Do you have a time line for finishing this room? A builder would be given a working time line with end date--some contracts have an extra charge if the work comes in behind schedule. Perhaps that is needed here. I myself would have bailed at the sofa that so grossly exceeds your budget. As you said to be so far off the mark, wasting time you are paying for researching items you cannot afford, is not professional or responsible on the designers part. I am not buying a DESIGNER needs 10 hours of "research time". That sounds like she is clueless as to what is out there. Are your needs THAT individual? I am hoping you saw many rooms that were examples of her work and you liked her finished projects. Perhaps it is just about budget. Someone with the money to spend on her "work" she may feel can afford a larger budget than you gave her? I know we have had this discussion before--but paying 20% extra for retail because she found it..well that is paying her twice and I would not have that in any contract I signed.

Trust your instincts.

It doesn't sound like a good fit.

I've worked with a couple of designers who weren't a good fit. Luckily, I realized it at the few hundred dollar mark and was able to get rid of them with only a modicum of guilt at the wasted money. Right now I am working with a good fit. She is going to cost us a small fortune, but I can already tell it is going to be money well spent. It will be hard, but you need to toss her and keep searching for someone who is right for you.

Transverse rods for $2000?! Yea, I'm sure they're out there but,,,,,really. Send her an e-mail telling her that you have decided to go in a different direction, thank her for her suggestions and to please send you a final bill.

When it comes to furniture I'"m sure you know that different retailers carry different qualities from the same manufacturers. So Lee Industries may be carried by The Brick, Crate and Barrel and Ethan Allan but they will each carry sectionals at different price points. It could be the quality of construction or fabrics gets increasingly better leading to a higher price point.

I really feel bad for you. I vote for letting her go. Most big furniture stores have in house designers that will come for free to guide you with your purchases. Good luck with this.

I'm sorry this is happening. It sounds like it's time to cut your losses. It seems odd that she charges you 20% markup on furnishing on top of her hourly fee. Most designers get a designer discount, so she is already making money on furnishings just by charging list price.

The hourly fee + markup on things ordered is not unusual at all. Her rates are in line to what normal designers charge in my area of LA.

You need to end the relationship with this person ASAP. She sounds like the designer I used about 2 years ago. Mine provided no accountability or details of the time billed and when we did order something there were also no details of the product, brand, fabrics, size, etc. of the items ordered. Her terrible record keeping led to some drapes having to be redone 3 times. At first she blamed me, saying that I had changed my mind. Only after they arrived wrong the second time did she bother to figure out her notes and see that she had made the mistakes all along. She did credit us back for the extra labor charges and her hours managing the whole mess.

To give you an idea on furniture prices. We ordered a custom sized sectional from Century at the LA design center, through the designer. It was sized to the exact measurements I had decided on for the space and was roughly 9' x 13' and the cost was $14k.

Your designer has not listened to any of your requirements. Why show you a $10k sectional when you have stated that that is the total budget for that one room? Taking a week to answer an email is unacceptable ... at that rate the project will drag on for a year and she will be billing you for all those hours she spends looking for "dream pieces". Even my disorganized ex-designer answered calls/emails within 24 hours.

Pull the bandaid ... end it quickly!

I agree with chispa that the disconnect here is between your budget and the designer not hearing your budget. In fact, with a budget of $10,000 for the whole room, frankly, you need to go in a different direction altogether -- the kind of designer that shops the designer showrooms (as opposed to Crate & Barrel) and gets paid a percentage markup on the wholesale cost is simply not the right kind of professional for this project. It sounds to me like you need someone who will charge by the hour ($150 an hour is the going rate here, too, usually with a 10 hour minimum) and essentially shop for you at retail and put it all "together".

I'm sorry you're dealing with this. I agree it doesn't sound like a good fit and would end the relationship asap. Her time frame for response and researching options that are going way over your budget for the room certainly wouldn't work for me. I know it's a business and her goal is to make money, but finding 'dream pieces' that grossly go over your whole budget...

Thank you all for your advice!!!