Home Decor

by Peter

It’s easy to get carried away when reading the glossy home décor magazines.

Beautifully crafted photos of the interiors of ‘A’ list celebrity homes, wonderfully flowing and prosaic articles by leading design gurus and of course the helpful wisdoms shared by the top consultants – all these things in the publications can leave us looking around our own living space and feeling very inadequate.

Getting massively motivated, we charge off downtown determined to revolutionize the décor around our home. This enthusiasm usually lasts right up until we turn over the price tag on that ‘must have’ fabric in the shop. Cue knees turning to jelly!

It doesn’t have to be like that though.

It may be that you’re sufficiently wealthy so as to be able to afford to fly in a top interior designer from Europe or the other side of the country and give him or her a blank check with the instruction “go do it”. If you are, then you have no need to read on.

If you have slightly less disposable income, it’s worth remembering at the outset that many of the home interiors magazines are very useful as idea generators.

Don’t get depressed though in terms of costs. In general they tend to concentrate on the very top designers, labels, brands and suppliers. You may be able to achieve similar effects overall at a far lower cost.

Contrary to their media image, the vast majority of professionals in this area are not living a pretentious and champagne lifestyle. You may be surprised at how affordable their advice, guidance and design services are. Some stores and outlets will even offer some services of this type free-of-charge if you’re buying through them.

It may be a wise investment. As an example, many of us know the principles of the look we’re going for but perhaps lack the exact skills necessary to achieve the perfect balance of colors and textiles etc. It could also be the case that we may not know exactly what choices are available or where the best bargains can be found in terms of sourcing what we need.

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Staging tips that can help sell a home

05.11.09

-Pay for a plan, but provide the muscle. Many stagers will work as consultants, touring your house and offering suggestions on presenting it. Barb Schwarz, founder of the International Association of Home Staging Professionals, says the average fee for a consultation is $350.

Then it's up to you to do the cleaning, decluttering and rearranging. Kiplinger's suggests renting a portable storage unit if you have a lot of stuff to store. One company, PODS, will deliver the unit to your driveway for $75, transport it to a secure storage facility for another $75 and charge you a monthly storage fee of around $150, depending on where you live, the time of year and other factors.

-Add some pizzazz. Sometimes a few decorative extras can update or neutralize a home's decor. You may be able to negotiate with a staging company for decor items such as wall art, area rugs, lamps or other accessories. One company Kiplinger's checked charges roughly $250 per month, with a three-month minimum, plus one month's fee for setup and breakdown.

Source: News & Observer

Home Decor Consultant- News

Home Front: Your Design and Decor Dilemmas, Solved Washington Post - Nov 05, 2009 Joining them will be Kelly Porter, a designer and color consultant from Ellicott City, Md. You may also browse an archive of previous Home Front discussions

Staging tips that can help sell a home News & Observer - Nov 05, 2009 Sometimes a few decorative extras can update or neutralize a home's decor. You may be able to negotiate with a staging company for decor items such as wall and more »

The local, public face of Chase, Phyllis Campbell is trading on trust Seattle Times - Nov 08, 2009 The décor was "very plain . . . quite ordinary. I really looked at that as a good sign." Dimon says Campbell basically turned the background and interview and more »

Little fixes bring big changes News & Observer - Nov 07, 2009 Home decor retailers, such as Pottery Barn, are constantly turning over inventory to make way for new items. Instead of buying items when they first appear,

Tim Landis: Wells Fargo employees learning to modify mortgages The State Journal-Register - Nov 08, 2009 Owners indicated in an e-mail and on the Web site that the economy is behind their decision to close the gift, floral and home-decor shop after 14 years.