The talented ladies at The Skirted Roundtable recently interviewed Charlotte Moss and I loved her answer to the question: What is the most essential element of a room? Atmosphere. It’s the one thing you cannot buy, it’s not about an object; it’s about the end result.
Atmosphere, is the reason I always encourage my clients to just skim right past the cost of a custom toss cushion or pillow sham and rather, look at the total cost of the entire project. Why a toss cushion you ask? Because the cost difference between an off-the-shelf cushion and a custom made throw pillow is so big, clients always question it. And the difference between a store-bought cushion and a custom made--specifically chosen for your home--is of course the look and feel that is being created.
Elle Decor interviewed Charlotte in their November issue and one of the questions they asked was; ‘Clients are becoming increasingly design-savvy and sophisticated. Has that influenced your work?’ It’s a double-edged sword, because possessing a lot of information doesn’t necessarily connote knowledge. At the end of the day all that information is good for people to know, because it means they are taking an interest in their surroundings. But I’m the one who has to put it all together and make A plus B equal C.
This week a client called and asked if she could pay me for half an hour to come and choose a colour for her living room. I said “You just need one colour?” Her response was “Well no, I need you to come and tell me what other furniture I need to buy, and help me create the look and feel for the room as well”. Exactly. Which [by the way] takes longer than half an hour :)
When [with a designers help] you have created the look and feel that you want, you’ll get happy just walking into your home!
And, if you are spending money anyway, a designer will save you their fee many times over because you will be buying the right furniture, because the space planning has been done in the first place, etc, etc. I explored this at length in my post; Hiring a Designer; Luxury or Necessity. If you don't have the money to hire a designer for everything, one day of shopping will get you all the basics and a little extra.
Charlotte Moss is famous for her canopy beds! Now how much are those cushions :)
It’s funny, the money saving aspect of hiring a designer is mostly lost on people? Can someone enlighten me here? Why does it always seem like it would cost more? You are spending money anyway (if you are buying new furniture, etc) doesn’t it just seem like it would make sense to have everything you place in your home including the colour be absolutely perfect (or certainly as perfect as your budget will allow)? It costs exactly the same to paint the right colour as it does the wrong one, but if it’s wrong. . . well now it costs you even more.
If you want your home to have atmosphere including colours that flow to fill you with happiness every time you walk in. Contact me by email for on-line rates or call me directly if you are local.
Related posts:
Interior Design may look Easy; It’s not
The Three most important Words in a Colour Consultation
10 Ways to save money Now by Creating a Focal Point
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