Who to Pay for a Polished Room?

May 8, 2023 4:44 PM

I really want my home to look put together and polished in a way I just cannot seem to manage. I'm willing to pay a professional to help, but I'm not sure what kind of professional I should be reaching out to. I'm ready to pay a couple thousand per room potentially to help me declutter, organize, then figure out what to do with the art on the walls, the furniture, etc. Who would do this?

I'm in my 40's and have come to the realization that on my own, I'm never going to make my house look like I want it to. Interior designers seem to be doing more expensive work than this, but professional organizers seem like that probably won't assist with the style part. But I've never worked with either, so I'm aware I could be wrong. I rent, so I'm not looking to change paint, layout or anything structural. Is there someone else who'll just come in and help me make this all happen? I would love your suggestions!

posted by shesbookish to Home & Garden (10 answers total)

No real idea about cost, but I’d look for both a home organizer and a person who stages homes for sale, based on conversations I’ve had with an acquaintance who stages homes.
posted by outfielder at 5:09 PM on May 8, 2023 [1 favorite]

Best answer: You can find very reasonably priced interior designers. Just ask around and google for local designers, looking for one that has an aesthetic that comes reasonably close to yours. If you are at a stage in your life where you can afford to buy some furniture, you will save the money you pay the designer on the mistakes you don’t make.

Most interior designers are not going to showcase a slow-burn, bit-by-bit update to a house on their website, so you only see the big jobs that happen all at once.

We paid a designer to do exactly what you describe - an fast track guest room, an exterior update plan for our very dated ranch-style house, and a front of house plan for kitchen/entry/living. We’ve been making the updates as we can afford them, and they just look so coherent and they reflect who we are. It’s a massive improvement to organization, live-ability, and general home enjoyment.
posted by chuke at 5:16 PM on May 8, 2023 [7 favorites]

When we last moved - a while ago - we paid an interior designer an hourly rate to come over and help us figure out how to arrange our existing furniture, rugs, and decorative stuff in our new space. It was really useful for us, especially because we were combining households. As I recall it was not too expensive compared to a project where they would be picking colors and rooms full of furniture for you. If you are starting from a cluttered state instead of a blank canvas, then you probably want to have an organizer help you first. On the other hand, the organizer might recommend specific storage-furniture items (shelves, cabinets, baskets, whatever) and you might want to wait to buy anything new in that line until you have an idea of what you're doing stylewise.
posted by expialidocious at 5:20 PM on May 8, 2023 [1 favorite]

“Interior redesigner” is an actual thing! I know someone who specializes in it (not near you unfortunately). Googling that term and your location might get you somewhere.
posted by showbiz_liz at 5:38 PM on May 8, 2023 [2 favorites]

Interior designers are only expensive because they suggest designer furniture that costs a lot. Hire a designer as a consultant instead, and after they suggest their design, you can source similar-looking pieces from cheaper places like Ikea or Wayfair or thrift shops or Craigslist.

After you're done with the design, hire an organizer as well to help you ensure you have all your clutter squared away.
posted by MiraK at 6:02 PM on May 8, 2023

Nth-ing the home-stager.
posted by Wild_Eep at 7:09 PM on May 8, 2023

Just came across Alexandra Gater who seems to do this kind of thing?

P.S. if you have the inclination, here are some recommendations as I have been binging all the interior decorating books available through my library's overdrive platform. I liked SoulSpace: Transform Your Home, Transform Your Life -- Creating a Home That Is Free of Clutter, Full of Beauty, and Inspired by You. The vibe is a little "manifest your dreams" but the actual advice is good imo. The author Xorin Balbes doesn't seem to have much of an internet presence, however. I also liked Erin Boyle's book Simple Matters and the books/blog posts by Justina Blakeney.
posted by spamandkimchi at 8:54 PM on May 8, 2023 [3 favorites]

Response by poster: I appreciate all the responses and I'll follow-up with how it all works out!
posted by shesbookish at 8:28 AM on May 9, 2023

Before you pay someone, visit a bunch of magazine sites and tag things you really like on Pinterest, then, as Pinterest suggests stuff, add it to your own Pinterest pages Think about how you want rooms to feel. List colors you hate for any reason. Maybe you really want lots of bookshelves, or contemporary art. Take pictures of the things in your house you love, and note the stuff you have but don't care about. The library has home decor books. Then talk to a designer about what you want and how to get it.
posted by theora55 at 9:52 AM on May 9, 2023

I recently sold my home, and the realtor I used provided a staging service. The stager was amazing and made my house look so much better than I ever could have. Worth googling for that service.
posted by ilovepeaches at 3:27 PM on May 9, 2023