I believe in your questions you have already answered your main question. Maybe the question should be "What are the Reason one does not call an Interior Designer".

I am very certain of my style and what works well together. I called for help when I moved from a relatively small house to a relatively big house. I wanted the project done in a reasonable amount of time and felt overwhelmed by how little I had to start out with and how much there still was to do.

And I'll echo IdaClaire's point about not knowing what is available. From fabrics to niche furniture manufacturers, I found pro guidance helpful in navigating the vast array of options I was not familiar with. To be clear, it's not about any confusion. It's about familiarity with what is out there.

I am currently working on a ski house and I am trying to do it on my own. One place I am likely to call for help is the bathrooms. Left to my own devices, they would all look a lot alike and I know it's better to have more differentiation.

Designers are also key if you don't know who to turn to for curtains, pillow, upholstery, etc.

Thanks Rita. Useful comments. I know I sometimes feel overwhelm with all the gorgeous images online, so your point of awareness of options is very helpful. (thanks IdaClaire too)

Ideas + Design, you might want to watch this thread. It addresses how some people think about hiring a designer.

https://www.houzz.com/discussions/i-dont-want-to-be-a-designer-but-dsvw-vd~5560147?n=130

If you're remodeling a small or a difficult space, a help from an interior designer is not only welcome but necessary. You may know what you like but if you're looking to improve kitchen's functionality, interior designers can offer invaluable advice and solutions you most probably didn't think of. For example, designers as well as some local home improvement stores, can provide you with 3 D design that can help you not only imagine but actually see how the layout you're planning will actually look like.

Speaking of triggers. The first time we hired a designer was when we bought our first residence in the US and discovered that if you seek anything beyond the offerings of a handful of nationwide chains, the showrooms are not accessible to the public. So we found ourselves in an absurd situation when we knew the (European) makers and models of the pieces we wanted, we found where are they available in the US, but had no way of ordering them without going thru a 'design professional'. We hired one, admittedly reluctantly, and it was a painful experience to all involved.

Other times I worked with designers was while remodeling three residences remotely (one out of state, two back in Europe). Again, we knew what we wanted, and had the big ticket items picked out ahead of time. 'Design' part entailed filling in the blanks around the collages we provided, but since we could not physically be there, we sought out local designers/architects capable of assuming the project manager role - being our 'eyes and ears' on site, monitoring the contractor, scheduling additional tradesmen, coordinating suppliers, etc. It worked out well enough, especially the latest one with video conferencing and online communication being what it is today.

For me, decorating my houses was always easy because my style was very clear to me. I was also very clear on the colors I liked. Now, I am sort of in a transitional stage and in the process of changing everything. My style has changed and the clarity of preferred colors is no longer there. Plus, there are too many cooks in the kitchen. My daughter has an opinion on everything. LOL.

I called in a designer to help me transition my home - the initial focus on converting my formal living room to a library/study using a couple of key pieces I already own. He suggested items that I would have not considered, but are 100% on point to my taste. He listened and translated my thoughts perfectly.

I am going to do a lot of the leg work myself, because I enjoy the process. If and when I get stumped, I will seek outside advice as I am no longer interested in wasting money on things that just do not work.

Great observations, Anna, about "too many cooks in the kitchen" It is helpful to have a professional to keep an eye on the big picture and help you get past the small bumps and hurdles. I'm glad to hear this form of relationship is working out for you.

I am very dedicated to getting my clients - I think most interior designers are - and they have told me its very important to them. That your designer can see beyond what you imagine is a really big value, one that makes your project, and ultimately your space< more exciting for you.

Its especially relevant for those who take on design projects without guidance that you are not interested in wasting money on things that do not work! Haven't we all been there - and designers (if they are honest) have made mistakes that contribute to their overall wisdom, way more often than homeowners!

All the best!

Gella, you make an excellent point about accomplishing a project while working at distance, and using technology to stay in the loop.

I can hear your frustration about not being able to get the products you want without a designer's involvement, but with their discounts, surely you came out financially in the same place? I wonder, did your various designers add anything to your vision of your various projects, or did they mostly stay in the project management role?

Yes, Rita, I was just there!

Ideas + Design, in regards to "coming out financially in the same place" with designer discounts - how would we know without having the alternative of acquiring those items without one? We knew the price point of the manufacturers we were looking at, we figured there would be the added costs of transportation and import fees. We got the final quote via a designer and decided its worth it for us, especially with the USD vs Euro exchange rates at that time. I don't remember the quote being so transparent as to show the price breakdown, but I may be wrong. It didn't really matter to us. The headache was NOT worth it. Since we were not seeking design advice, dealing with an additional intermediary just made the ordering process clumsier and increased lead times, not to mention the fact that our designer made several mistakes, one of which (a stupid, unnecessary, attention deficit mistake) took a lot of time and effort to rectify.

The other projects went much easier, mostly because we had more of a laid back attitude than when our primary residence was concerned. Much more open to suggestions and willing to delegate. We chose designers whose aesthetics were close to ours, set the tone with central must haves/must incorporate, and gave them free reign with finishing touches. There were some surprising suggestions, some of them happily accepted, some rejected.

The way my head works, I could never buy a property without having a clear vision of how it would look and function for my family. So by the time the deal is signed, I have a clear plan of layout, furniture placement, traffic patterns etc. And by the time the designer gets onboard, the framework is set.

I would choose a designer when I need help designing a build or reno - i.e. structural things. I have no interest in getting help from someone to coordinate my aesthetics or to decoratively design. I don't know or care if I have a particular "style" or not, and I am perfectly happy to try out different placements of furniture or accessories until I find something I like, because I know what I like might not be the most efficient or fit within the typical "rules".

I have a designer for our new build because it's just too many elements to pull together for me to handle without help. She's almost as much my "editor" as anything else, pulling me back from overdoing things. Or confirming that I've got it right. It may help that I'm going far enough out of the standard box to have caught her interest in the project, so sometimes she's more excited than I am.

I'm unlikely to hire a designer to "do" a room for me. My furniture tends to be more a slow accretion than rooms bought and styled together. I actually enjoy the hunt for the perfect element much more than I would want someone to just show me pictures of what they've bought on my behalf.

Been out of the loop all afternoon, so I want to say Thanks to each of you for sharing your stories and experiences. You've touched on a lot of things that are very helpful - even the not-so great experiences! Since you are all on Houzz, you clearly care about design, and resources like Houzz can be very useful to scan and collect ideas. I hear you loud and clear that you appreciate a designer's ability to tie things together with an overarching vision, one that can stretch your own comfort zone to new places and happy results! I also hear you saying that you feel OK about tackling smaller (i.e less costly or less long-term) decisions on your own, but that for larger projects or where a mistake is costly you'd like to be working with a trusted advisor.

Thanks so very much! I'm instersted to see what more might get added to this discussion!

all the best to all of you

If one is looking for fabric/furniture that is better quality than that sold in retail stores, then one needs a designer. A designer has access to to-the-trade showrooms. A designer had workrooms to make curtains, slipcovers, do upholstery. A designer knows where to shop for antiques, lamps, rugs, other accessories.

Now if the house is a lower cost house in a subdivision and the budget for ALL the furniture/rugs/accessories for the entire house is $5,000, then a designer is not in the picture here.

Not all designers only work with large budgets, but even just decent quality home furnishings are not cheap. Many years ago, one of the top designers in my town required a $50,000 budget and this was assuming that the owner already had some nice antiques/a bit of furniture. That was about 20 years ago - far more today. Fabric prices (to-the-trade) have skyrocketed. A fabric I used 12 years ago was $165 @ yrd then; it's now $238. These are NET prices - many designers DOUBLE these. I got a quote today on how much fabric was needed to recover a large wing chair, and it was 10 yrd if there is NO repeat. As you can see, this can make just one chair, very, very costly.

There are certainly designers who will use far less expensive fabric, but unless they're using Waverly, it's going to be close to $100 @yrd.

GOod points. A chair with custom fabric can totally make an entire room! Its an investment that makes the space unique and personal. I recovered the cushions of outdoor furniture purchased at a big box store for a client and it looks like a million bucks! She loves it. That's a big payoff that goes beyond money.