Check in your local area, try the yellow pages, or maybe ask at paint supply stores if there are any designers/decorators in your town. Then make some calls and ask how they charge. I've worked with designers who would take a whole project including remodeling and decorating from scratch, or charge you by the hour to let you pick their brains. I've gotten some good ideas using the latter method for a reasonable amount of money. In my area that can be around $125 an hour, but if you prepare ahead of time with a list of questions you want to ask, you can do a lot in an hour.

That is exactly what I do. I'm sure there must be others like me out there. I don't advertise, though -- all my business is word of mouth. So try asking around -- friends, neighbors, etc.

Ask for fee-based not commission.

I would contact a home stager. They *are* normally used when selling a home, but that doesn't have to be the case. The person doing the staging will use things you already have, and will make suggestions, but not make purchases~that's up to you. He/she might point you in the direction of where to buy certain things, which makes it a lot easier as well as giving you options. It would be a lot less than an ID. ;o)

Don't forget you have a resource in this place. Lots of talented people who would be willing to look at photos and give suggestions, and the price is right!

Look for an interior redesign and rearrangement person in your area. I am in the western suburbs of Chicago, and there are a number of people in this area that do just what you want.

Someday I hope to have a business doing just what you describe.

Les917, you ALREADY have a Decorating Coaching business, the only problem is that you give your excellent advice away for free HERE! (Maybe you can get Paypal set up? LOL!)

My SIL hired a decorating coach of sorts for $75 an hour, I think. The coach mostly helped with paint color selections, but offered additional decorating advice as well, I think. I'd love to find someone to give me advice, just to pull things together. I've found lots of furniture and things we love, but it would be great to have help with placement and such.

Folkvictorian, you speak the truth. I certainly would open my wallet and welcome Les917 into my house.

Les917, I was going to say the same thing as folkvictorian. In fact when you mentioned you were from the collar counties .....I thought, "hmmmmm, what mile radius is she willing to cover?"

Les917 helped me here on GW, AND made me feel welcome here. Les has great taste and ideas, always knows the right thing to say & the kindest way to say it.

OMG, what a touching surprise to find all the kind and complimentary comments! You have all given me a wonderful gift to end the year.

I took a few days off from my boring, non-creative, but necessary for income and insurance, job to spend family time while older DS is here from KC, and was just bemoaning yesterday how hard it will be to go back to work on Tuesday after almost a week away.

You have cheered me, made me feel like the dream is still possible, and made me realize that I need to make this happen, even if it is in some small way to start. Thank you so much!

If I quickly glance at a post and don't immediately look at who is posting the response, I know when it's you les. Your advice is always clear, creative and spot on.

We hired an interior decorator or I guess she could be called a coach as well. They do everything from giving advice to redoing rooms. We did need new drapes but when I was initially talking to her I explained that we had just renovated our house and that it had turned out to be completely neutral without any colour. I thought it was what I wanted and it wasn't. Anyway for 2 people for 2 hours it was $175 and they went through our entire upstairs (about 1700 sq ft) and gave us all sorts of hints for bringing in more colour. They suggested moving accessories and art work that we already had for better colour flow, gave us ideas for furniture placement, suggestions for drapes, etc. Obviously the drapes will cost us something but the rest of it was using stuff we already had. They did suggest some accessories but it was stuff that you could buy at Pier 1 or Home Sense instead of fancy expensive stuff. Those people are out there but you just have to ask friends etc. It was, for us, a great way to spend $175.

Try searching for a consultant, too. Search on line using your city name. I do garden and kitchen/bath consulting, and some clients have also asked me to consult on things like paint color and furniture choices.

A Color Consultant might also be a possibility. I give my clients advice about a lot of things besides color, if they want/need it. I think that any good design professional, who doesn't earn their income on commissions, should be able to help you. An ability to develop rapport with you is more important than the title of the professional you hire. Could be an upholsterer, a color consultant, a stager or a re-designer.

So *what* is the difference between a stager, coach, re-designer, and consultant? ;o)

patty, probably not much!

organic-rosefaerie, good design advice can be found in many different places, but don't dismiss a good furniture store. Yes, many may work on commission, but that doesn't mean they are going to try and pad the order for their own gain. The good ones know their product, have worked on hundreds if not thousands of rooms and will guide you to sound choices. A good one will work hard to make you happy. A good one will want you to come back. The trick is finding them (as in any field) and that is usually through word of mouth.

When you think about it, anyone in the design field could be said to work on commission. It's just a matter of how they bill. Percent of sales, hourly, by the job or a combination of all three.

amy, I just read my response to patty ("probably not much") and it sounded rude! I have gone on your website (and watched your video!) and know you have trained in color theory. My apologies, I wasn't thinking....

We hired the designer who had also done the colors and fabric selections for my husband's health club. She charged a flat hourly rate ($100/hour) and was willing to do anything, as long as I paid her. She met me at the stone yard to help select stone veneer. She came to my house (while it was under construction) and helped me choose paint colors for each room. She also brought wallpaper samples. I found that the money was well spent, even though I ended up making a lot of the choices "Myself". She really helped narrow my selections and tie everything together, and I have to say, the colors throughout flow much more beautifully than if I had chosen them without her help.

Where to find such a person? Have you seen any commercial interiors that you love? Hair salon, gym, kitchen cabinet showroom? Ask who did the design and give them a call. Many will consult for an hourly fee. Model homes are another good place to start. The designer will usually have a small placard on site.

Good luck!

No offense taken! :-) On the surface, you are right, the differences may be tough to distinguish. Hire "the best" in any one of those categories and you will probably get a good outcome. When I say the best, I don't just mean the person with the deepest level of training and experience, but the one who is the best fit for you.

As for the distinction between commission and non-commission, when someone is making a percentage off what you buy, that is a commission and (sometimes) an incentive for the seller to get you to buy the more expensive item. I have friends and colleagues who work on commission and believe me, it is hard work and they earn every penny.

People who bill hourly do just that. They deliver their services and there is a direct trade of dollars for hours. It is a more straightforward relationship and much easier to work together on smaller jobs and with less of a commitment on the part of the homeowner.

The one caveat about using someone from a furniture store is that they have a limited set of choices from which to work. If you like the style on offer in that store, then a furniture person will probably be terrific at floor plans and coordinating fabrics. But, don't count on any help selecting tile or even wall colors. You could get lucky, but it's hard to know ahead of time. I guess you have to figure out which element is most important/confusing and go after the pro who specializes in that but still has lots of advice on ancillary issues.

Before I got into the field, I tried in vain to find a design professional to help me step back and get the big picture of the renovation I was working on. I got some basic help at the fabric stores and spent an hour with a "one-hour" designer who sent me pages torn out of the Pottery Barn catalog.

One thing I thought at the time, and still do, is that there ought to be a service that matches up clients and professionals. I wish consumers had a way to "get set up" with the right design resources in their own communities. If anyone out there reading this has an entrepreneurial spirit, I say it's a niche that could have some traction!