The Price of Perfection – Why Interior Decorators Are Worth the Cost

Everyone wants to feel like they are coming home to something special. We are house-proud creatures, and the home provides more than a shelter; it is an environment that exists as an extension of ourselves. A place where we can celebrate our uniqueness, and feel safe in doing so. The market is flooded with design options, and even browsing it all can be confusing. When you really want your space to be perfect, it pays to hire a professional.

 

What Do You Get For Your Money?

You can look up tips and videos on interior decorating online, borrow and buy books on decorating, and build up a fairly good idea of how to create your space. But these things take time, and experience is invaluable. Interior Decorators in Melbourne study for at least a year before they are qualified – and this is study guided by experts in the field. They have access to others’ experience. Not to mention the fact that they are connected with other professionals and services – electricians, rubbish removal, painters etc.

What you end up paying for is instant access to a group of professionals who, collectively, have more experience then you could likely gather in an entire lifetime of study, research and practice. Especially if they are part of a company with a good reputation. Your decorator, if nothing else, acts as a meeting point for every aspect of the design process, even the ones you don’t even know exist.

 

What Does an Interior Decorator Actually Do?

It seems pretty straight forward, doesn’t it. An Interior Decorator will… well, decorate. But while anybody can lay down a few rugs, buy a coffee table, or spend hours shopping for the right curtains, a decorator has a number of skills that aren’t easily accessible to someone who hasn’t studied.

Imagine building a table. Anyone can cut wood, hammer in the nails and get a (hopefully) flat surface to stand on four legs. A carpenter has the knowledge of different wood densities, the difference between lacquer and varnish, how to cut and bind joins for solidity, and a sense of weight-bearing. Such is the case with Interior Decorators. They are trained to look at a space and consider how it needs to be used, how to balance practicality and aesthetic, how people move through the space, how the light changes in quality throughout the day. A decorator is the amalgamation of experience, training and natural ability that can transform your house into a home.

 

Is it Really Worth the Money?

It’s the big question. Why hire a decorator when near enough might well be good enough? The fact is that even “near enough” requires a lot of work. Researching painters, organising tradesmen, shopping online and at a multitude of stores, all with salesmen breathing down your neck, digging for their next commission. All of this and more is entirely possible. But the real cost of doing it alone boils down to the one thing that we all have, but never have enough of.

Time.

You could invest months gathering all the information, or you can bring in a Decorator. The first consultation will, at the very least, give you an idea, a direction, and a sense of the possibilities. And you can meet with multiple designers, as well, until you find one that resonates with your own image for what your home should be.

Thank you for reading this article!