Advise or help please

It's amazing how people apparently think designers aren't worth paying for.

You never hear anyone asking for a recommendation for a good LAWYER that's "not expensive / reasonable".

I never said designers aren't worth paying for, I just don't have a huge budget. Certainly a designer that is just starting off and has less experience might charge a bit less then a * well known* .

The cheapest way to decorate are to get some books and watch HGTV and do it yourself. If you want a professional, you can always look into hiring a design student who is nearing graduation at a design/ fashion school.

God, what has a lawyer have to do with a decorator!

You're right, Mimi. How silly.

Lawyers are educated professionals who deserve to be paid appropriately.

Decorators are merely hobbyists who play with colors and fabrics, and deserve to be paid appropriate to their little "wife" or "gay" job.

To start with, all lawyers go into almost a decade of hard work and bar exams. On the other hand, we only hire lawyers when we really need them. Almost everyone will sooner or later, need a lawyer at least once in the lifetime. I will not be hiring a decorator in my lifetime...
You are the one that compared lawyers to decorators in your post to start with. Typical.

cmist, I understand your situation and have thought about it myself. After putting a down payment on an apartment and everything involved with renovations, there is often no money left to hire a professional designer. One thought that I had was to inquire at the New York School of Interior Design, 170 East 70th Street and see if they can offer some guidance on a lower fee interior designer or possibly a graduate student. Even though I read interior design magazines and watch HGTV, I know that I would have a difficult time walking into a room and seeing all the design possibilities on my own. If you contact that school or another institution and have some success, can you post on this thread so I'll know for the future.

"To start with, all lawyers go into almost a decade of hard work and bar exams. "

I see.

And decorators just walk out of FIT one day and have their work featured in Architectural Digest by the next week, yes?

I am amazed by this assumption that the taste of a poorly compensated anonymous student interior designer is somehow superior to your own.

We are slowly turning ourselves into a utterly helpless society.

You need help with furniture placement???!!! OMFG.

you're just a bundle of contradictions, matt. middle class (and those with even less) are fully capable of living fulfilled lives and raising families in NYC on their limited means. and yet the OP somehow needs or wants someone who is or will be featured in AD? and life's barely worth living if you don't have a washer and dryer in your unit?

i agree with spin. creating a functional environment that also is aesthetically pleasing isn't rocket science. and furniture can be moved. start with less and the basics, and add from there. select colors and patterns that aren't too busy and complicated. buy what pleases YOU.

I agree with the go slow and do it yourself advice. It's not hard, and if you don't buy anything too unusual in shape or color you can't go too far wrong.

And I add two cautionary notes, based on what I've seen other people do (personally I would never use a decorator):

- you sound like someone a bit diffident about making such choices, which puts you in danger of signing up for some decorators impractical, or trendy ideas, that in most peoples eyes don't "work";

- on cost, be aware that many decorators seem to come up with ways of buying more expensive stuff

cmist,

I'm sorry if I came off sounding a bit harsh.

Here are my suggestions, as someone who's NOT a decorator, yet is always asked by visitors who did my "decorating" because it looks like it was professionally done:

-- First and foremost, figure out your personal color palette. Color is most important, and despite what you see in high-end magazines, white walls -- while striking in art galleries and office settings -- are not conductive to a warm and harmonious home environment. This sounds hard, but it's really not. Consider, what is your favorite color to wear? What colors do you find yourself gravitating towards for just about anything (purses, pencil boxes, etc.). Are they predominantly "cool" colors (blues, minty greens, purples, beiges, greys, etc.) or "warm" colors (browns, reds, oranges, sage or olive greens, golds, etc.). If you find yourself having trouble choosing between cool and warm colors, you of course can have both, but the rule of thumb is to generally go "cool" in the bedrooms (more restful) and "warm" in the living areas (more energizing). Colors that should never be on bedroom walls include reds (much too "alive" for sleeping), bright oranges (burnt oranges are better), and yellows.

-- Next, consider your personal style. What kind of furniture do you like most? Ultra-modern? Retro modern? Mission? Traditional? What kind of materials do you like? Chrome, glass, and light woods tend to work better with cool colors, while darker woods tend to work better with warm colors.

-- Less really is more. Depending on the size of your space, consider the utility before the size and style. I have a friend who has an 18x12 living/dining room, and wanted seating around his entertainment system as well as a separate dining area AND separate "office area". Since all that furniture was too much for the room, he compromised and instead of a smaller dining table and chairs to allow room for a desk in his "dining area", he had an L-shaped deacon's bench (with tons of hidden storage beneath) custom built around a HUGE dining table. Form and function! He lost the desk, but now has an extra-large "all purpose" table that's much more flexible. than a small dining table and small desk. I myself was very careful to choose a dining table that expands and contracts as needed, with matching chairs that are big, solid, and comfortable enough to double as seating in my living area.

-- Budget. I'm from the school of buying one or two really good pieces each year, rather than buying a bunch of lower-cost (and consequently, lower-quality) pieces all at once.

-- Window treatments. I prefer sheers over blinds, which can look good with or without heavier drapes. Sheers allow the sunlight to filter through -- as well as much of the view -- while still providing privacy at night. They're easily opened during the day, and they're even easier than blinds to clean (once or twice a year just toss them in the washer. A little trick I learned from a friend: don't put them in the dryer -- if you re-hang them damp, their own weight will help them dry without wrinkles.

-- Rugs. Use the above guidelines for color choice. If the room will be "busy" with lots of art or pictures on the wall, furniture, and accessories, keep the pattern on the rug as simple as possible. If, however, you're more of a minimalist with the walls and furniture, feel free to go a little more detailed with the rug design. As far as type and texture, 100% wool is the most durable and stain-resistant, and since it's a "living" fiber, actually cleans the air around it. As much as I love the retro look of shag, if you have pets, don't even consider it (particularly cats). Cats throw up a lot, and almost always on the rug. It's easier to clean off of a tightly knit rug rather than a shag-style rug.

-- Relax. Remember there's no "wrong" way to decorate. Whatever makes you happy is the right way.

So many friends have bought new apartments and instantly bought a ton of overpriced stuff, that screams "i just bought this new stuff".. Leave room to have fun saturdays over a few years looking for interesting, personal, just-right-for-you choices.

let's see, what would i want to pay more for: how to stay out of jail or where to place a vase? excellent points Matt, excellent.

great post nycmatt.

"as someone who's NOT a decorator, yet is always asked by visitors who did my "decorating" because it looks like it was professionally done"

They're making polite conversation because they're waiting impatiently for their visit to be over, and can find no common ground for discussion, and don't really want to get into another argument with you over whether the weather is "good" or "bad" is a matter of object truth, as you'd maintain.

Jesus Christ! Are we all coming out again?!?! Okay, I am heterosexual! I don't get what the big deal is with tiger woods. And can you tell me how many cats the decorator should be designing for? Thank you.

One other thing if you get a bad decorator, only thing bruised is your ego as your frenemies make fun of you. Sometimes residents with a lack of sleep give blood thinners in mega doses cause a 1ml bottle looks like a 10ml bottle and your loved ones bleeds out from within, and there is nothing you can do.

So you're saying go with the red bedsheets?

"So you're saying go with the red bedsheets?"

Not everyone charges admission into their bedrooms like you do, Alan.

Matt, remember the little SE discussion-board talk we had about keeping your fantasies to yourself?

Maybe a cold shower will help.

You're assuming that I think it's a fantasy, rather than your reality.

Yes, the money's great, but your custom is not wanted or needed, so you have no business fantasizing about it. Cold showers, Matt.

NYCMatt, Lobster and others who offered advise and suggestions, thank you so much, I really do appreciate it and will take note of all your suggestions.

Anyway, decorators will always tell you that you have to tear down a wall, or move a doorway six inches, and rip out the floorboards and that sort of thing.

Matt, for somebody that thinks that the importance of the function of a decorator compares to that of a lawyer, I hope that you dont give legal advice as lightly as you give decoration tips.

amen

we have worked with a very good designer whom we regard very highly. His specialty is taking stock of all of your furnishings and then asking you to leave your apartment for an afternoon (or longer if its a home) and re-arranging what you have. It's certainly scary to turn over one's apartment to someone, but he really works magic. While we thought we had done a good job by ourselves but after he was done, it was like living in a new (better) apartment.

He charges by the hour (and therefore doesn't have incentive to buy expensive stuff) and has a wonderful eye.

Full disclosure: he has now become a good friend to both my wife and I and we have hired him for both our homes.

"Leave room to have fun saturdays over a few years looking for interesting, personal, just-right-for-you choices."

Speaking of - are there any flea markets you guys really like? I mean real flea markets.. with vintage pieces, etc...

Classic7 - can you please share your designers contact information with me?