Oh I bet they do. Home consultation or something. Probably not the ones that are already swamped with work, but many others. At least I saw this service mentioned on many blogs..also there are sites dedicated to different design services including vision..like Decorist..I'm not sure how it goes, since it's internet-based..or was internet based

You can also probably look up Houzz, Angie's List..see designers and services provided..

I would try contacting your local school of design, maybe their are projects they have to do for class that could incorporate what you need.

Yes - interior designers and decorators can help you. Finding the right one is key. I have worked with both and various times and paid their hourly rate. Fortunately I had a good idea of what I wanted to do, so it was more for confirmation and suggestions.

Um, what's wrong with us : ) ? And if GardenWebbers can't help, then you can move on to an ID...

They will charge you a substantial hourly fee as most designers make their money on buying at trade price and selling at retail. Only someone pretty new will do what you want. Designers also don't want their name attached in any way to a job over which they have zero control. If you ignore their advice or do a "spin" on it, it will not reflect their vision.

lol becky that was my first thought:) but. there's a lot of us. we're not there; the pics don't often give the right feel of the space, don't convey colors properly, don't this and don't that..lastly, sometimes opinions differ..conductive just to give an OP a feel for what he'd/she'd feel more in tune with; get inspired; decide between this and that. Not enough probably for deeper exploration. I myself want to ask a question lately; but I don't even know how to formulate it without sounding stupid. So if I even can't form a question yet-what are the chances other people who don't know me well and never been to my place will be able to answer it?

Sometimes you need to work on your question first. I guess might be easier doing it one on one.

I feel like I'm asking too many questions here, LOL. And I'd like to see the whole picture... like, what paint colors would work, what artwork should we look for, rugs, etc.

april and pippie, at least spitballing on GW is free! And if people think it's too much, they just won't play along.

april, GW might be a good place to help you at least formulate that question which you can then ask of a designer. I think one thing that helps on GW is deciding which members are in generally "in tune" with your vision; those are the voices to listen to, and the well-meaning rest, well, you just say "thanks" for the input : ) .

Oh I'm not going to ask any designer lol..I would but only some who I can connect with, and these that I think I can connect with I can't afford them, and others that I probably can connect with I don't know about their existence yet, until I start digging-and I won't. if I decide to ask it will land on you here..:)

pippiep, do you have an idea at least of what direction/look/aesthetic you want to go in for each room? If so, it can't hurt to take a picture of one room at a time and ask here about paint colors, rugs, art. If you don't get any helpful answers, at least you haven't spent any money! And you just might get some helpful answers : ) .

what are the chances other people who don't know me well and never been to my place will be able to answer it?

april, it might be interesting seeing just how well some people here know you!

One of the nice things about folks who post frequently is that it is easier to get a sense of their style, likes and dislikes, etc. I was floored when there were a few people who were willing to look at my overly extensive pin board on Pinterest and try to "figure me out." Their comments and suggestions based on that were immensely helpful.

yeah gloomily said I..I also feel it might be interesting lol..))))

pippiep are there designers you love? theoretically speaking. I mean not only appreciate and admire and all-but the ones you feel you'd be willing to work with, you know? in real life. talking together, arguing sometimes, deciding, observing, feeling vulnerable, being inspired?

in a fantasy world I mean

if yes who? and why?

for example I can imagine Kishani Perera..style, approach, love for vintage..and I feel- she gets different cultures and desire to convey them...

Abigail Ahern-style..so cool..and she comes across as a very kind person. probably nice to be around. encouraging

Celerie Kemble-very poetical. Style is more traditional; but in terms of the language-I think she's one of the best. It'd be easy to find a similar language. She's also..I think she's a person of high integrity

Lauren Liess-I'd learn a lot from her thought process, attention to details..she reminds me of my Dad:) Somehow.

Laurel Bern-I think I'd have a time of my life. Less my style probably (whatever it means)..but wouldn't matter.

Lorraine Kirke-for fearlessness..she's fiercely feminine if you can put it this way..I envy her. It'd be nice to have somebody like her on my side

Miles Redd-for putting together everything that I wouldn't dare to put together.

That would be my imaginary list I guess? The beginning of it

Part of my issue is that we can't do everything all at once. We can paint...someday. We'll pull up the carpet...someday. But I need to do some things now so it's not so ugly all the time. Our enormous, dark furniture is staying. But now I see that our floor lamps (chrome torchieres from Lowe's) do not go with the style. I want a chair/chaise for my room, but my husband doesn't want to pick one out until we figure out what the room will look like. Same with a rug. We'll pull a rug on top of this horrible carpet so that we don't have to wait until we install hardwood (which we will do ourselves).

aprilneverends -- I don't really know/follow any designers. Though Laurel Bern sounds familiar! I've read her blog when looking for paint and window treatments. I also follow Maria Killam on FB, also for paint.

But so many rooms are greige, open, airy, with light furniture. We have mission style furniture, dark quartersawn oak. My husband still loves it all and it was pricey, so it's not going anywhere. I don't want a bleak, dark, mission-style house, though. I'm kind of done with earthy golds, yellows, greens...

For myself, I don't like the descriptions country, beachy, eclectic, shabby-chic, traditional. (I'm trying to think of descriptions that people often use.) I generally like things to match, because pre-marriage, my stuff was a mashup of garage sale furniture. My husband had great taste, and bought all the furniture before we were married. I like that it all matches, but after 14 years, I don't like how huge and imposing it is. I do have some "garage sale" type stuff still around, and I hate it. Chrome metal shelving for TV components, wicker basket drawers for toiletries, etc. Yet I can't just ditch it all/replace without a plan. And without a plan, my husband can't "see" it, so he'd rather not spend a dime. He has A LOT of trouble envisioning, unless I can show him a specific photo, and even then it's a crapshoot.

I have those big Might Boards for paint samples, sometimes multiples of the same color, and he still has trouble envisioning a room in that color until it's on the wall. I can't make a move without him! He's so very particular.

Our artwork is a lot of Bombay Company-type stuff. Ugh. I want to get rid of it all. We have some nice framed tapestries, but we need a lot more art on the wall. At our last house, he didn't like to nail into the wall, so we had a lot of bare walls. Here, we're using nails that were already there. Stuff isn't at the right height. Blargh. I think he's finally OK with hanging up artwork, though. He just doesn't want to spend the money to buy anything nicer than TJ Maxx canvases. We're surrounded by local artists!

I paid one by the hour. She gave me her vision. We met she picked out the furniture, fabrics and I paid her a different fee for that. She completely got who I am and what I wanted. I have a lake house and I wanted clean and simple, without any lake -> signs. It was hard to find one that worked by the hour and let me do all of the leg work. They are out there. Make sure that you like their work from their previous projects. I am glad that I had the chance to work with her as she helped me so much.

exactly Pippiep and House Vixen..it starts with words...your own words..not somebody else's words...but how do you find them? say you want to re-define..you're on the cross road of sorts..and whatever you've got needs to stay(for various reasons..maybe one of them even being: you still love it)..how do you find your words? where do you look for them? can you open at least some doors without really closing at least some others?

Hi April --

Well...I have to add there's finding the words, then there's applying them in one's real space with one's real budget and plus/minus input from any other real decision-makers. That part kind of sucks haha.

I actually think it doesn't *have* to start with the words, but Pippie had some words in her other threads.

However, it can certainly start with the visuals that resonate and then have a work-back to find the common themes/threads. But at some point it's almost guaranteed that someone has to analyze and apply words that can then be "yea'd" or "nay'd," don't you (and others) think?

Re the "doors" analogy --

Let's say it's a bathroom, and my word/visuals are sleek, serene, luxurious.

Fake-me had a lot of choices made, but now when I get around to I "opening" the door to vanities, I have several in the running. And when I commit to one (even in theory) that moves the design direction in a certain way. When I look at my vanity against my working choice for tile/paint/shower design something's off. So either I stay locked and loaded with those earlier choices and go looking for a different vanity, or I start over with non-vanity items. And/or I change the words!

No right or wrong, but time and $$$ if you're paying someone to work things through with you.

Some people like the process of exploring directions more than the finalizing. ;)

My husband had great taste, and bought all the furniture before we were married. I like that it all matches, but after 14 years, I don't like how huge and imposing it is.

What makes it huge and imposing to you? Is it because you're petite, and you feel like you're drowning in it? Is it because it is large in comparison to the rooms in your home? Or, as compared to what your neighbors, sister, or closest friends have? Or are there furniture and pictures of rooms that you've seen and loved, and they never feature the type of furniture you own?

Some people like the process of exploring directions more than the finalizing. ;)

Oh, house vixen just pegged me, lol.

pippiep, so basically a lightened up Mission Style, to make the furniture seem less "huge and imposing".

This might sound odd, but I'd be careful about having "too much" of an overarching vision, with all the already matching (huge and imposing) furniture. What I think works best with what you have, and have already done, based on photos in other threads is more of a collected-over-time look. Often when you decide things all at once (even if you end up buying/making changes over time), you do end up with that "hey, I just bought the whole living room at Pottery Barn (or West Elm or xyz)" look.

You could replace the garage sale chrome metal shelving for the TV with a painted wood piece -- that would lighten up the rest of the Mission furniture.

I'm one of those people who thinks art should be chosen because you like it, not because it goes with the furniture or room style. I'd start giving your husband art, by local artists, for birthdays, anniversaries, holidays. He may have an easier time liking some of the art if it's actually meaningful to him, as a gift, rather than something selected because the colors are "right" and the space above the sofa needs something.

Considering you already have a lot of pieces you want to keep -- the furniture and window treatments -- you're really just looking to add some missing pieces of a puzzle you've already started. Based on what you and your husband like, and what you already have, those choices have in a way already been made for you : ) . I think a lot of it also comes down to confidence, and I think you should have LOTS more based on the amazing Roman shades you've learned to make, and the decisions you've just made about your bedroom.

This furniture is bigger/larger than I've seen elsewhere. It physically kept us from even considering another house, because our furniture wouldn't even fit in the bedroom -- we would've had to combine two rooms! And even though our current bedroom is large, the furniture can really only go in certain spots because of the wall space.

The set we have is in this thread.

I was posting at the same time... I wasn't ignoring all the amazing advice and comments!

THANK YOU ALL!!

Yes, lightened-up mission. The words I used in my other thread -- spa, relaxing... I want to figure out how to make my furniture less imposing, whether it's something physical I can do, or mental. I've never really decorated a surface intentionally, so my dresser just gets "useful" things on there like lotion and a box of tissues. Now I'm thinking that maybe it needs something that will make it breathe.

I love the idea of buying my husband art, but I keep striking out when I find something, take a photo, and show it to him. I thought I knew his taste!

ETA: I thought of something else I want to eliminate -- stained glass/Tiffany-style lamps! We have them everywhere, and I'm so weighed down by that look now.

pippiep, taking a page from Laurel Bern, mentioned above, I'd consider an inexpensive jute rug for any of the rooms where you're looking to update the wall to wall carpeting. Jute rugs also tend to be light in color and in feel, which will help make the Mission style furniture feel less heavy.

For lighting, take a look at Ballard, which has some nice, reasonably priced options. And there are some great choices at Lowe's; instead of a torchiere, I'd choose something like this. Also, don't make the mistake of picking lamps in that "match" the Mission style -- adding several more modern pieces will go a long way toward lightening and updating a room.

I will also say, as someone who's been married for a good chunk of time already and whose husband can have definite opinions about furnishings (though his taste isn't always as strong as those opinions, sigh), there are times when I've told him I need him to trust me and give me leeway (we trade -- I'll give up my "vote" to help decide on some other matter) to decide on something for the house. I don't usually believe in the saying that it's better to beg for forgiveness than ask for permission, but I am a firm believer in it when it comes to decorating at home while dealing with family : ) . It's hard enough to make some of these decisions without doing it by committee...

I have taken a stand recently... the fabrics I chose for the family room and living room roman shades. I tried to convince him but he just saw "too busy" and "blah brown", and I finally said that I LOVE the fabric and wanted to use it. Now, he loves how they turned out. I've been thinking about doing the same with things like lighting and smaller decor. I think I do have a good eye if I don't have to second guess myself.

Love that lamp you linked! He does not like drum shades (gah, WHY?? they are harmless!) so I'd have to look for something with a slight flare. We have plenty of other areas where our current torchieres can go -- like my workroom, which is getting bigger and more functional as time goes on. ;)

I'm afraid of jute because of my cats. The cats are awesome, don't claw the carpets or rugs, and don't pee anywhere but in the litter boxes. I don't want to jinx that with jute!

Quote:

"And without a plan, my husband can't "see" it, so he'd rather not
spend a dime.

He has A LOT of trouble envisioning, unless I can show him
a specific photo, and even then it's a crapshoot.

I have those big Might Boards for paint samples, sometimes multiples
of the same color, and he still has trouble envisioning a room in that
color until it's on the wall.

I can't make a move without him! He's so
very particular.

At our last house, he didn't like to nail into the
wall, so we had a lot of bare walls.

Here, we're using nails that were
already there. Stuff isn't at the right height. Blargh.

I think he's
finally OK with hanging up artwork, though. He just doesn't want to
spend the money to buy anything nicer than TJ Maxx canvases."

End Quote.

Do you get any say at all in what you can do in "your" house? What happens if you just move a nail to the correct height on your own?

A visit to a marriage counselor might be a better investment than an interior designer. I would start with his nails-in-the -wall phobia!

Life is too short to live with bare walls for years ...

In his defense... he is a perfectionist. He makes furniture, and can see the problems in things that are not well made. If I start poking holes in the wall, he'll just see more patch jobs that we have to do, in addition to the bazillion patch jobs we already have to do.

I want to pull down all the paneling in our family room, and remove wallpaper from a few rooms, but he'd rather not have me start it unless he knows I/we will finish it and paint the same weekend. It really bothers him to see things half done, or poorly done.

I'd rather get things started! Otherwise, they'll never, ever get done at all.

Unless you are hanging 50 pound pieces of art, most of the hangers use really thin nails that barely leave a mark ... nothing that a dab of spackle and some touch up paint can't cover.

ETA: I thought of something else I want to eliminate -- stained glass/Tiffany-style lamps! We have them everywhere, and I'm so weighed down by that look now.

And now I was posting at the same time as you! Yes, that's what I meant about not matching the lighting to the furniture. And one of the easiest things you can do is update lampshades. A shape that looks very fresh is Empire; Oka has a nice selection, here.

I've never really decorated a surface intentionally, so my dresser just gets "useful" things on there like lotion and a box of tissues.

This made me think of Maura Endres's Instagram and a recent interview she did on a blog. She has a gift when it comes to vignettes and decorating surfaces. Take a look through her IG for some ideas. She uses some very basic items -- including a lot of leaves from the garden, and stacks of books for height -- and moves things around a lot. Some good ideas there even if you have a different style and prefer a less layered look.

Once you get your bedroom looking the way you want it too, I'd take that as a sort of template for the rest of the house. I think the combination of the warm, dark quartersawn oak with a light "spa blue" shade of paint is probably one of the best ways to update and lighten the furniture.

For art, what about vintage or antique maps, of where you live, favorite vacation spots, etc? Or even prints of well-known art that you both know you like?

Ahh, but if there are already a billion patch jobs to do, you'll already have the mud out so it'll be uncomplicated to do a few more. :-) (He must be a long lost twin to my DH, btw, who also has high standards regarding quality workmanship and an aversion to holes in the walls.)

I was looking for images of airy craftsman style. Any triggers? Would light colored slipcovers (new sewing project...) help remove some of the heaviness of the furniture?

april, what a great list of designers and decorators with vibrant, eclectic styles. Based on your list, it would be great fun to figure out your question, and maybe even more fun to try to answer it!

I have taken a stand recently... the fabrics I chose for the family room and living room roman shades. I tried to convince him but he just saw "too busy" and "blah brown", and I finally said that I LOVE the fabric and wanted to use it. Now, he loves how they turned out. I've been thinking about doing the same with things like lighting and smaller decor. I think I do have a good eye if I don't have to second guess myself.

Yay for taking a stand! And you have a great eye -- you're very right to not second guess yourself. We can be our own worst enemies sometimes. The lesson here is that you and your husband ended up loving how things turned out in those rooms. Don't stop now : ) . You might also have to keep reminding your husband about this. And also, if necessary, the fact that you've been making a great concession to the great big furniture for YEARS, which he bought before you were married.

Perfectionism can be a double-edged sword, and I think it's something that a lot of us deal with. The danger is not doing anything because you're afraid of a less than perfect result. Combine that with this --

I think he's finally OK with hanging up artwork, though. He just doesn't want to spend the money to buy anything nicer than TJ Maxx canvases.

and you end up with paralysis + settling for something cheap you don't really like = a house and rooms that you aren't happy with and that don't reflect you and your husband. So you're much better off to start making some decisions. You may not achieve the "perfect" look you think you should have, but then again, maybe there isn't a perfect look -- just a great one. Or maybe there are several perfect looks.

Again, take a look at Maura Endres's Instagram one day when you have some time. Start at the beginning and go all the way through. Look at how she moves the same items -- books, vases, baskets, containers, fabrics -- around her house and makes different combinations of the same items over and over again, achieving different but always pleasing results.

(oh why didn't I see these OKA lampshades before? oh my. no I did end up finding something cute..but I was really looking into this cone shape and couldn't find anything right..color wise and size wise..)

who knows why somebody doesn't like something. my DH looked at all the library lights I was looking into, for reading in bed, and said "no..they look like they belong in a library". lol

I must say I do give him art. It generally goes much better than giving him clothes lol. (though some were a success. he's reluctant to wear anything that might read as too good-in his mind I mean. this person amazes me..)

He gives me art and music:)

That way we both enjoy the gifts...:)

lightened Mission..yes..I didn't go into details in my mind just yet but a lot of creamy white came to mind

You know we got this Mission very close to us..a real one..the San Juan Capistrano one..amazing gardens around..the church still functions as far as I know..and they've got a little museum to show how the people who inhabited this Mission (one of fourteen Missions I think that were built along California Coast) actually lived. obviously they needed much less in terms of decor. But yes, white walls come to mind, perfect counterpoint to dark wood furnishings..natural materials..simpler shapes..and yes, magnificent garden around-makes everything inside magical too. So i see a garden brought in..

House Vixen I love your analysis:) Say a person X saw visuals...now he's looking for words. (well I'm always looking for words in anything so I agree-depends on a person)

In my case it's simpler than remodeling and/or major rethinking of a space, changing furniture, etc

It's about changing the mood ever so slightly. It's seemingly easier.

But it's hard because everybody's always been content in a house that's exudes a pretty happy vibe. Myself included. I made it so after all. And then you get shifted. And everybody's puzzled. Why the "dark" side? did they give you cookies? lol

If it was a theater I'd move walls depending on the mood:) But it's not a theater..it's a house..

I don't want to hijack pippiep's thread..I just want to add : pippiep.. when I asked you about designers..well I got so much more about your home and what is it about it that you'd change, from your answer whether you listed names or not. I guess becky's right..conversations do help. you figure out things when you talk..sometimes..and others figure out things too..sometimes:)

doesn't have to be exact, at this time..it's like a hint of the future..like you're sitting down to write an essay and you sit there for forty or fifty minutes and it looks from the side you're doing nothing, your page is clean..but then you take a pen and it all starts flooding onto the page. you go blank-but the inner workings take place, invisible to others-and then the whatever you've got in your mind finally takes shape?

pippiep, jute rugs with cats discussed in a comment on this Apartment Therapy post:

Jute and/or sisal rugs are awesome for cats--the critters can claw and claw to their hearts' content and it won't make any difference. Best of all, they're cheap cheap. I've had this one from World Market in my living room for two years and it shows no signs of wear from the cats treating it as a scratching post:

The post is from 7 years ago, but World Market has about two dozen jute rug offerings at the moment.

I also read on a GW post that jute seems to be more cat-proof than sisal...

(oh why didn't I see these OKA lampshades before? oh my.

That's how I found the website, april. I was looking for UK-style pleated, patterned lampshades somewhere in North America.

who knows why somebody doesn't like something.

And sometimes we get it in our heads that we don't, or won't, like something, but when it's in place, we actually do like it. Like pippie's Roman shade fabric : ) .

OMG, just came across this thread again. We never ended hp doing anything... until a few months ago. THEN we found out we are moving!!

We’re finally offloading some of that huge, imposing furniture. The rooms in the new house are smaller, and I really want to keep it airy and bright.

It’s a gut-renovated Victorian and is stunningly gorgeous. I wish I could have them leave all their staged furniture, because it’s perfect.

It’s killing me to leave my kitchen, though...

How exciting! Congratulations on your new home/old house, pippiep -- it sounds wonderful. Will you be posting pics and starting a new thread (she asked hopefully...) ?

I don’t have any pics of my own...we don’t move in until September. I’m extra excited because they used a lot of paint colors that I’ve wanted to see! Collingwood, Pale Oak, and others.

We have so much mission-style cherry Stickley. I’m curious to see how it looks in the new space.

We can wait : ) .