How to find helpful person to give interior decorating ideas?
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Anonymous
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So we have one of the mc-mansions in PG county and need help figuring out good colors, lighting, furniture and/or investments to make the house feel like home for a family of 5 (3 little ones under 5). We cannot afford to hire an interior decorator and feel guilty having the pottery barn person over just to tell I can't blow cash on all their cutesy stuff. I am thrift/yard-saler, but have run out of creative juice. Any suggestions or how to get a HGTV type over to the home for quick and insightful suggestions?
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Anonymous
| You're asking for a decorator but you don't want to pay a decorator. Sorry. That's just not really fair. I'd take up the free consultants on their advice. |
Anonymous
| Yeah, you need to pay someone or suck it up and figure it out for yourself. |
Anonymous
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Oh, I can help you! For a very reasonable fee 
What's your style? Subscribe to the home decor mag that's closest to your vibe. Peruse for months, or read back copies quickly at the library. You don't want the latest trend, you want a sense of how to harmonize new colors and new textures with your old stuff. While my house was being renovated top to bottom, I spent a year thinking about paint colors, wallpapers, furniture, etc. I realized I kept coming back to colors I loved - not the trendy ones like grey. Best advice: pick what you love, not what you think is fashionable. I bought a color deck from Benjamin Moore to inspire me. Think about how rooms will flow one into the other, especially if it's an open floor plan. Colors need to harmonize from room to room. You can pick two vibrant contrasting shades as accents (as in cushions on a sofa) against a more neutral background (wall). Look online for color wheels where they explain color combinations. Usually moldings are shiny white against darker walls and ceilings (I love painting ceilings the same shade or a shade lighter than the walls - it brings the room together). But if you want a less conservative look, you can do the opposite! Light walls and darker shiny moldings! Balance. If you're going to be very cluttered, the walls have to be calming. If you have minimalist furniture, you can add a scenic wallpaper as focal point on a long wall. British (or high-end French) wallpapers are beautiful and better quality than American. Lighting is very important and sets the mood. You can get easily lost in all the options online. |
Anonymous
Ditto. Then go to Ikea. |
Anonymous
| OP, I would start spending some significant time on Houzz, creating lots of very specific ideabooks. Then, when you find photos you like, start buying to recreate what you see. |
Anonymous
| You must have used a Redfin agent. |
Anonymous
| Just spend some time on Houzz and Pinterest, and buy some decor magazines that fit your style. What you want doesn't exist. There are no free interior decorators. If only! |
Anonymous
| Contact a design student - they may work for a lower fee. |
Anonymous
I think what OP means is that she can't afford a traditional decorator, the ones who take a commission on everything they provide. I can't afford those either. But there are people who will work on an hourly basis, offering suggestions for paint colors, fabrics, arrangement of furniture, art, etc. I have one, but not in DC area. I found mine by asking around. A friend has a beautifully decorated house, so she gave me the name of her by-the-hour decorator, who is great. My friend used this person to purchase furniture and fabrics as well as for hourly consultations. I met with this woman and she said I could use her as much or as little as I liked. She will decorate with Ikea or at whatever level above that I want. There are people like this, OP. You must search for them. And read the magazines, look in the library for decorating books. I have a stack on my bedside table. I read through them and photocopy anything I like. I have a huge file filled with ideas. Once you find a decorator, you will have ideas and photos to show her. I buy furniture at antique stores/thrift shops/yard sales/auctions, etc. I'm thrifty but I want a beautiful house. There are lots of decorating blogs that are full of photos. I don't like Houzz too much because it's mostly submitted by decorators/architects, but not a lot by real-world people. I love Country Living magazine because my style is low-key casual and I love repurposing antiques, mixing them with modern stuff. Using a traditional decorator is NOT the only option, OP. Gather ideas, ask around and you will find someone to help you. |
Anonymous
This is what I did, and then hit up Homegoods, Target, Belfort, BB&B to get my look. Oh...I also bought a lot from Home Decorators. I love my home, and it is furnished exactly the way I love it! Don't be in a hurry. It took me about 3 years to get most of it completed. I live in a large home too, so it can be done. I did spend about 150 on a paint consultant. She helped me pick Colors for each room in my house. Best money spent! |
Anonymous
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I would advertise your need on craigslist and see if anyone responds.
Maybe you can get someone to barter with you. Good luck!
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Anonymous
+10000 Don't be pressured to fill your house when jealous SIL comes into your place and whines:" but you have no furniture..." Loser SIL. |
Anonymous
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Try Houzz!! Post a picture of your room and they will give you advice and critique.
I have also hired an interior decorator digitally to give advice for about $125 |
Anonymous
wtf?! |