Only a few years ago, interior designers were the sole source of information and resources for interior design. Today, the internet has changed that. Anyone can do a quick search and find endless information for DIY home decorating, yet interior designers remain in high demand. Hiring a decorator can help you stay on budget, give you access to trade only materials, and will result in a beautifully decorated room that you are happy with, the first time.
It is a common misconception that hiring a decorator is a luxury, exclusive to the wealthy. While hiring a decorator is certainly an investment, so is your home. Living in a home that is decorated in a way that makes you feel comfortable is priceless. A decorator will help you decorate right the first time, saving you money in the long run. A good decorator can work with any price point so be upfront and unapologetic when discussing your budget with the designer. If you have a $250,000 vision but a $2,500 budget, make sure that is clear. This allows your designer to know which stores and manufacturers to shop with and which to avoid. Designers are trained to know what elements make a room appear complete and can give you tips on which features are most important so you know where to spend and where to save. Remember, a $5,000 budget does more for a furnished room that just needs some sprucing up than a room that is totally bare.
Working with a designer is an organic process. The decoration of a home is a very personal reflection of the resident. To have a home that is a true reflection of you, you need to let the designer into the personal spaces of your life, forming a deeper relationship. Interview multiple designers before you finally begin working with one. Also, consider breaking down the project into more manageable pieces. Rather than working on a whole house at once, focus on one room at a time. This allows your designer to get to know your style more gradually and is friendlier to your budget.
By working with a designer, you will have access to many trade-only materials. Numerous fabric and wallcovering manufacturers have beautiful showrooms in design centers. The only way to gain access to those showrooms is by accompanying a licensed interior designer. Decorating your home with textiles that cannot be found at big box stores is a great way to create a one-of-a-kind space.
Consider the extent of your relationship with your designer. After your initial consultation, you can choose to have the designer take it from there and consult you when large decisions need to be made. Or, you can take the inspiration and ideas from that consultation and give it a try yourself. However, checking in with your designer along the way is a good idea. If you encounter a decorating roadblock, do not be afraid to consult with them and receive an expert opinion. If the process proves to be too overwhelming, the designer can take over from where you left off. Regardless of how you decide to approach this process, maintaining the relationship with your designer is important. An educated opinion on the progress you make on your own can help to reaffirm your decorating skills and also keep you on the right track.
The interior design field seems very glamorous but decorating an entire house can prove to be an exhausting process. Browsing design magazines for trends and new ideas, shopping for fabric, furniture, and accessories, and finally implementing the completed design is very demanding of your time. Many people may find it hard to balance this on top of family, career and social commitments. Having a knowledgeable decorator dedicated specifically to your home can help ease a lot of unnecessary stress.
Combining small fabric swatches, sketches, and paint chips and turning them into the design of an entire room can be very challenging. The trained eye of a designer can pick up on things that may be difficult for you to visualize on a large scale. Before you know it, those patterns that were vastly different at first suddenly begin to melt into one. Becoming overwhelmed often leads to unfinished projects. However, worse than an unfinished project is a design that you are unhappy with, which can cause you to start the whole process again.
Whether you are ready to commit to an interior design project or are simply looking for inspiration, stop by one of Babel’s four interior design showrooms and browse the endless combinations of fabrics, wallcoverings, and paint colors. Our talented designers will be glad to help you design your house to be the home you have always wanted.
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