Is Being Brain-Dead a Requirement for Decorators?

[daveferg]

We enjoy shows like House Hunters Renovations and the like but seems the decorators they hire are from another planet. It's bad enough when decorators eliminate a 1st floor half-bath in a house with only one other bathroom----Or blithely move the kitchen sink when the couple are trying to keep to a budget----

But thought I'd seen everything until I watched one episode of a young couple renovating a house in Buffalo, NY. The decorator had them rip out the existing kitchen windows and install two roll-up windows---essentially glass garage doors---on metal tracks that look down-right ugly in the house---not to mention that these things might have issues during the cold weather/storms typical for Buffalo.

[Cooler]

These are the same people that tell you to get white carpet in your house. They feature it in all their ads. The magazines play along.

I inherited "silver" carpet in my house (very, very light gray--nearly white). I ripped it out.

At the suggestion of the store's interior decorator I bought a beige couch. My dog would use it to wipe his face. Threw that out.

Maurice Villency is a high end furniture retailer. I went in there and they had a rendering of a room they decorated. A king sized bed with a extended L-shaped couch that wrapped around it. I asked, "The couch, its there so everyone gets a good seat when watching the couple in bed. Is that it?"

Yeah, I have no use for interior decorators. Interior designers are much better (they have architecture training and can make structural changes).

[Bob10]

So what did they say?

[daveferg]

I can remember when I was buying a house that clearly needed the carpet replaced. Now at the time, I had a dog who would shed a little throughout the year and big time in the spring----I picked out a great multi-colored plush sculptured with prominent color matching the dog's gold/blond color. Do you think an interior decorator would be that practical?

[theeviltwinn]

The wife likes those shows. I can't stand them. For the decorators it's all about "Look at me" rather than what works for the homeowner.

Twinn

[daveferg]

Exactly----I always thought owning/remodeling your house was to fit it to YOUR tastes---not some "trend" the decorator is pushing. Look at how many got suckered into accent walls. Now, decorators are all saying they're passé. I predict the same thing will happen with gray/charcoal colored wood floors and barn doors.

[K. L. McReynolds]

You have not been paying attention. The decorators on TV shows are those who have a style and folks hire them for their style, not for what the HO wants.

A real decorator(like Genevieve Gorter) soon finds being on a TV show is too ridiculous a waste of time and soon ditches the TV for real decorating. The ones on TV cannot make a living doing real decorating because they are a one trick pony. That is why the shows featuring contests between 'decorators' went off---too many stupid scripts(time limits/money limits/material lists/etc.) The six or seven folks who won those went on to TV and either work for DIY or are gone.

Decorators are hired to do something folks have no idea how to do. If a home owner hires a decorator, they need to specify what the HO wants done, how it is to be done, and how much they(the HO) is willing to spend.

Otherwise, they are hiring a person to decorate the house as the decorator sees fit and not how the HO wants it done----mainly because the HO has no clue anyway.

[Kansas City Fireslayer]

My wife paid a decorator $160 to spend 2 hours with her at our house when we first bought it and before any renovations occurred. The decorator basically told my wife everything that I had previously told my wife. I told my wife she owed me $160 after she left. I'd never felt so scammed in my life but $160 is still much cheaper than a divorce...

[Bob10]

The $160 was money well spent IMO as it probably saved you from numerous debates and or arguments

[live4ever]

As with all things, there is a spectrum of skill in design. Skilled designers can take the homeowner's preferences into account AND design something aesthetically beautiful and functional. But everyone's a designer (or thinks they are), so the good ones are few and far between, even on TV, so who knows how one would find a competent one in real life.

It is, however, very very true that one must pay close attention to trends when remodeling if there is any intent to sell the house in the near future. Those of us who are a little farther along on the age curve especially have a difficult time with this when renovating to sell. It's best to listen to the younger, brain-dead designer in such a situation. I've seen many to-sell remodels where the HO threw in a lot of personal touches and preferences. It's unfortunate when buyers don't value your new kitchen as a new kitchen because you've made choices that have less mass appeal. I think it's common to remain stuck to what was trendy during one's middle age, which perhaps explains why the older folks still have a preference for oak cabinetry and the younger ones can't stand it.

Making a comeback though, long as it's whitewashed or gray, lol.