What Can A Decorator Do For You?

Sometimes, home decorating feels like preparing a holiday dinner. You begin with an idea: I want my walls painted in a yummy pear green. You envision the walls as easily as you’d envision a perfectly golden, perfectly stuffed, Thanksgiving turkey. But a great holiday meal isn’t only about turkey, just as decorating isn't only about color. Can you picture the rest of your room? Have you planned the space between your walls? Decorating can become consuming and complicated quickly, and the last place any of us wants to be is elbow deep in stuffing, fighting to fit a sixteen-pound turkey into an oven already full of pie (figuratively speaking, of course!).

You’re not afraid to call your mother for her cooking survival tips (as long as she knows her way around the kitchen), so you shouldn’t be afraid to call a decorator either. What can a decorator do for you? Well, metaphorically, I’ll make sure the turkey doesn’t burn in the oven, the pies are baked, the potatoes are mashed, the flowers are arranged and the table is set before the first guest arrives.

So, let's go back to those pear green walls. You’ve begun the picture, so how do you complete it? You’re imagining a yummy pear green, but what happens when your walls are painted, the furniture is moved in, the accessories are put in place, and you realize your yummy pear green is more of a pistachio green? Or yuck, avocado green? Or (horrors!)  bright lime green? It’s all green; it’s just not your shade of green. Isn’t that something you’d like  to know before it’s covering your walls? Doesn’t it seem logical to bring in someone who understands the subtle color differences in a paint chip? Good decorating is a collaborative process, so why not collaborate with someone who has decorating survival skills.

It doesn't matter if you're beginning a new project or are in the middle of renovating a room— bringing in a decorator can help. It’s not always easy to see the big picture or how each decision impacts the others. Together we'll make a workable plan for your space that can be completed immediately or over time as the budget allows.

I've found that two heads are almost always better than one. It never hurts to get a second opinion, especially if it helps create the beautiful home you want. Picking your paint is just one of many decisions. Have you thought about the layout of your space? Are you decorating with the other rooms of your house in mind? Have you thought about what size your furniture should be? Let’s make sure your couch will fit through the doorway before you bring it home!

The list goes on. Window treatments, layers of lighting, flooring choices and furniture are all part of decorating a room, and each has to complement the other to create visual harmony. The little details add up to your big picture. What can a decorator do for you? I'll work with you to make your ideas a reality. A few extra experienced hands in the kitchen never hurt. So why not add some professional experience into your decorating plans?

Note to self, never blog when you’re hungry ;)

Next time: Designer Phobia - the fear that my house is so poorly decorated that I would be embarrassed to let a decorator see it.

A LITTLE FLUFF. . . 

Someone asked me recently how I would describe my home. You would think I could answer that (I am a decorator) but I was stumped. You know, I never really thought about what my home said to other people. Sure, I wanted it to be welcoming and attractive, but it is about so much more than that.

Walking into my home you don't know that the end tables on either side of the sofa belonged to my maternal grandmother, or that the small, antique coffee table with the piecrust edge is one of the first pieces I bought when I was furnishing my first home. Those slightly under scale chairs next to the fireplace were in my paternal grandparents last home. The baby grand piano represents my love of music and 20 years of waiting to be able to afford it. The sideboard in the dining room came from my favorite antiques dealer, now retired, and the needlework hanging over it can be traced back to my 19th century ancestor.

My husband's family is represented in the BARLEY (get it?) twist candlesticks and the silverware I use for holiday meals. The lovely silver candlesticks with cranberry glass hurricane shades came from his grandmother. The large painting in the family room? Purchased by his father from the artist off the side of the road in the late 50's. Almost everything in my home is part of my life's story. Some stories are of family and some are of the hunt for that perfect thing and what it took to get it.  (I recently had an antique table I found on Ebay shipped across the country because it was exactly what I wanted for my foyer. Logisitically challenging but ultimately worth it.)

My home wasn't decorated to impress or to shout "a decorator lives here!" After thinking about it, I would describe my home as the story of my life.