the Price of Interior Design

My twin daughters were graduating from high school and the house needed sprucing up for all the family and friends that would be visiting.

I checked into a private home decorator and the cost was prohibitive - for what they wanted, I could have bought a new couch !!

I went to my favorite large department store and found out (wish I'd known this before !!) the drapery department and the furniture department was staffed with professional designers.

For this post I will only describe the draperies. The woman from the store met me at my house at my convenience and brought samples and pictures. I had an idea in my mind of what I wanted, but of course she had better ideas and she didn't force me to do it her way, she just gently offered more suggestions. We chose blinds for the eating area in the kitchen and formal draperies for the living room and dining room. She even found blinds for the bathroom that matched the theme - ducks !!

And all for NO COST !!! It's a service that the department store offers, although I dont' think they particularly advertise it. The custom-made drapes were expensive, but I got exactly what I wanted and I'm sure the store made a hefty profit.

Check out your favorite stores and see if they have consulting services or designers to help you. Of course you have to buy their merchandise, but it's usually free to at least have someone come to your home and give you suggestions.

It worked out very well for me !!