I have done both -- with decorator and without. In the end, I liked the design I did myself the best. She did come up with a few ideas for furniture placement that was helpful.

I think the best thing about working with a decorator is that it gets done. It eliminates some of the hemming and hawing. I think the trick is to find a decorator whose style you really like. Try going to some of those "decorator show houses."

Another thing that helps is simply following the design from some magazine. My problem is that my house is ordinary and the houses in the magazines are beautiful.

I spent too many hours staring at paint samples for my den last weekend. I finally chose an MAB color called Lemongrass. If I hate it, I'll just paint it over.

If you have had luck decorating a room in the past and trust your own instincts, then do it yourself. If you dither around and then aren't happy with the result, use a decorator, but make sure you are happy with what she suggests, don't just go along because she's the "expert."

Good luck and nice to see you again.

Like Dedtired I've done both. With a decorator and without. Mostly without. We just hired a decorator to "do" our bedroom (finally). The bad thing is that I'm a bargain shopper and my decorator isn't. LOL! The reason we are using her again is that the job gets done rather timely but you do have to pay for it. The way we figure it is time is money. We are not repainting or buying a new bed or armoire. We will be having side tables made, drapes, rug, pillows for bed, sofa and a couple of chairs. For me, redoing or redecorating a room always starts a rollerball effect. I'll be pulling the ottoman out of the living area and using it in the bedroom which means I need another table or ottoman for the living area.

I always go for comfort over anything else. I want people to come into our home and feel like they can put their feet up. So I go for soft sinkable down inserts in upholstery and durable fabrics in the living spaces. Wool blend rugs are easier to clean than natural fabrics, like sisal rugs.

If you get a chance to post pictures I'm sure I'm not the only one that would love to help.

I like my home to be decorated in such a way that it reflects me. I don't think a decorator can do that, or at least not do it as well as *I* can.

I've never been in a situation where I've had the opportunity AND the money to start from scratch and complete a decorating project, so my decorating has evolved over time as I've added things that struck my fancy and eliminated things that I no longer loved. In that way, I've always been in a sort of continuous decorating mode.

Now, if I suddenly did get a blank slate and the money to spend, I feel that I could probably do about 70 - 90% of a complete decorating job by shopping around locally and on the internet in the span of a couple of months, with the remainder of the finishing touches coming along as I happened to see things I liked that would work.

I don't know how a decorator works since I've never hired one, but I imagine that the goal would be to have a completely "perfectly" furnished and decorated space in a finite time (a month?) that you wouldn't need to make any additions or changes to. That would actually drive me crazy! I like making additions & changes as my style evolves, as I see things I like, as I get gifts, etc. I don't like the idea of having everything just so, without opportunity for things to change.

This goes along with me not being tied to a particular style or mold - my things are eclectic. Although mostly traditional, things in my house range to modern, comfortable, artistic, personal, etc. I don't want to be forced to stick to one style, I'd rather throw in what captures my imagination even if it's a totally different genre.

But.... that's totally me. If it will cause you tears and stress to go through the decoration process, if you feel like you want it done and complete, if you are ok with giving the decorator your guidelines and letting her run with it, the I'd say go for it. I like the process of picking things out in a long process, some people hate that. You have to sort of weigh the pros & cons of having a decorator vs doing it yourself. It all depends on how involved you want to be and how much you enjoy (or hate) the process.

I got some decorating books from the bookstore and library. That's where I got my best ideas. A few from the Home Channel and magazines, but I liked the simpler "how to" books the best. Books I liked were some of Andrea Stoddard's stuff (she had a lot about hanging photos, acessorizing a room, etc.) and a book on painting which I must have loaned out because I can't find it), but it had a lot about choosing a color scheme (although you can find a lot of that online from some of the paint companies, and I liked a book called, "Use what you have decorating" by Lauri Ward. There used to be a show on the Home Channel where they showed you how to get a designer look for less, I liked that show. That's what I did, I saved pictures from magazines from rooms that I liked and tried to figure how I could either make the piece I already had work for the look, or find things like it in stores when I went shopping for linens or rugs or whatnot.

I also got some advice from the Decorating Forum. They helped me figure out how to tone down a room I had painted an awful pepto bismol color. ACtually I didn't paint it, my dad did it for me, so there was/is no way I'm painting over it. It actually looks fine now. I was trying to put other different colors in there to draw attention away from the walls, but then I realized that doing the whole room in a palette of similar but nicer tones and colors would make the walls fade away instead of standing out in contrast. I would never have figured that out without some advice from the Decorating Forum. I don't go there anymore since I can't afford to get anything new for my house right now. Just trying to maintain what I have!

Gread advice, thank you.

I think I'm antsy to have things done, but don't have the time to do them. I'll have a little more time on my hands in June, so I think I'll try myself first then. I can always call in a decorator to fix anything I screw up!

Paint and window treatments stress me out the most. The family room isn't large, but the ceiling goes to the roofline, so it feels bigger than it is. The ceiling is dark wood with exposed beams and complicating matter is an ugly brick fireplace that I think is way too large for the space.

I'll post some pictures here soon.

AM

can u break up the brick fireplace with a new mantel?

sorry for short speak I'm one handing this with a grumpy baby on my lap...baby sitting an almost 1 yr old that is never put down!!

I don't do stuffy showroom spaces...I have seen some photos and things I like but...usually they look untouchable as in perfect and like u with a busy household...it would send me over the edge keeping it that way.

what about an inspiration book? I think Martha Stewart explains about creating one. or a story board?

Here's a link to styles and maybe more. Didn't look further.

Here is a link that might be useful: Sources for Decorating Ideas

I am in the middle of re-decorating/furnishing. I interviewed 4 designers but decided to do it alone (with DH). I would rather use a designer to do it all, but the good ones around here are pricey. So with a big sigh, we jumped in to deal with this ourselves.

Before interviewing the designers we bought a mess of magazines and pulled out pages of the designs, colors, and pieces we liked. Fortunately, we ended up choosing the same looks and colors.

DH measured all the rooms and we planned the layouts. We also looked online together for potential pieces before shopping, so that helped.

So far we've purchased the living room sofas and coffee table (Macy's One Day sale). Side tables we sourced at Ethan Allen (they have a few modern pieces.) The lighting we sourced at Lamps Plus after looking online.

We found a guest bedroom queen-size bed at a liquidation sale - solid wood frame with headboard and footboard in a nice modern/mission style for $250. They paid Cal. sales tax. (Which is great since the tax just went up to 9.25 percent in L.A.) I picked up paintings there also for $15 and $10 each - fully matted, glassed and framed. All but one of these will go to my girlfriend who paints - the frames alone are worth more than $15. The other one will go in the guest room.

I asked the manager where the stuff comes from for liquidation and he pulled out a catalog that listed factories around the States and Canada. He said most of the components came from China but are put together here. Due to the complete stand-still in that sector, many of the factories are going under or consolidating.

Macy's prices were lower too, and during the One-day sale they really slashed furniture prices. And they are having the One-day sales more frequently.

So now is a good time to buy furnishings and accessories for the home.

Lamps Plus had all the modern designs that DWR had and more. Modern is becoming more popular according to them and the designers I interviewed.

Children? Go with leather and steel. I found a beautiful modern stone-topped coffee table - you could find a stone-topped table and test it for porosity or seal it with a store-bought sealant.

For curtains, try calling one of those franchised decorating services who come out with a van and bring all the swatches and samples to you, measure for you and deliver and install for you. That will cut down on time and effort.

Anyway, don't stress. Just do one room at a time. And post pix here and we will help you!

I am on a tight budget, and I have found over the years that using the right decorator helps me save a lot of money. When the first decorator I loved moved away, I used 2 decorators who were a complete waste of time, money, and effort before I found another one I liked.

What worked best for me was to ask around and see if any of my friends or acquaintances (not the rich ones) had a decorator they liked. The decorators I use charge an hourly fee and they completely understand that my budget leans more toward getting my accessories at Target and flea markets. They also do not expect to replace everything - they know they will have to work with the furniture and many of the accessories I already have. I cut out pictures of rooms I like so they can see my taste, and then they help me choose paint colors, fabric, rugs, etc. Often I do the leg work by picking out a bunch of fabric samples I like, then they narrow it down for me.

The decorators I've used (the ones I liked) understood completely that the hideous country blue sofa had to stay until I could afford something different, so they helped me pick fabrics that would not only match the ugly sofa okay, but transition to the new leather one I wanted once my budget allowed.

I've learned the hard way to ask to see their portfolio. If they only have 1 or 2 styles in their portfolio, then they're a one trick pony. Don't use them unless you have the same taste they do. The talented decorators can have taste completely opposite yours and still help you achieve the look you want.

I know many women who can envision a room and get it like they want it, but I can't. I can never figure out what makes the look come together - I know what I like but I don't know how to get it that way. When I don't use a decorator I spend more money buying the wrong paint than I would paying the decorator to help me pick the right color from the start.

The decorators I've used (the ones I liked) also understood completely that our life is filled with kids and dogs, and they make sure whatever I do allows for bookbags by the door and school papers on the counter.

If you think you can decorate the house to your satisfaction, then that's the best way. It's a hassle to find the right decorator (at least for me it is). But I live in a modest home and decorate with a tight budget, and I just can't afford the mistakes I used to make when I didn't get help.

Whatever you decide, good luck. And I am green with envy at the above posters who can get the look they like on their own!

I completely lack the decorator gene, so I can't give you any advice. I hate color, I don't like clutter, collections or "decorative items" and I can leave a blank white wall just blank for years without bothering me. If the house is cleaner than the barn, it's all good. I don't plant flowers either, just vegetables, LOL.

Hey, I know! Let Lulu do it! (grin) Actually, if you are very uncertain, maybe you want to at least talk to a decorator, just to get some idea of what you could do? I don't know if they do that or not.

I just want to wish you good luck, no matter what you decide. I've already told Elery that when we build our house, it's all his, I don't really care at all about any of it as long as he doesn't paint anything red or any variable/shade/tone of red.

I want a big kitchen, a porch that faces west with a roof so I can sit there and watch the thunderstorms and a second kitchen in the basement. I want my horse in my backyard. I do NOT want a swimming pool. Never again.

So, post pictures. If you do a really good job, maybe I'll hire YOU. (grin)

Annie