10 Reasons Homeowners Stall When It Comes To Decorating

Updated: Sep 7, 2020

I have heard it all – every objection there is in the book. Decorating a home is nothing to be taken lightly. It is a major investment in your home, and it requires a lot of decisions; maybe even soul searching to really figure out what you want.

But a lot of times, I hear excuses, or procrastination, and then nothing gets done. The thought of venturing into the unknown is difficult for some homeowners, and quite frankly, our industry doesn’t make it any better sometimes. There is a wide range in what designers charge for their services, and how they work with their clients, and this sometimes causes confusion in the marketplace

But the fact of the matter is, inaction has never solved one problem that I am aware of, and so the best thing is to start somewhere. These days, it is much easier to research a designer or design firm that you are considering for your decorating project. The first step is to find the right designer.

So whether you legitimately cannot start on a design project because of some major life change, or you are procrastinating, see which of these 10 reasons homeowners stall when it comes to decorating, sounds like you

Casa Vilora Interiors | Katy Interior Designer

Of course we are never going to highlight a problem, without offering a solution, so here goes:

1- They are uncomfortable with leaving it all in someone else’s hand

We get it. I can be a control freak with certain things sometimes! But this is where finding the right designer comes into play. Asking the right questions, looking at their body of work, how long they have been in business, their reviews and testimonials. All these things will set your mind at ease and help you to trust your designer. We provide our clients with the design plan including all the pieces of the design – from the key pieces to the smallest accessory. We present each element along with the budget breakdown, line by line for your approval before any work begins. We use as many visual aides as possible to help you see the room before it is even done. So you can trust our award-winning team with your most challenging projects

2- Indecision

There are a lot of decisions to be made when it comes to remodeling and decorating, there is no doubt. From the plan layouts and how the space will function, to finish materials to furnishings. All these decisions can become a full time job if it is something you have never done before. When you work with a design firm such as ours, you need to only tell us what look and feel you are after, and how you want the space to function, and we will help you with all the decisions that need to be made

3- Spouses Can’t Agree

Yes, we are marriage counselors too! Spouses often disagree on style and budget. This is where we shine! We know exactly how to take 2 very different styles and needs and bring them together to where each spouse gets what is important to him or her, without the feeling that they had to compromise too much. Mixing the masculine with the feminine or whatever the differing views are, requires listening, and a good eye, and top notch sources. We are great at helping you define a reasonable budget for your project

4- Too Many Ideas

Houzz, Pinterest, HGTV, magazines, blogs; You name it, and someone has decorating ideas for you. But what do you do with the millions of ideas that you get bombarded with everyday. Maybe you have become the Pinterest maven; pinning away every chance you get. What I find is that all these awesome ideas most often lead to overwhelm, and overwhelm leads to inaction. When you hire our design firm, you don’t have to worry about searching and pinning and ripping pages from magazines. We listen to your needs and present to you a comprehensive plan with every single detail of your project including a budget breakdown. You have the option to request a revision from there, But more often than not, it is exactly what you want and need, but had too many ideas swimming around in your head to know.

5- Getting Bad Advice From Well Meaning Friends And Family

So you are planning a kitchen redo…..exciting times! You are so excited that you tell aunt Sally, and cousin Mildred, and your neighbor across the way. Everyone is happy for you that you are finally remodeling that 1980’s kitchen. The problem is, they each have their own ideas and opinions about what you should do. Often times, these well meaning folks who love you very much and only want to see you happy, feel they have to chime in; and chime in they do, with really bad advice. You feel obligated that you have to implement all these ideas into your kitchen, and before you know it, you are not happy because it looks nothing like you. Unless these folks are designers that you have retained, you should probably take their advice with a grain of salt. A kitchen remodel requires a lot of technical knowledge about how the space will layout and function and the aesthetic that you are trying to achieve. It takes a lot of planning, drafting, researching, selecting that shouldn’t be left up to folks who caught a glimpse or two of a kitchen remodel on HGTV. Any project in your home requires careful planning and implementing, and that’s why your best option is to bring in a designer to help

6- Unsure Of What The Process Will Be Like

A decorating project can feel like you are about to venture into the great unknown. And that is enough to stall any homeowner. While you cannot know exactly what to expect each step of the way, your designer should not leave you in the dark either. When you work with us, we start out by describing our design process in detail using our proven process. We also get really specific about your project and what you can expect. And one main thing that some designers might shy away from, that we tell you from the very beginning, is the potential issues that could come up – yes, we disclose the good, the bad, and the ugly. We operate as a very transparent company, and we don’t like surprises either, so we like to let our clients know to expect that things could happen – bad things. The beauty of it all is, when you work with us, you don’t have to worry about any of the bad and the ugly – we manage every single detail including issues that may arise. Your life is not disrupted in any way. We strive to make the process fun, easy, and amazing for our clients.

7- Overwhelmed With All The Available Resources

I mentioned above that overwhelm leads to inaction, and it is so true. There are so many resources online and otherwise, that it can become overwhelming if you are not careful. It can feel like everyone is screaming at you and you don’t know which direction to head in. It can be difficult to narrow down the many options available to you. That is where a great designer can make your life a whole lot easier. Our job is to have the resources our clients need, but being skilled at knowing which ones will work for your project, and which ones will not. We have spent the last thirteen years developing top notch sources and vendors from all product categories, price ranges and style ranges. We visit Markets on a regular basis and attend showroom tours, factory tours and product demos to know what products would work best for your project

8- Can’t Find The Right Resources

This point may seem contradictory to the last point, but please hear me out! While homeowners have a ton of online resources to purchase from, they often hit a brick wall when it comes to finding qualified trades people – like a painter, remodeler, wallpaper hanger, upholsterer, drapery workroom, tile layer etc. I hear this over and over; It is quite the challenge. We have developed relationships with the area’s top trades people and artisans which we call our A-Team. Many of our trades have been with us from the very beginning, and we work with them on every job. It helps to have a designer who already has a trusted team ready to go. We take care of scheduling, coordinating, installations, site visits etc. So not having the right resources just became a non-issue

9- Can’t Visualize The Finished Space

As a trained designer, one of my super powers is being able to walk into a room and seeing it completely finished in my head – down to the accessories on the table tops. But I cannot expect the same for clients. This is why I work hard at providing my clients with visual aids to help them see the project as much as possible before we begin. We utilize: Floor plans with furniture layouts, elevation sketches, digital presentation boards, 3D photo realistic renderings etc, to help illustrate the concepts and ideas that we present.

10- Cannot Afford To Decorate

I left this one for last for a good reason; it is the most common reason why homeowners stall when it comes to decorating. A very valid reason indeed. But, in my experience, I think a lot of folks assume that it is expensive before they look into it. Traditionally interior design is a luxury item, and most people still think that way. But interior design has come a long way, and is very achievable for the average household these days. I know I speak for myself when I say that I try to make design accessible to all. This is why I have several different service offerings at several different price points to suit any budget. How can I afford to do this and still run a very profitable business? Well, it’s not because I am undervaluing myself as a design professional. Instead I create services that my clients also have a part to play in the implementation of the design. For example here are a few:

eDesign – This is where I create a comprehensive design plan, similar to what I do for my full service projects, except I hand over the plans to client and they do the purchasing and implementing themselves. Basically that reduces my fees significantly since I am not managing the project for them

Private Decor Coaching – Online hourly decor coaching sessions via Zoom or Skype. Then a detailed note sent over of ideas to get started

Consultations Only – There are levels of consultations that we offer 1) We meet for two hours ad give as many ideas in that time, and then that’s the end of it 2) We Take it a step further and send a detailed list of ideas and tips to get started 3) We provide a basic plan including floor plan and a shopping list for key pieces

Room Palettes – We select all the soft furnishings, fabrics and paint colors for a room and hand those to clients to purchase

Color Consultation – Hourly sessions picking paint colors for interior and exterior

One Day Makeovers – We come in and work with pieces you already own. Making over one to three rooms in a 6 hour period

Designer On Call – Purchasing time blocks of at least 10 hours that can be used on an as needed basis for any design related activity

So you can definitely see that we make design very accessible and achievable for anyone. Not having the money does not have to be an excuse for not moving forward with decorating your home