This expert Seattle interior designer knows what was recently reported in this article in the NYTimes. The headline, “Interior Designers Help Homeowners Discover Styles”.

As a winning designer on HGTV Designer’s Challenge, I frequently visit a client’s home to find numerous paint samples as tests on the wall. Most often the color remains undecided or the selected color is perceived as a mistake.

”A really good designer or decorator will help you restructure, rethink and reorganize or create from scratch rooms that echo how you want to live your life,” says Susanna Salk, author and design contributor to NBC’s ”Today Show.”

According to Tamara Tennant, an interior designer based in Fort Lauderdale, Fl, “Cost and the fear of paying high fees are the main reasons why consumers shy away from designers, but professionals say not hiring them can also be expensive. We save money because we know what works and what doesn’t work. Typically a designer doesn’t make mistakes. A good designer can work with a reasonable budget and will be able to tell you approximately how much a project is going to cost.”

The article shares further, “Virtual or online design is another low-cost alternative. Consumers e-mail photos of their room, measurements and their goals. Each virtual designer works a little differently. Most will answer a specific decorating question, usually for a $50 fee.” See Fast Solutions.

Here are some tips from the article for working with a designer or decorator:

• Take some time to discover your own style. Assemble a dream file of pictures of rooms, furniture, colors, and window treatments that catch your eye. Equally helpful for designers are images of what you don’t like. Some retailers such as Ethan Allen and Decorating Den have online style quizzes.
• The most important part of the design process is the relationship between designer and client. So once you’ve whittled the list of potentials down, schedule a meeting with your top choices. Notice how well they listen to you and how well they understand what you want to achieve. Most traditional decorators don’t charge for the initial meeting with clients. Budgets, fees and the scope of the project are usually discussed at this time.
• For large projects, get a written proposal describing the project in detail including an explanation of what is or isn’t included and an estimate of overall cost and the timeline.
• Remember that any changes you make to your plan will add to the time and final cost. Stay flexible but decide beforehand where you will compromise and where you will not.
• Trust your instincts. Don’t be pressured into agreeing to a decision that doesn’t feel right no matter how urgent.
• Avoid open-ended requests. Consider your requests carefully and take notes of your conservations with the decorator.

Wishing you had a friend in the design business right now? We’re here to help, and fast.

Ask Faith First or call us 206.437.8000.