That's right, this is a blog post about how NOT to prepare to meet with your decorator. I know that for some having a decorator come to their home is one of the most vulnerable things you can do. I can assure you that we are not going to enter your home channeling Miranda Priestly from The Devil Wears Prada with her biting wit and dream-crushing character. We are coming to help, we are your life boat coming along side you to the rescue.
Here are the top 5 ways how NOT to prepare to meet with your decorator...
Don't be welcoming.
Us poor designers. I cannot tell you how many times I have shown up for a consultation and the homeowner has a preconceived notion that I'm going to barge in all judgey and tell them that everything has to go to the curb. We are there to get to know you, to listen to what challenge you're having with the space and to help come up with a solution....period.
Don't be open.
Just because you've always had the sofa against that wall and a reading chair over the other wall doesn't mean that it has to stay that way. Be open to us reconfiguring your furniture plan for better flow. We know that change is not easy but we consider everything from the function of the room to the traffic pattern.
Don't have a budget.
At least have a ballpark figure. And definitely don't give us a lower budget thinking that we are going to spend all of it and then some.
Don't give thought to how you want your space to feel.
This is a biggie for me. I strongly encourage my clients to think about how they want their space to feel and we work from that space. Personally, I don't like Design-ese....you know, all those terms that you hear on HGTV. Let's stick to English, mmmm-kay?
Don't plan on trusting us.
In order for us to have a successful project, we need you to trust that we have your best interest in mind. We know it's a lot to trust someone you don't know with your home and your resources so do your research. Work with someone that gives you all the trust feels. You can work with someone that has been referred to you or someone that has a lot of content out so you can get a sense of what that person is like.
A client told me yesterday that I was the polar opposite of the Miranda Priestly archetype she had imagined. In fact, she said that I was more like that 'cool aunt' that everyone has. I thought that was a perfect depiction of what I'm like. So if you need your cool aunt Rachel to come rescue you from your redesign project, go ahead and click on the contact tab. I look forward to meeting you!