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Home › Articles › Decorating Your Home › From Blah to Beautiful

From Blah to Beautiful

Part Two: Not Doing It Yourself

By Kelly Burgess

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In last week's article, we looked at how to decorate your home from scratch using tips and tricks from expert decorators. The idea was to give anyone a good base from which to start, even if decorating isn't really their thing. However, there are those of us who, no matter how much we read or how many swatches we hold up to paint chips, simply aren't capable of making an informed decision about color, fabric and design. In this article, we'll take a look at hiring a professional – from decorating the inside to major work inside or out. Sometimes, the best decision a do-it-yourselfer can make is to leave the work to a professional.

Decorating Help
It's easy to get a consultation with someone who is trained in color and fabric, often at no extra cost. Linda Hallam, editor-in-chief of Better Homes and Gardens, says many do-it-yourself stores such as Lowe's or Home Depot, as well as many furniture and paint stores, have in-house experts that will help free of charge. They can give advice on color, accessories and design schemes. Hallam also suggests viewing model homes, finding a decorating scheme you like and asking for the name of the decorator. Most decorators will do a consult for only a relatively small fee.

Jane Parr, owner of Decorative Arts, likes the idea of using decorating consultants at do-it-yourself-type stores, but warns of the drawbacks of using designers at stores that are devoted to selling only one type or brand of furniture. "These days everyone and their brother has a designer or decorator on staff, and it's great to take advantage of that," says Parr. "However, what you have to watch for is furniture stores where the person's main objective is to get you to buy their furniture. That limits you."

Of course, if their brand is what you're interested in anyway, their experts can help you accessorize the rest of the room as well. Parr herself is involved in what many experts consider to be the next wave in decorating – Internet consulting. There are a number of sites where you can send in a photo of that boring foyer and, for a small fee, get several good suggestions for perking it up.

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