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Renovating with a designer
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amother
Azure


 

Post Sun, Jan 16 2022, 3:24 pm
I used a designer who was new and didn't call references. Bad bad mistake. She was no good and charged a fortune because everything took her so long and so many hours. My advice a good designer can end up making your renovations easier but GOOD is key... Pls only hire one that you get a lot of positive references, otherwise you can easily get screwed. And don't forget to keep asking for a bill every few days especially in the beginning so you learn the designers work pace and avoid sticker shock....
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amother
Blueberry


 

Post Sun, Jan 16 2022, 3:32 pm
A good designer is worth their weight in gold.

But, a good designer should respect your taste and budget. They should just be a knowledgable guide to avert you from mistakes and towards good decisions.

Starting out designers can be excellent at a good price before they get "a name".

You should get a free consultation from anyone so you can get a feel for if you want to work with them.
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amother
Peony


 

Post Sun, Jan 16 2022, 3:49 pm
when you ask around about a specific designer, make sure you ask the right questions. People are hesitant to say anything negative. Ask about work ethic, project management, sticks to the budget, organized etc.
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amother
DarkMagenta


 

Post Sun, Jan 16 2022, 5:53 pm
amother [ Antiquewhite ] wrote:
I was extremely lucky with my designer.

She obviously helped me with aesthetic design choices but she also helped me with figuring out how I wanted things to function especially in the kitchen and bathrooms. She would sit with me and explain exactly how certain things would work - for example I have drawers in some of my lower cabinets but I also have roll outs in other cabinets and so she would explain how materials I used would affect function and advise me of spacing of drawers.

She would explain why certain design choices made sense in terms of size, shape, how they worked with other choices etc. That way even when I looked for stuff on my own I had certain criteria that I knew would work and then we would discuss choices. When I was selecting material for my two occasional chairs - for example - we discussed material and color etc and had decided that leather would work. She then brought me about 12 swatches and said she had a favorite but wanted to see what I liked. I went through each one eliminating them and wound up choosing exactly the same one
Very Happy

When I moved back home she came on multiple Sundays and worked with my cleaning lady and my designer's mother who was a retired designer and the put everything back including clothing and miscellaneous stuff. She didn't charge me but I bought lunch for everyone and paid my cleaning lady obviously and I also paid her mother a nominal amount which made her mother feel good.

She also acted as my Project Manager and supervised the GC and inspected work before telling me it was either fine or it needed some touch up work. So I only paid when she approved that it was okay. I didn't want up paying for shoddy work and I also didn't freak out because I had reassurances from my designer that the work was fine.



Can I ask if you remember the name of the company that does degournay dupes? I have been searching for something similar that is less pricey.
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amother
Lilac


 

Post Sun, Jan 16 2022, 6:09 pm
amother [ DarkMagenta ] wrote:
Can I ask if you remember the name of the company that does degournay dupes? I have been searching for something similar that is less pricey.

I’m not that poster but mural source is significantly cheaper because it’s printed, not painted.
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amother
Antiquewhite


 

Post Sun, Jan 16 2022, 7:41 pm
amother [ DarkMagenta ] wrote:
Can I ask if you remember the name of the company that does degournay dupes? I have been searching for something similar that is less pricey.


My wallpaper was a true collaboration with my designer as I scoured the internet for Chinoiserie style wallpaper when I got the insane quote from DeGournay for a relatively small amount of paper. I had one accent wall in my bedroom and wallpaper above the tile in two relatively small bathrooms - e.g. not much "wall" to paper in either of the bathrooms since most of those rooms were tile.

I found a store on Etsy which had really great reviews and lots of sales. I showed the site to my designer and I requested samples. Based on the reviews and my communication with the owner of the store, I decided to go ahead.

This was where working with a designer really was critical for the end result. My designer measured everything and sent specifications to Lily (the owner). I also wanted some modification as I wanted peacocks for the master bedroom as part of the motif. Lily sent back very exact diagrams showing exactly how each "sheet" of paper would be.

My designer had an excellent wall paper hanger and when he came she supervised his getting started with the diagrams so that everything was hung correctly. He did a great job because the design matches perfect at each edge.

Lily (the owner of the Etsy store) was great to work with and if you like DeGournay but not the price, this is certainly an option to consider

https://www.etsy.com/shop/chin.....17688

Here is a shot of my guest bath. It's not a great photo as the wallpaper is much prettier in person as this looks almost gray but the actual color is a soft blue. You can get a sample of the silk to pick out the color you want to use as the background

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amother
Dustypink


 

Post Sun, Jan 16 2022, 7:53 pm
wow! your bathroom is really original, how'd you think of it?
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amother
Antiquewhite


 

Post Sun, Jan 16 2022, 8:00 pm
amother [ Dustypink ] wrote:
wow! your bathroom is really original, how'd you think of it?


My designer LOL I would NEVER EVER have been able to design anything like this - it would either have been completely "safe" or be a mishmash of questionable taste. LOL

Also an example of how I "repurposed stuff" with her help instead of buying new stuff when I could use my old stuff.

The mirror is an old stain glass window I bought years ago at a thrift store - my uncle refinished it for me many years ago and I had just been using it as a bit of a divider for my kitchen. My designer suggested using it as a mirror so the middle section was replaced with a mirror.

The sconces were from my mother and were originally silver. My designer had then plated in a copper finish to. The original shades my mother used were Cadiz shell but I swapped them for mica shades I found on the internet - my designer advised me on the size that I needed to look for.

The faucets were a splurge but I fell in love with them at the store - my designer still was able to get them for less than "retail" with her trade discount and I could have gone with a less expensive faucet.

The tchotchkes are all mine - one thing I have way too much of are tchotchkes. LOL

I had told my designer when we had our first meeting that I didn't want gray or beige. Very Happy
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amother
Red


 

Post Sun, Jan 16 2022, 8:04 pm
Love your bathroom!
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redheaded




 
 
    
 

Post Sun, Jan 16 2022, 8:40 pm
That stained glass window repurposed as a mirror is STUNNING!
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amother
Sienna


 

Post Sun, Jan 16 2022, 8:42 pm
And I didn’t use a designer,
because
I believe in my taste
And
I imitate well

Except when I did-my kitchen.

No regrets.
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chili-n-cholent




 
 
    
 

Post Wed, Sep 14 2022, 10:50 am
amother Antiquewhite wrote:
My designer LOL I would NEVER EVER have been able to design anything like this - it would either have been completely "safe" or be a mishmash of questionable taste. LOL

Also an example of how I "repurposed stuff" with her help instead of buying new stuff when I could use my old stuff.

The mirror is an old stain glass window I bought years ago at a thrift store - my uncle refinished it for me many years ago and I had just been using it as a bit of a divider for my kitchen. My designer suggested using it as a mirror so the middle section was replaced with a mirror.

The sconces were from my mother and were originally silver. My designer had then plated in a copper finish to. The original shades my mother used were Cadiz shell but I swapped them for mica shades I found on the internet - my designer advised me on the size that I needed to look for.

The faucets were a splurge but I fell in love with them at the store - my designer still was able to get them for less than "retail" with her trade discount and I could have gone with a less expensive faucet.

The tchotchkes are all mine - one thing I have way too much of are tchotchkes. LOL

I had told my designer when we had our first meeting that I didn't want gray or beige. Very Happy

Can you pm me your designer's name and contact info? from your info she sounds amazing!
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amother
Snow


 

Post Sat, Apr 15 2023, 11:35 pm
amother Antiquewhite wrote:
I did a gut remodel and while it wasn't cheap, I think the designer was a necessary expense because I wouldn't have achieve the results - aesthetic and functional - without her.

Also for many items the cost through her was less than if I purchased on my own because of trade discounts. She also had sources for stuff like my shades that were less than a brand I might have gone with. She designed furniture for me and knew where to get it done so that the cost was far less than if I had bought furniture from a store that wasn't as good quality and was what I wanted. The latest thing is I am having two occasional chairs done to finish my living room and they aren't costing me the $7500 each it would if I got them through Baker and Baker doesn't even have the upholstery I actually am using. Very Happy

And what is invaluable is her knowledge because you don't know what you don't know and there are a lot of decisions which you don't even realize you have to make. When there were choices she could tell me the. benefits of each choice for example. For stuff like where to place knobs/pulls she just went ahead because she knew where it would go.

She also acted as a project manager in terms of inspecting and she was much better than I was in terms of knowing whether something was being done properly.

I could go on but anyone who does a major remodel and doesn't use a designer is penny wise and pound foolish.
Can you please share which designer you used?
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amother
Blush


 

Post Sat, Apr 15 2023, 11:39 pm
I can recommend a great closet installer that will do all your designs
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Crookshanks




 
 
    
 

Post Sun, Apr 16 2023, 2:15 am
amother Antiquewhite wrote:
My designer LOL I would NEVER EVER have been able to design anything like this - it would either have been completely "safe" or be a mishmash of questionable taste. LOL

Also an example of how I "repurposed stuff" with her help instead of buying new stuff when I could use my old stuff.

The mirror is an old stain glass window I bought years ago at a thrift store - my uncle refinished it for me many years ago and I had just been using it as a bit of a divider for my kitchen. My designer suggested using it as a mirror so the middle section was replaced with a mirror.

The sconces were from my mother and were originally silver. My designer had then plated in a copper finish to. The original shades my mother used were Cadiz shell but I swapped them for mica shades I found on the internet - my designer advised me on the size that I needed to look for.

The faucets were a splurge but I fell in love with them at the store - my designer still was able to get them for less than "retail" with her trade discount and I could have gone with a less expensive faucet.

The tchotchkes are all mine - one thing I have way too much of are tchotchkes. LOL

I had told my designer when we had our first meeting that I didn't want gray or beige. Very Happy


I'm in love with the tile. It's so pretty.
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mikayla18




 
 
    
 

Post Thu, Apr 20 2023, 7:18 pm
amother Antiquewhite wrote:
My wallpaper was a true collaboration with my designer as I scoured the internet for Chinoiserie style wallpaper when I got the insane quote from DeGournay for a relatively small amount of paper. I had one accent wall in my bedroom and wallpaper above the tile in two relatively small bathrooms - e.g. not much "wall" to paper in either of the bathrooms since most of those rooms were tile.

I found a store on Etsy which had really great reviews and lots of sales. I showed the site to my designer and I requested samples. Based on the reviews and my communication with the owner of the store, I decided to go ahead.

This was where working with a designer really was critical for the end result. My designer measured everything and sent specifications to Lily (the owner). I also wanted some modification as I wanted peacocks for the master bedroom as part of the motif. Lily sent back very exact diagrams showing exactly how each "sheet" of paper would be.

My designer had an excellent wall paper hanger and when he came she supervised his getting started with the diagrams so that everything was hung correctly. He did a great job because the design matches perfect at each edge.

Lily (the owner of the Etsy store) was great to work with and if you like DeGournay but not the price, this is certainly an option to consider

https://www.etsy.com/shop/chin.....17688

Here is a shot of my guest bath. It's not a great photo as the wallpaper is much prettier in person as this looks almost gray but the actual color is a soft blue. You can get a sample of the silk to pick out the color you want to use as the background



I just checked etsy and your bathroom is the stock photo for the one you chose! And is Absolutely beautiful!!
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sara_s




 
 
    
 

Post Mon, Jul 10 2023, 5:44 pm
amother Snowdrop wrote:
I wasn't sure which poster you were asking? If it was me I will send you a private message. I'm in Beit Shemesh.


Can you private message me also with the name of your designer? She sounds great!
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aussiemom




 
 
    
 

Post Sat, Oct 28 2023, 10:31 pm
Can you please PM designer and closet person
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amother
Blush


 

Post Sat, Oct 28 2023, 10:40 pm
The Custom Woodshop
929-321-4966
Top top of the line
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amother
Lawngreen


 

Post Sat, Oct 28 2023, 11:01 pm
I gut renovated only on my bedroom floor so I didn't take a designer.
I did hire a space planner. I chose my own tiles, bought my own vanities, did my own laundry room. I like my taste, I don't like gepatcked, I like clean and simple. (That bathroom posted on this thread is gorgeous and looks like a designer designed it, but completely not my taste. Houzz was a great website for free inspiration.)
From the people in real life that I know that used a designer, none had an experience like the posted bathroom poster. The designer pushes higher priced choices and doesn't get them stuff for cheaper. Maybe it's different in Israel.
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