When Should You Call in a Designer?

Dear Melissa:

At what point during a project do you recommend working with a designer? Does it have to be from the very beginning, and for the entire project? Couldn’t we just use a retail salesperson, who is free? C.M., Montana

Dear C.:

Naturally if you are undertaking a large, complicated, or costly project, it is a good idea to work with some type of design professional right from the start, as you begin to formulate your ideas. By evaluating your specific taste, budget, and lifestyle, a designer can direct you to the best resources available to meet your specific needs. This will help you avoid costly mistakes. You may or may not need continued assistance, but you can always limit the scope of the project to what your budget can handle.

Unless you are dealing with a very large retailer, I would recommend an independent decorator or designer, rather than in-store help. This has nothing to do with ability; it has to do with options. An independent designer is not limited to the products offered by that one store. Suppose you like a particular chair, but cannot find a fabric in the store that you like. A designer has thousands of fabrics available through showroom accounts. And what if you need carpeting, wallcovering or window treatments to coordinate with the furniture? Again, your choices are unlimited with an independent designer. M.A.K.

Is Being a Decorator Stressful?

Dear Melissa:

Is your job stressful? If so, in what ways?  Do you have any recommendations for someone who wants to get into this career? P.V., Ohio

Dear P.:

Is my job stressful? Too bad you couldn’t hear my uncontrollable laughter when I read your question. Is there any job that isn’t occasionally stressful?

There are a lot of advantages to this field: creativity, variety, not being deskbound, exposure to beautiful things, discounts, etc. On the other hand, there is always the downside of problems re: building codes, deadlines, paperwork, inventory, backorders, discontinued items, dye lots, accounts receivable, subcontractors, and shipping delays, to name but a few. And don’t get me started on the challenges of running a business in this economy!

My recommendation to someone considering this career would be to run away screaming, but I’m obviously a fine one to talk. (I’ll be much more positive after our holiday installations.)

Seriously, this is an enormous field with lots of specialties: residential design, commercial design, interior architecture, furniture design, retail sales, kitchen/bath design, hospitality design, and institutional design, as well as several sub-specialties. I suggest you start by taking a few classes at one of the local colleges. Visit some decorating firms. Read some trade publications.

Once the perceived glamour of this field has been stripped away, and you can see the job underneath, you’ll know if the business of interior design really appeals to you. If it still does, experiment with the different aspects of the field to see what suits you most. Then go for it; we can always use good people in this industry. M.A.K.

Quick Consultation?

Dear Melissa:

I’m not sure I want to invest in a decorator, although I need help with colors and mixing some patterns I have. Do decorators just do quick consultations? W.E., VA

Dear W.:

It is rarely cost effective for a decorator to come out to your home or office for just an hour consultation, although some do. You might get lucky if the decorator you want is having a slow spell during this economy, so call and ask. Perhaps the decorator will fit you in between local appointments, if you’re willing to wait. You may be charged a higher fee for a consultation, however; at the very least, offer the obliging decorator a cup of coffee. M.A.K.

How Much Do Interior Decorators and Designers Charge?

Dear Melissa:

I need help with my new house but I’ve never used a decorator before. I’m afraid it’ll be too expensive. Can you give me an idea of how much it costs? L.M., NY

What Is the Difference Between a Decorator and an Interior Designer

Dear Melissa:
What is the difference between an interior decorator and an interior designer? B.P., NJ

Dear B.:
Think of it as the difference between a psychologist and a psychiatrist: both can help you but one has had more extensive training. While anyone with talent and a resale certificate can become a decorator, many states have passed licensing or title acts that require anyone using the title “interior designer” to have first passed something called the NCIDQ certification exam. Only qualified interior designers are granted this title in order to protect the health, safety, and welfare of the public.

Typically, decorators create room layouts and shop for clients. Interior designers on the other hand may choose to sell merchandise, but also act as consultants to clients by reorganizing space, complying with building codes, specifying furniture, finishes, and equipment, and administering contracts. Clients are often directed to dealers for purchases. Work is usually done at a much higher level than that of a decorator.

That said, a lot depends on the ability of the individual practitioner. There are decorators just as capable as interior designers who choose not to sit for the grueling NCIDQ exam. To confuse things a little more, there is a sort of pre-professional level, my level, i.e., the allied member of ASID. This means that I am a card-carrying member of the American Society of Interiors Designers who has the appropriate education and experience to register for the NCIDQ exam, but who has not sat for it. M.A.K.

How Does A Decorator Show House Work?

Dear Readers:

Did you know that there is something called a Designer or Decorator Show House scheduled this time of year in most states? Do you know what a designer showhouse is? It’s a type of fundraiser sponsored by a charity or nonprofit group. You may have heard of the Kips Bay Boys and Girls Club Decorator Show House, which occurs every year in New York City, or the Pasadena Showcase House of Design, in California.

For those of you unfamiliar with a show house, this is how it works. Interior designers, decorators, and decorative painters bid on rooms and spaces in a large unoccupied house. If someone has the winning presentation for a room, that person’s firm has a limited amount of time to decorate that space at its own expense, as a form of marketing. Landscape designers are afforded the same opportunity for different areas of the home’s grounds. The idea is to create something unusual and inspirational. The public purchases tickets to view all of the unique spaces in the house and gardens, with proceeds going to the sponsoring charity or nonprofit group. At the end of the allotted month, each firm must return its space to the original condition (or a reasonable facsimile thereof). It’s sort of like Brigadoon – it’s only there for a short time and then it vanishes.

It’s a lot of fun for the viewing public to compare the “before” pictures with the transformation of each space. (Although since different firms do each space to showcase their own talents, don’t expect anything resembling continuity among the rooms.) There is no better way to pick up clever ideas to try yourself; or if you’re in the market for a decorator or landscaper, you can determine just how creative the different local firms are. I should make a point about the latter, however.

As a veteran of seven showhouses, I have noticed that some visitors come into the house looking for a particular room; and only if they see exactly what they’re looking for, do they hire that designer. You have to understand something. These are talented people. Someone who does a fabulous bedroom in a show house may be the perfect person to do your family room. Or the talented designer of a dining room might be the one to help you with your living room. We are multidimensional. Every one of us can do contemporary as well as traditional rooms, dining rooms as well as nurseries. So, here’s a tip: find the person, not the room. Ask to see the portfolios of the designers’ other rooms. Talk to the designers and artists to see if you are well suited. Compatibility is paramount.

The rooms and gardens in a designer show house are spectacular. The lunches are wonderful. Often there are lectures and wine tasting scheduled on the grounds. All in all, a showhouse makes for a lovely summer’s day out. M.A.K.

Secrets to an Outstanding Room

Dear Readers:

A woman recently asked me for the decorating secrets to creating an outstanding room. There are really no secrets. A truly great room requires careful space planning, wonderful furnishings (define wonderful however you like), and if not intuitive style than at least education and training.

Let’s get the furnishings out of the way, since this is what everyone focuses on. There is a big difference in quality and appearance -- not to mention cost -- between the merchandise available to the trade only and that which the average person has access to. (There are ways around this, but that’s the subject of another column.) You can still have a wonderful room on a budget, because even more important than placing great items in a room, is the ability to apply the principles and elements of design to the space. Some homeowners use these rules instinctively, but professionals use them deliberately.

What are the rules? The most important is the famous “form follows function”. A room’s design must meet the needs of the persons occupying the space; i.e., you shouldn’t have to adapt to your surroundings. The space should be carefully planned to handle the activities while allowing for traffic circulation.

The other design principles are ones that you won’t notice until they go horribly wrong. One is called

unity and variety, which seem like contradictory components. Actually they complement one another, like yin and yang. While each room needs a sense of planned order, the juxtaposition of opposites in it adds visual interest. Some people unfortunately carry variety to an extreme. Without the restraint of unity, there’s a fine line between an “eclectic” interior and an insane one.

The principle of balance is another biggie. This is one of the main problems I come across, and one of the easiest to fix. Balance refers to the visual weight of objects in a room. The visual mass on one side of the space should counterbalance that on the other. All sides of the room need to be counterbalanced visually.

Rhythm creates the “movement” in the room. The placement of objects and patterns causes your eye to dance around, and the eye resting on large solids provides control of this movement. Scale and proportion deal with the size of objects in relation to the size of the space and to each other, respectively. And emphasis means that nothing should detract from the focal point of the room.

Line, form, contrast, color, pattern, and texture are all design elements that occur in various combinations in every room. While each one has several discussion points, let me just say that one element should predominate in the space.

You will end up with the last principle of design, harmony, when all of the other principles and elements have been used correctly. (Ta da! Nothing to it.) I hope you look at the complexity of well-designed rooms with new appreciation. For more information, inquire about decorating classes and interior design programs in your area. M.A.K.

When to Hire an Interior Designer

Dear Melissa,

My husband and I are building and decorating our dream house. I feel like I need an interior designer to really make my dream come true, but my husband thinks it’s unnecessary. Do you have any advice for us? O.G., AZ

Dear O.G.,

While building a dream house is exciting, it can also be very stressful. If this is all you and your husband disagree about, you’re doing pretty well. I’m curious as to your husband’s concerns. Is he worried that it will cost too much, that your personal taste will be ignored, that the designer isn’t experienced enough, that you and your designer won’t be compatible? It’s easy to prevent all of these with a thorough interview.

Have you ever taken a virtual or actual tour of a grand house that’s on the market? (Don’t you just love open houses and real estate websites where we get to peek into other people’s homes legally?) Very often the interiors inside these magnificent structures are so disappointing, it’s a shame. Many homeowners with excellent taste have neither the expertise nor the resources to bring the interior of the house up to the level of the envelope. If you are using the finest materials in the structure, it is only fitting that the home’s interior appointments should meet this level of quality as well. Designers can provide access to superb furnishings, fabrics, lighting and accessories that are available only to the trade. An interior designer can also make sure that costly mistakes aren’t being made in furnishing the home’s interior. Moreover a designer can serve as a sounding board, meshing a husband’s and wife’s conflicting ideas into an agreeable compromise; often, the designer will put an idea on the table that homeowners haven’t even considered.

An interior designer can also provide a cohesive plan for your home, so that the colors and styles of the various spaces complement each other. Many homes have windows with unusual shapes, light control, or privacy issues; a designer can provide you with stylish window treatments to solve these problems. Furthermore, designers have access to the best workrooms for upholstery, window treatments, and pillows, as well as decorative painters, finish carpenters, paperhangers, etc., who are the best in their fields. The quality of their workmanship can make the difference between a so-so room and one in which even the smallest details are wonderful.

A well-designed interior that is wholly functional as well as aesthetically pleasing is difficult to achieve; that’s why people specialize in creating them. Keep in mind that there are a lot of dream houses that have never become dream homes. You are smart to recognize that an interior designer can help make this transformation a reality. Hopefully, you can convince your husband that you’d be more comfortable with help. (Even if the designer just supplies you with those to-die-for-gorgeous furnishings that your dream house deserves.) M.A.K.