No. We did completely gut our house a few years ago and I completely trusted the designer that we hired. I loved 90% of her plan and ideas but the 10% that I didn't like would have ruined my entire home for me.

I think any designer (high end or just a good one) would always, always incorporate things that are significant to us and that we love, because ultimately-the design is about people..

Even if it's empty uninhabited space like in these model houses where every space is designed by somebody famous... I bet you need to at least imagine a person or a family who lives there..

For me it was more a question: would I like to watch -very closely and with a big involvement on my side-how somebody works? While I keep everything that's dear to my heart etc etc., and have a lot of say.

Yes, I would..if it is somebody I admire. And it should also be fun. So I wouldn't pick anybody I just admire, I'd also pick someone whom I can easily relate to. I can't get intimidated for example, I need to be inspired and empowered. Otherwise the whole thing completely looses its meaning.

As for a personal chef..yep, here I'd give a total and complete trust lol, and no need to observe too:)

No no and no

but that has more to do with me needing control and not wanting a cookie cutter home filled with what ever is hot today knowing that a few short years from now everything that has some quality to it had been replaced with mass market crap. Even if "they" paid good money for it

No. The high end design results one sees in magazines etc - they never look "lived in". No issues with taking advice, but I want my place to feel like it is MINE, not hers or his.

April, While I love to cook, I'd take in a personal chef, and trust them -- but I want to observe, so I can learn the techniques for myself! (The ideal personal chef -- lots of Asian and Mediterranean cooking, lots of seafood and quality veggies -- and NO tree nuts!)

No, I like my lived in home. I have it comfortable for us, and that's what I want in a home. I would hot want to live in a showroom. On the other hand, they could have free reign with my kitchen though...I hate it!

Sure, come on over Bunny...

No, my home has many aspects that I don't like but I love almost all the furniture I have. What I would love to have done though, is to have someone come in and redo what I already have. I am sure there are placements that would work much better in our rooms.

My dream is to have a personal chef. I'd also love to have someone come in once a week and shampoo my hair, give me a scalp massage, and blow dry my hair for me.

Artemis, exactly:) I'd love to observe designer, because I love design..but since I'm so mediocre in cooking I'd be totally content with just eating. But yes, of course it's fascinating to see how somebody works, even for a little while..especially when he/she is the master.

(High end would never result in anything cookie-cutter. Or in showroom effect. That's a definition of high-end-it's so thoughtful and well-done and tailored that it seems natural like it always was there and for you. Same thing with all the other "high-ends", i mean with any kind of work that was done by somebody superbly talented..for example, a very good translation of a book sounds so natural to you that it feels like your own mother tongue..

If it's anything cookie-cutter..it's already not high end. That's what I think..

At no cost to me? Sure, if I chose the designer and could consult very clearly and directly about my likes/dislikes.

I'm particular about service people and contractors in my home, though, so I'm not sure about that part of the equation. But if Lauren Liess wanted to come along and use whomever she trusts, yes, that would be fine with me.

Well, now I'm changing my mind. Most rooms in my home I've decorated and outfitted to my liking, and my kitchen is my dream kitchen.

So only if Lauren agrees to re-do certain rooms. I'll invite her over for coffee and see what she thinks.

Absolutely, depending on the designer.

Never. My/Our home is a reflection of us. It's grown, decor-wise, out of our lives , our interests, etc. over the years. Granted, I'm very comfortable when it comes to decorating. I would imagine that someone who's not, might be happy to let a decorator take it over. To me, though, a room or entire home done like that might look lovely, but it wouldn't be mine, feel like mine or reflect who I am.

no, not the entire house!! maybe part of it...

but, yes, if it was a 2nd home...! :)

Lauren Liess is extremely talented it's true..I found her blog-and I read all the archives during one weekend or so. It was fascinating to see the professional growth, to be part of the process..even by just reading. I have her book too. She's fantastic. A lot to learn from her. And yeah..where does she find these contractors? lol. Some serious magic.

Having said that I don't know..for my own place I'd probably choose Kishani Perera..she's very much into vintage and found objects and mixing high and low, and very personal quirky stuff..she'd get me right away.

But they both seem like people that are pleasure to work with:)

Yes b/c I wouldn't be afraid to redo the whole dang thing if I hated it. Could not destroy my old stuff, just in case I do use it again

Lynn, I agree.

No - I would never feel comfortable in my own house! I'd be afraid of messing something up. My decorating style (to use the term loosely) is lived-in comfortable. :)

I would go for the personal chef, though...but only if he/she would cook things we like and not gourmet stuff all the time. LOL

Donna

I'm finally giving my opinion, and the answer would be yes. I have a large file of pictures to show the decorator to make sure this person "got" my style and of course my porcelain collection would have to be incorporated, hopefully to greater effect than I've been able to do. She'd probably find even better porcelain since budget is not a consideration. The quality of everything would be first-rate and last a long time. My preference for color, patterns etc. would have been established, also what I would like to see in terms of art. Any pieces I didn't care for I could resell at antique stores and galleries which would free up funds for something I would love. The personal touch is often added via accessories and that's something I can always add/subtract. Furniture can be moved and other things can be done so that I'll feel I've had a hand in the process. My house would be full of beautiful, high quality pieces that I could never hope to afford otherwise. All in all, I see many more positives than negatives.

I would much rather have a personal chef.

well, of course, if it would allow me to have certain pieces of furniture or pieces of breathtaking artwork that i wouldn't otherwise be able to purchase... i probably would! there are some outrageously priced fabrics and trims that given our lifestyle i would never, ever have made into curtains or upholster with that, sure, i would take if given to me...! and i am sure there are some wildly expensive rugs that i would love having in my house that i would never dream of buying due to our big dogs and cat... so, sure, that would be fine! :) as long as i was able to keep what i wanted and get rid of what i wanted to, why not!?

No. There may have been a time when I was overwhelmed with other responsibilities and unhappy with other aspects of my life that I would have said yes. But now that I'm in a happier place I can be patient (when we don't have time or energy to devote to the house and yard projects we'd like to do) and trust myself to make the right decisions (when we do have the time and energy to make progress).

I feel like making our house a beautiful home, and making our yard a peaceful sanctuary, is a journey, and I want it to be my family's journey. I find joy in planning and imagining, and would be sad to arrive at the destination, however beautiful it may be, without having enjoyed (or even participated in) the journey. I realize our house will never look like a a magazine spread this way, but that's never been an aspiration. I love our house (and yard) more every year, and that's more than enough for me.

I was an interior design major... for four days...until I realized I'd have to work with clients. So my answer is no, I prefer to do my own designing. But I'll take the money to do it!

Chuckling over the wishes for a personal chef here and there in this thread. Nice, although if I could have something like that I'd opt for a gardener/groundskeeper, instead. But even if I was offered a free landscaping redo, I'd have to be in on the planning if it. My/our home is our own special, personal retreat. No one knows what would suite or not suite us like we do.

Define "lived in". Some have mentioned they like their "lived in" look. I'm never sure exactly what people mean when they say that because my definition of "lived in" equals "messy" <lol> and I know no one wants a messy house! When I read "lived in" I envision magazines and cups and other items that didn't get put away scattered on the coffee table. A pile of laundry on the dinging room table. Clothes flung over a chair in the bedroom. Unmade beds. Grooming tools left out on the bathroom counter. Mail stacked up on the kitchen counter and dirty dishes in the sink. Couch pillows and throws not put back like they should be. But maybe my definition of "ived in" is skewed because of my Type A personality. So, as I was about to hit submit, I decided to Google "what is a lived in look?" Altho there are many photos, this was the first one. At least one other person has the same vision as I do <g>

Here's another "lived in" look! <LOL> Bless his heart. He may be going to bed to night without dinner!

I have a "grounds keeper" (a high-end label for a guy who mows my lawn <g>) But if I could have a "high end" chef, he could have free reign as long as nothing green shows up on MY plate.

Cpartist - four days!? LOL I've considered starting a quilting business until I get to the part where I'd need clients. I'd need a partner (DH would be wonderful!) to do the client-relations part.

Monica, my definition of "lived-in comfortable" is furniture that's not new and doesn't match, usually somewhat coated with cat fur, the 5 X 7 rug is never square to the furniture and the coffee table is never square on the rug (I try so hard, but somehow they always get wonky), my own quilts and cross-stitch on the walls, etc. I'm somewhat of a neat-freak, so no piles of magazines or mail, or dirty dishes sitting around, but I don't clean house as often as I used to b/c I have other things I'd rather do with my time. :)

Being in a room like I see in pictures with brand-new furniture, crisp draperies, and sparkling glass would just make me nervous.

Donna

Monica, his expression! LOL! He looks so proud of his ..."work". :D

Only with Scot Meacham Wood.

Yes, as long as I approve of the designer and had veto power over some of the choices.

Yes, a weekly landscaper/gardener type. I would even offer them meals prepared by my personal chef. [Note: I can both cook and tend a garden, but I've grown tired of having to do both.]

Absolutely, if I could choose the designer.

If I could get that designer to do my CURRENT house... that would be fine. It would probably sell better, and I could go live in my future one with a little more moolah in the pocket.

Monica, no designer is going to prevent the dog from doing that...

Oh yes, as long as the high end designer uses a high end contractor and high end furnishings. Then I would come in and change whatever I didn't like.

I've been waiting and waiting for Ben Pentreath and/or Robert Kime to turn up, but no luck so far!

Never.

No way.

If I could choose the designer, absolutely.

I think this topic was meant more if you had to live with it would you hire it out. If I could keep the stuff I wanted and what I would really want of mine and sell the rest.....oh you bet.

It is the what is hot and trendy that I think is what bothers me in so many designs. Like pick the shade of gray, will it be a chesterfield couch or button tufted chair, bare bulb and orb light, metal/glass table and the magic karate chop pillow. I know many are looking just for these very things because they are current. But I like homes that say something about the people living there and their past. Things handed down or treasured. Collections and favorite colors. Art with the story behind it. It seems so impersonal to say my decorator picked this out.

If the designer were someone like Mario Buatta, I'd happily adjust my life to suit the interior. Anyone else, no, I'd need a little input.

I did say you could pick the designer of your choice and consult with them and tell them your likes and dislikes. I have a folder full of pictures torn out of magazines which would give a very good idea of my style. In my case I wouldn't pick out a trendy designer but rather someone who is enamored of the English/traditional look but who would also be open to leavening that with some modern art and accessories. After the designer is finished I'd personalize it further by selling what I don't like and buying what speaks to me. To me it's a win/win situation since a high-end designer would have a much better grasp of the nuances of color and could put together sophisticated combinations that I would never dream of.

Yes and yes. I love color and pattern but at the same time I struggle with putting a good mix together. What looks great in my head doesn't turn out so good IRL. Being able to pick a designer I trust of course is the key.

If I could choose the designer? In the blink of an eye!

Nope.

Before my husband puts music on, he'll often ask me if there is anything that I want to hear. Usually, I say, no, put on whatever. We both know I'll just veto anything I don't like and he'll change it. (Of course this puts pressure on him, but the stakes are low. So he gamely chooses.) More often than not, my husband will play the song or album that I really wanted to hear even though I didn't know that's what I wanted until I heard it. And this holds true even if it's new music that I don't know. My DH loves music, knows a bunch about it, and he knows me. I would want that.

I would take a personal shopper first and foremost. I loathe shopping and I decry the cost-quality of clothes. I miss wearing a black skirt suit or black pants suit everyday. Life was easier: cream or white shirt or live on the edge and opt for light blue!

Definitely. I get bored with my decorating style and having to always be on a tight budget and would love to see what a great designer would do. I would have to know the designers work ahead of time though.

While I admire a lot of the work done by designers, I always find things about the designs themselves that are either disfunctional in general or just for us. And while I know having a beautiful home that's put together nicely is the goal, I really don't want a home that is so pretty that we're afraid to live in it which is most certainly what would happen in our case.

Yes! I presume I could change anything I don't like. Perhaps sell it and buy something different. Almost anyone can do a better decorating job than I can.

If I had to live with it... NO WAY JOSE.

Besides, I'm not familiar enough with specific interior decorators to have a clue as to who does stuff I like, or not. Maybe if we brought in a specific musician to handle my playlist, or a chef to handle the kitchen (briefly), I'd have names.