Advice from a Celebrity Decorator

I was so happy to be included in House Beautiful's 'The Last Words' October 2011 issue. It should have said 'Have' not 'Had', but I'll take it :) It was so great that this happened to be their 'Happiness starts here' issue. 

My mention is #10, above (lower right). I really did have the last word as it's on the very last page as well! Thanks House Beautiful.

In this issue, Jeffrey Bilhuber (love him) gave some decorating advice from his latest book. I especially loved this advice:

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"Decorating is about the big picture. If you say 'I'd like a pink lamp' and I just go get a pink glazed ceramic lamp, you should fire me. What a decorator does is bring you a blue and white Delft lamp and say "This would look perfect in a pink room". Jeffrey Bilhuber

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I love that he said this out loud because it's so true! For example, when I ask my clients what colour sofa they want, they quite often say 'charcoal' but they never end up with one if they hire me because my goal is to give people confidence to surround themselves with colours that make them happy.

"In Decorators Math, 1 + 1 = 3. The objects we bring together add up to more than just a bunch of things. When you hire me, you hire a decorator, not a resourcer." Jeffrey Bilhuber


When you hire a good decorator, all the elements of the above also add up to atmosphere. Recently I arrived with 2 crystal lamps for a living room which just had the soft furnishings installed along with 2 sofa tables on either side of the mantle. It was the end of the day and as soon as I plugged in the lamps the husband said "I think we should sit in here right now and have a glass of wine". It was the first time this couple had ever hired a decorator so he had to celebrate the 'feeling' that was suddenly in the space in that instant.

That is my favourite part of every installation!

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I recently received this email from a reader who wanted some advice in getting the right white to get a 'Somethings Gotta Give' kitchen.  What he said, wraps up this post best:


'It has become obvious to me that there is so much more to making a house look great than trying to match a color. Every house has different color woods, furniture, fabrics, art, carpets, etc. and that kitchen might not be ideal for my house or anyone else's. The Somethings Gotta Give house works the way it does because everything there compliments the whole. And A great deal of sophisticated work went into making it look that way. In the end it might be worth it to have an expert come in and pull it all together for me, even though I have a lower end house. Let me know when you are coming to Seattle.'

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This reader got what Jeffrey is saying, 1 + 1 = 3.

And I know, the other big challenge is in finding the right designer with an aesthetic you like! I talked about this here in my post about white vs. brown kitchens.

What was your best 'aha moment' working with a designer?

ps. Coundown to my new site. . . It'll be up this week! I was hoping to launch webinars and my ebook at the same time, but they will come a little later. I can't wait for you to see it!

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Related posts:

The Enchanting World of Atmosphere

Atmosphere; The One Thing you Cannot Buy

Is Hiring a Designer a Luxury or Necessity?