People forget why they hire designers and decorators. Let me remind you. If you think you need one, it’s to do stuff you can not do yourself, do not know enough about it to do yourself, are not creative enough to do yourself, can’t imagine the possibilities yourself, or are afraid of doing things yourself. Or maybe you can’t tell if that is blue or green or orange. If you could do already know those things, then why would you hire a professional? Unless you have gobs of money to give to someone just so you could harass him or her and continue to shop, buy things, and change paint colors that were recommended because you decided you “knew better”, or “name drop” top of the line things that you think are above said designer’s head just to prove to yourself you know so much… well, I guess that would be a reason to hire a designer (and push her very close to murder). Most of you either feel like you NEED one or you don’t.
Let me also remind you that you are hiring that person because he or she IS able to do all of the above. So, if that professional opinion you seek to right the wrongs of your home before you make it worse tells you that if you can afford to paint your walls, then you MUST because the current color is wrong and is burning your guests’ eyes out, please don’t say “well, I like that color” or “I don’t see why this doesn’t work, it’s worked for this long” or “I don’t know what other color would work in here” (as the designer is standing there with the sample of the best color in her hands). Please don’t do that. Or just say, “I’m sorry I wasted your time, here’s a million dollars”. It might help.
Please believe that the designer, if she’s a good one (and the person who referred her to you already told you that she was), will already be 100 steps ahead of just the wall color. Please know that the designer will have already figured out what you DO really like without you even knowing that she did that and has already worked out ways to give you what you really want in the end. Please know that you are not expected to realize that. But most importantly, please know that she understands that she doesn’t live there, you do, and it’s her JOB to make it look good for YOU. What works best in your home doesn’t necessarily work best in someone else’s, and vice versa!
Okay, that all being said…
One of the best things a professional can do for you is to show you things you can do that you never expected. It only gets a trillion times better if you put your trust in the designer and go with it! That’s what fashion designers and magazines do every day. And we all go, “wow, that looks amazing, I NEVER would’ve thought of that!”
Did you know you can cut your pants to the knee, pair with boots and look AMAZING? Bet you didn’t.
Interiors are NO DIFFERENT.
When a pro tells you, with in depth explanation, that you should use a certain color on the walls that you never expected (or patterns of fabric, or wallpaper, or a certain rug) she’s not doing it to make you hate it! She’s not doing it so you will call her back after it’s done wanting to wring her neck. She’s doing it because she can just see how that one color can change the whole room into something closer to what you wanted to capture in that room. And make you fall in love with it.
And while you are hung up on “is that grayish beige or beigey tan?”, your designer is doing this in her head:
So, if she is gently pushing you to do something that you are hesitant to do, ask yourself why. (If you don’t like the designer, that may be an issue.) She should know what you are absolutely opposed to, and wouldn’t waste time recommending something that you might hate. What she is pushing you to do is have a space that is unique to you, that is beautiful and comfortable for you, and will leave you saying, “Wow, that looks amazing, I NEVER would have thought of that!”
All images via Pinterest
