I don’t think I’m the appropriate person to write about how to hire a decorator because as of a month ago I had never done it before. But a lot of people have asked about it so I’ll tell you what I do know. Basically I needed help finishing my one- bedroom apartment. We will only stay in our current place 3-4 years so I didn’t want to put it off or it wouldn’t be worth doing. {One of the advantages of hiring someone over using a talented friend is they can help keep you on task.} I’ve heard that decorating a house is sort of like planning a wedding… most people don’t do it very often so they make a lot of mistakes.

I have definite opinions about what I like but I needed a professional to help me avoid making mistakes. I realized this when I decorated my last place–I made a few expensive bad choices that could have been avoided. A good example of this is our sofa. For me, if a sofa fits through the door and there is room against a wall, then it fits. The decorator talked me out of buying the sofa I wanted and instead showed me a few examples of sofas that were similar but smaller and better for the space. Things like where a rug should fall and how to hang curtains are other easy mistakes to make. {I know because I always seem to get them wrong.}

One of the biggest concerns I had before I hired someone is I wasn’t sure if they were “my style.” What I’ve learned is that if your decorator is good, once they understand your style, they know what you want and can help you with your ideas.

I hired an interior design student who is building her portfolio. Not only is this better for me because she is more affordable but she is closer to my demographic and is used to finding things off Craigslist and at Flea Markets for her own house. {That kind of decorating is in my budget.}

I sent three or four emails out to people I knew who were either students or were starting out. I told them what I was looking for and asked if they were available and how much they charged. Elizabeth wrote me back pretty quick so we set up an initial meeting. If it didn’t work out I would’ve ended it there {like a bad first date.} But I really liked how she worked with me. I think she is helping my style come out more than if I did it myself.

Besides an ongoing working relationship some people prefer to just do an initial consultation and then the designer or decorator puts together a book with paint swatches etc. Another idea if you are on a budget is to do all the groundwork before hand {choose swatches and couches you like etc.} and then have a decorator meet with you and make adjustments and suggestions.

Anyway, thats all I got. Domino has an article here on the subject. If you don’t have money for a decorator try a talented friend.

Anyone else with more experience have ideas on how to hire a decorator on a budget?

{photo via Domino}