Do Home Decorators Still Exist? Not Interior Designers?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Heavenly was a train wreck for me. My designer kept giving me options that were sold out only to disagree and insist they were available or replace them with other sold out items. Friend had more success but she was shopping for larger pieces. I couldn't even get a rug in stock so what's the point?

Just wanted to make a comment on this. I’ve been an interior designer for just under 30 years and the last couple of years have been unprecedented as far as delays, back orders, and discontinued items. My company has designed and presented projects only to have to redesign and reselect items multiple times. So, your designer was unfortunately experiencing the same hell the rest of us were the past two years. Good news is that the delays and availability issues are improving. But just go into any design project understanding that the designer is dealing with an ever changing playing field right now.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Redbird Redesign

Kudos to you, lady, for promoting yourself all over every single DC-area mommy forum ever.

I’ve promoted them here because I’m a former client. They fit in the in between imo (or did, it’s been a few years) of the store designers and the full service, traditional interior design. But I didn’t recommend them here because I think OP would still find them too expensive.

FWIW I'm a DP and also used them in the past. They are a good price point for people who want to pay for help but can't afford the luxe designer services. Think more along the lines of thousands of dollars instead of tens of thousands. We have a townhouse, and the fancy pants people didn't even return my calls or emails after I told them that.

It’s not because of your town house, it’s just because your budget didn’t fit their model. They should have just explained that though. They need a quick boilerplate decline email that lists some other options.

I never even got to explain what our budget was or find out how much they charged! I only told them we were renovating the kitchen and family room and the approx. size of each and asked for a ballpark estimate. These people had good yelp reviews but they were not exactly rockstar HGTV designers.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Heavenly was a train wreck for me. My designer kept giving me options that were sold out only to disagree and insist they were available or replace them with other sold out items. Friend had more success but she was shopping for larger pieces. I couldn't even get a rug in stock so what's the point?

Just wanted to make a comment on this. I’ve been an interior designer for just under 30 years and the last couple of years have been unprecedented as far as delays, back orders, and discontinued items. My company has designed and presented projects only to have to redesign and reselect items multiple times. So, your designer was unfortunately experiencing the same hell the rest of us were the past two years. Good news is that the delays and availability issues are improving. But just go into any design project understanding that the designer is dealing with an ever changing playing field right now.

Everyone knows this. I think the PP was perhaps irritated at the designer insisting they were in fact available.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Heavenly was a train wreck for me. My designer kept giving me options that were sold out only to disagree and insist they were available or replace them with other sold out items. Friend had more success but she was shopping for larger pieces. I couldn't even get a rug in stock so what's the point?

Just wanted to make a comment on this. I’ve been an interior designer for just under 30 years and the last couple of years have been unprecedented as far as delays, back orders, and discontinued items. My company has designed and presented projects only to have to redesign and reselect items multiple times. So, your designer was unfortunately experiencing the same hell the rest of us were the past two years. Good news is that the delays and availability issues are improving. But just go into any design project understanding that the designer is dealing with an ever changing playing field right now.

Everyone knows this. I think the PP was perhaps irritated at the designer insisting they were in fact available.

I bet this was a software problem. Havenly works by collecting sales commissions, so I wonder if they have some sort of in house catalog instead of the designers just “shopping” on the normal sites of the partners. Maybe the designer couldn’t see accurate inventory info.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We're wrapping up an engagement with Havenly and it's gone pretty well. There are different tiers but we select the option that costs about $150 or so per room.

I don't want to share more than what folks are interested in but I'm Happy to answer questions about the experience.

Do they incorporate existing pieces with plans? TY!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We're wrapping up an engagement with Havenly and it's gone pretty well. There are different tiers but we select the option that costs about $150 or so per room.

I don't want to share more than what folks are interested in but I'm Happy to answer questions about the experience.

Do they incorporate existing pieces with plans? TY!

Yes. They are doing my LR and I’m keeping everything except the rug. They’ve provided me with the layout, rug, art/accessories and extra seating. My LR is small so the original design was a little crowded. I tweaked it a little by moving a large plant and putting a chair in its place. The designer should have made that suggestion but she did a good job with everything else.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:https://www.1970dogwoodstreet.com/

I haven’t actually used them, but one of the founders is a friend of a friend. So I keep looking at their site and thinking that I should try. I think they work with a lot of the things people already have?

I am dying over the picture that shows someone's feet/legs. That's some attention to detail, right there.

https://www.1970dogwoodstreet.com/design/yet-another-kids-bedroom/

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We're wrapping up an engagement with Havenly and it's gone pretty well. There are different tiers but we select the option that costs about $150 or so per room.

I don't want to share more than what folks are interested in but I'm Happy to answer questions about the experience.

Do they incorporate existing pieces with plans? TY!

I was the first poster that mentioned Havenly and yes they do. We had some accent chairs we wanted to keep and she designed around those chairs. She also gave us multiple options/alternatives for pieces at different price points which was helpful (I'm not willing to pay $2000) for a coffee table but she presented lookalikes that were a few hundred).

[Anonymous]

https://www.hollyobrian.com/

I just did the two-hour consultation, but I found it helpful to be able to bounce ideas off someone and get suggestions.

[Anonymous]

Many well-known designers are doing consults through "The Expert". I'm dying to do this! You might find someone less well known or use their assistant to find a consult within your budget.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:https://www.1970dogwoodstreet.com/

I haven’t actually used them, but one of the founders is a friend of a friend. So I keep looking at their site and thinking that I should try. I think they work with a lot of the things people already have?

I am dying over the picture that shows someone's feet/legs. That's some attention to detail, right there.

https://www.1970dogwoodstreet.com/design/yet-another-kids-bedroom/

To be fair, they have to work with people's existing furniture and budgets. My best friend hired a decorator but wanted her to work around her red leather couch. She went through so many different designs and hated them all. Finally I was just like, it's your couch. Nothing is going to look good with it when you don't like the colors that pair with red couches.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We're wrapping up an engagement with Havenly and it's gone pretty well. There are different tiers but we select the option that costs about $150 or so per room.

I don't want to share more than what folks are interested in but I'm Happy to answer questions about the experience.

Do they incorporate existing pieces with plans? TY!

I was the first poster that mentioned Havenly and yes they do. We had some accent chairs we wanted to keep and she designed around those chairs. She also gave us multiple options/alternatives for pieces at different price points which was helpful (I'm not willing to pay $2000) for a coffee table but she presented lookalikes that were a few hundred).

I had a frustrating experience with Havenly where the designer first blamed time zone issues for not being able to skype, claiming she was in Argentina (which is not that far off or the same as the East Coast!) and then not incorporating my exisiting furniture, not making sure that things fit where she placed them (ie. not accounting for windows, or physically not being able to line up a queen bed and two tables in the space provided), or really listening to style quiz or feedback. I was given opportunities to have her redesign the space, but after going through the process again, I was kind over it.

On the positive side, it kind of forced me to think more critically about my space and look at a lot of inspiration photos. However, in the end it feels like I paid $150 for the opportunity to think about decorating.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We're wrapping up an engagement with Havenly and it's gone pretty well. There are different tiers but we select the option that costs about $150 or so per room.

I don't want to share more than what folks are interested in but I'm Happy to answer questions about the experience.

Do they incorporate existing pieces with plans? TY!

I was the first poster that mentioned Havenly and yes they do. We had some accent chairs we wanted to keep and she designed around those chairs. She also gave us multiple options/alternatives for pieces at different price points which was helpful (I'm not willing to pay $2000) for a coffee table but she presented lookalikes that were a few hundred).

I had a frustrating experience with Havenly where the designer first blamed time zone issues for not being able to skype, claiming she was in Argentina (which is not that far off or the same as the East Coast!) and then not incorporating my exisiting furniture, not making sure that things fit where she placed them (ie. not accounting for windows, or physically not being able to line up a queen bed and two tables in the space provided), or really listening to style quiz or feedback. I was given opportunities to have her redesign the space, but after going through the process again, I was kind over it.

On the positive side, it kind of forced me to think more critically about my space and look at a lot of inspiration photos. However, in the end it feels like I paid $150 for the opportunity to think about decorating.

The model is based on the designers getting paid really poorly. They get like $75/design, including all the revisions, and theoretically they then make the real money on commissions for the furniture. But a lot of people don’t buy much of the furniture from the plan if any. So you’re always going to get green/exploitable people and if they are savvy and get the sense you won’t buy much through them they need to offload you as quickly as possible. You’re basically a sales lead.

[Anonymous]

Just hire a good designer and do one room at a time.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:https://www.1970dogwoodstreet.com/

I haven’t actually used them, but one of the founders is a friend of a friend. So I keep looking at their site and thinking that I should try. I think they work with a lot of the things people already have?

I am dying over the picture that shows someone's feet/legs. That's some attention to detail, right there.

https://www.1970dogwoodstreet.com/design/yet-another-kids-bedroom/

It’s supposed to be an ugly “before” picture