If you're concerned with cost you don't have to hire the designer to help with everything. For example, you could hire one to help with choosing the overall look of the home such as color palette for creating flow, style of major finishes such as trim and door style, etc. Another option to use the designer for help key areas such as the kitchen. We've used a designer for some spaces in our current home (master bedroom and bath and sitting room) but some rooms we've handled ourselves (powder room, kids' bedrooms, guest bedroom and playroom) because we were confident that we knew what to do in them. When we put our house on the market we also consulted with a designer about a few minor issues such as what neutral color we should paint the rooms upstairs and which areas of the house were most in need of updating and how. As for doing the actual staging and updating work, we did it ourselves. Keep in mind that there are different payment methods for designers. Some charge per hour and some charge a percentage on top of what they source for you. Also, find out how and what they charge you for. For example, some charge for shopping for you even if they are shopping for multiple clients at once.

Well we're not done yet, so I'm sure I'll have more to tell you in a while..:) But, for now: -I went with a lot of vintage lighting. First of all I tried to save money which I did; second, they were charming and well-made fixtures. most of them from Europe. The wiring is fine, etc. However when the time has come to install them it appears some of them missing little things like crossbars and stuff..naively we go to Home Depot where we are told none of the standard American stuff will fit these lamps. So then it begins: running to specialty stores, ordering things on British website(why British? no idea. apparently they do have some of these parts. while other sites simply don't), and I-don't know-what-else. Yes, I saved a lot of money. Maybe hundreds maybe thousands I don't know (of course I'd like to think it's thousands)). But I really have no patience for another month spent trying to refit two thirds of the lamps. The GC has much less patience than me of course. You get the picture.. -Or: the countertop in the kitchen doesn't overhang enough. Doesn't bother me I must say, but my husband is really mad. We had no idea we should specify it, and the granite guy didn't ask. It also happened so that the inspector from the gas company came at the same time to look at something the city saw as problem(not related to the build; just a coincidence) when the granite guy was working on the template..we had to run between the two of them. The inspector is outside, the granite guy is measuring inside..no wonder we didn't ask. I don't know why he didn't; he then said that we seemed really knowledgeable and confident. No! That's how I look when I'm really tired lol. -Or: we went with a very complicated design for master bath. Or should I say, we wanted a lot done in a modest space. It looks good by the way. But they redid it so many times to fit it all, that now we'll have a) narrower vanity b) narrower bathtub. If I knew I'd let go some of our grand ideas. It would be still nice, and I'd have more functional space. -Or: I'd order some things more in advance than I did. I had no idea that oil rubbed bronze and chrome are usually in stock, but polished nickel is suddenly considered a special order and takes weeks. And you don't really know until you start actually purchasing. In short I did not know many things. So a designer wouldn't solve all of these issues of course. But he/she would anticipate most of them. Simply because of experience, better spatial thinking, better knowledge of the resources..because of studying it before and dealing with it a lot every day. Even me-not a designer-would be wiser a second time. Only I'm not going to do it for a second time, never ever..:) And if I'd choose to work with someone and had money for it-wishful thinking here-it would be someone significantly more talented than me. Sense of admiration from working with someone better than you not just helps. It creates excitement and pushes you forward too. When you're alone it feels different. Not right away maybe. But within several months, I felt less excited, less creative, less confident, less everything. It's not fun; when it's small reno it might be fun, when it's long and involves a whole house, it's already a job. Almost a full time job. And you don't necessarily enjoy it as much as you imagined. Every job has nice parts-and parts that are tiresome and very lackluster. You do the lackluster, a lot. And you pay for it too:)

Anne- I also was surprised at the questions she asked and how she specifically designed the room around the answers. She asked: How is the room used? Entertaining friends and reading. She then made sure the lighting was correct for reading and the end tables were appropriate for every person to set their drink, and that we had the most seating that we could manage. She wanted to know about our favorite cities, trips. We love New Orleans and she found a chandelier made by a local artist after his love of New Orleans named the New Orleans. She wanted to know our favorite colors. We love blues and terracotta. She did the room in blue, dusty teal and beiges. She wanted to know the things in nature that we love. I feed a family of deer every night so we properly cleaned some antlers they so generously shed in our yard. I also love turtles. She found resin shells that look completely real. She also took into account that we like contemporary, but our home is traditional with a mediterranean feel (done by the previous owner) so she tried to blend everything. She took into account where we are from and added elements to remind us of California. She had me show her the furniture that I like and went from there. She also brought two other Designers by to get their opinions. She also recommended plants and picture frames and shared tricks of the trade on end table height and width, drapes and accessories. It truly was a great experience.

Something else you might want to consider is looking for a home stager who does Occupied Stagings (working with the homeowner's furnishings) who also does redesign work. As a professional home stager, I can't claim a degree in design, and my rooms will likely never be featured in a shelter magazine. But I am very used to working with many different types of homes and different types of furniture, and working with tight budgets (home sellers rarely want to put a lot of money into a house they're selling). I also start by working with what the homeowner currently owns, unless they tell me specifically that they hate something and want to get rid of it. . Often times I will go into a home where the homeowners think they need all new furniture, and then they end up keeping what they have and loving the finished result. Here's two quick examples of what my redesign work can cover: (1) Homeowner scheduled a consult (initial consult always two hours) because she was unhappy with her living room, wasn't sure what to do with it or if she needed to buy new furniture. In those two hours, I corrected her carpet and furniture placement (we moved it together) and gave advice for additional accessories that would help to pull her space together, which she felt confident doing on her own. Sorry for the quality, but these are just some quick cell phone picks that I took while I was there. Many of my consults are single visits, like this, where I never return. These homeowners actually like decorating their homes themselves, and only want a professional to help them when they get stuck or have decision paralysis. (2) This homeowner scheduled an initial consult, and then scheduled additional billed hours for shopping and for me and an assistant to return to style/hang art in a few rooms. I did a whole house color plan, helped homeowners with choosing updated flooring, chose new lighting, and a few new accessories. This stretched out over several months. In this dining room, the only new items that were added were the lamps on the buffet and the mirror. We repurposed the light into the kitchen. I'm just adding this an option to consider, since looking at home stagers is likely not on your radar! :) Best of luck!