decorator will set out a detailed vision for the redecoration of your home, as well as suggesting materials to use, colors, suppliers and so on.

Whatever method of working you hit upon, remember that you are in the driving seat. It may sound obvious, but it’s your house: an interior designer is there to realize your vision for your home – you’re not there to pay for theirs!

In addition, it’s important to keep a firm control over budget – there’s no point in agreeing a fee with the interior designer in advance if you end up ordering lavish, expensive carpets or wallpaper on someone else’s say-so.

A certified interior decorator will be sensitive to your desires for the house and not seek to impose their own preferences on you. But it’s as well to bear in mind that if you disagree on specifics, it’s your opinion that ultimately counts, no matter how strongly they may feel. Use their professional expertise, but make sure you are getting the furniture and décor you want.

Many people think that interior designers are the preserve of the wealthy, but this is not at all true. Not surprisingly, though, the cost of hiring a certified interior decorator can vary widely. The fees payable will depend on whether you are dealing with a large firm or an individual. Some interior decorators will charge an hourly fee, which can be anywhere from $35 to $300, and these costs can quickly mount up. That’s another reason to do your homework before your first meeting, so that you can communicate your wishes without undue time wasting. Some interior decorators may agree a cap on these hourly fees to keep costs at a reasonable level.

Others may offer a free first consultation, and then quote you a flat fee on the basis of your discussions, the nature of your requirements, and the scale of the job in hand. Whatever the basis on which your interior decorator is paid, make sure you keep a tight rein on costs.

Even if you end up writing a big check for the redesign of your home, don’t despair! Redecoration adds thousands to the value of a house, particularly if it is done with care, skill and good materials and craftsmanship. Indeed, many people choose to view redecoration as an investment, rather than a cost.

Of course, there are no guarantees. But experience shows that some types of remodeling can reap benefits when selling your house, and this is particularly true of bathrooms and kitchens. Interior designers are experienced at redecorating these rooms, and if your refurbishment is being done with one eye on the value of your home, they can advise on the best materials and features to install and use in the redecoration. Of course your first concern will usually be your own pleasure, but there’s no harm in making a sound investment into the bargain.

Hiring an interior decorator isn’t always cheap, but it’s a decision that can end up paying for itself, and more. Use their expertise and skills properly, and whether you are moving in to a new home or looking to sell an older one, it may be one of the best decisions you ever make.