I have a friend in the industry who had a cold call that asked if he did ‘modern bordello’, he ended up doing several houses for that client. I have another client that likes LOTS of color- picture smurf blue kitchen (walls and ceiling plus stained glass lights to match). These projects don’t end up in my portfolio, but they are wonderful clients that I end up doing multiple projects for. So what if they don’t like my color sense, they like my attention to details and problem solving skills.

If you purchased your art through a gallery have you spoken to them if they have a name or two of designers that purchase similar pieces for clients. Or even other galleries that you have admired their art. I find gallery owners can often connect the dots or lead you to another dot. I'm also wondering if you might want to look for a designer whose work is more tilted towards restaurant/commercial work but also includes residential as they usually have to think a bit more out of the box.

And don't say your style is hideous. It's a negative right up front. You are putting yourself into a box and your style is far from that. If you have to put a word to it, eccentric or not main stream would be a better term for it. If you use either of these words when interviewing designers, ask them to define them right up front before you go into your "style" to see if they are on the same page. Good luck with your project. Sounds like a fun one...

Your dilemma reminded me of a couple’s house that was featured somewhere recently. The guy is crazy about the circus & they had their house decorated w/ circus memorabilia, plenty of color, lots of prints & other bold choices. You’ll see things like circus posters incorporated into the design. Know that’s not your style or what you’re going for, so guess I’m trying to say there must be someone out there who would be able to help you out. Not sure where I initially saw the article & think I remember more pics, but here are some samples of their place online:

https://www.sarasotamagazine.com/articles/2015/3/2/howard-tibbals-circus-home

http://www.heraldtribune.com/news/20171108/circus-couple-turning-page-on-striking-gulf-front-condo

You have already received lots of good advice here. Just wanted to say that "dragon tolerant" is probably the funniest and most unusual way to describe your criteria for a designer. I kind of love it. Good luck!

I think this would be a fun project for some designer -- they don't have to put it in their portfolio but I can see someone with good taste and a sense of humor really getting into it and helping you make decisions on layout, color schemes and creative fun details. Also, at the end of the day, as long as you're honest and upfront and make it clear that you're not in it for resale value or whatever, and that you are paying for their time, I don't see the problem. I'd love to see pictures!

i believe the proper description would be 80s geek. the easiest way to get people to understand it would be big bang theory, no? my hubby and i have some of that, though we have never had enough to thoroughly incorporate it. My husband does have a crystal dragon with 24 ct gold treasure chest and tongue, the chest even has tiny gems. i purchased it at a jewelry store. if you do end up going alone, a light neutral paint and mcm furnishings provide the clean lines that will provide good support for your collection.

I love this. Just painted a wall metallic gold and hung up a wall dragon. I refer to it as theme park style or "not disappointingly tasteful". But decorators do sort of intimidate me, the tasteful thing...

Low key dragon

And not so low key

This is so fascinating. I can't wait to see how your home is transformed ( because I absolutely hold hope that you will find a professional as daring as you).

I have to think that with the absolute phenomenon that Lord of the Rings and Game of Thrones have become you should be able to find someone who isn't afraid of this genre. Maybe you could reference those shows in your interview process.

And I wonder if you can find any inspiration by searching for "medieval" and "Tuscan" rooms here?

Your style isn't hideous. I had imagined meat stapled to the walls and such. You just want the designer to make your favorite stuff look good.

How does this strike you?

https://www.houzz.com/projects/343128/my-houzz-medieval-meets-contemporary-in-montreal

smit2380, please move in next door to me! I'll rope ya up a designer or two. (no clear idea of who or how,but I promise) Given the popularity of folks like Ken Fulks, there must be designers who aren't Timorous Beasties that'll work with you. Good luck!

i would look for some cool themed media rooms or basements and then a link to to a designer from that. And not just look for a designer that does dragons....it is the ability to think outside the box that you are looking for. I saw a stars Wars themed media room, an airplane themed one etc.

It seems like people do more theme oriented stuff in their basements so it may be easier to find that way. You just want it for your main living space. Good luck.

I would also google for Gothic decor as well. It will get you the heavy dark look that you can intersperse with dragon art.

Email pictures of your spaces to the designer to let them decide whether they want to work with you or not....Good Luck.

Smit2380 - in your post you convey, to me, sense of fun, adventure, and an ability to not be sucked into the "trend of the moment". You obviously love what you love, and like many of us out here, we just need guidance pulling it all together! I hope you can find a free spirit with an open mind to help you. It sounds like fun! There are more ways to beauty than just AD, Traditional Home, Veranda etc. All very nice, but hey, there's more at the ice cream shop than just chocolate and vanilla! What about pistachio?

Best wishes!

Try asking for "Stranger Things Chic." :-) There is an upswing in nostalgia for the 80's so I would think you can find a willing soul.

There have been so many terrific responses and suggestions to this thread. The down-to-earth honesty is very refreshing and will be the reason you'll be able to find a designer to work with you. Good luck and post lots of pics!

Do you live near Los Angeles? There are Hollywood set designers and theme park designers who can work in any style and have access to design resources that aren't bland or in relentlessly good taste. Or do you need functional design rather than a full design with artistic flourishes?

I think for the right designer this could be a lot of fun but to be honest function has to rule even in a fun environment. I think a modified steampunk could actually work .

Your style sounds very much like my son's. Now that he and his wife have their own home, it is combined with his wife's style which I would describe as Hello Kitty. Add in my 2 year old granddaughter's original art works proudly displayed near the pink play tent in the corner of their large living room. In comparison, yours sounds like a cohesive and straightforward assignment for a decorator.

That said, my son and his family are as happy as clams in their home, and see nothing that needs changing other than repainting some rooms and replacing worn carpet on the stairs.

i do wish to point out spoonflower fabric store to you,they are artist designed fabrics, wallpapers and wrapping paper. as a result there are many more unusual topics, like at least 50 that involve dr. who. i know it does not help your problem, but it is lesser known and could really help when in a tight spot for fabric.

Sorry for the slow response. We have actually been travelling. There is a Comic-Con in Dallas this week, and we were there getting signatures for our Justice League, Daredevil and Flash posters.

Sophie, that is awesome advice about looking for variety in design portfolios and for designers that skew a little traditional. I will add a few columns to my spreadsheet as I am evaluating which designers to call.

As an aside, it does not hurt my feelings that a designer questions our "treasures" and the fleet of Jabba the Hutt style reclining furniture (which we limit to the family room). The projects that we are working on are largely not in the family room and I am probably not sadistic enough to make a designer buy more recliners anyway.

Our most pressing project is to get a room to corral all of the Dungeons & Dragons (D&D) items in one place. We are youngish empty nesters (43 & 46), and my husband opted a few years ago to begin hosting D&D games regularly and has commandeered the dining room for this purpose. Not only are they kind of hard on the furniture, but I would eventually like to eat breakfast without rearranging the lava pits and being watched by miniature orcs and ettins. As a result, we are ok with some corralling.

We just felt like we made the designer really uncomfortable last time we tried this (and we were on our best behavior - cleaned thoroughly and hid much of the extraneous clutter in the master bedroom), and we want to do better this time.

Indigo, people have commented that our dining room does have a Game of Thrones vibe. Most of our other stuff is probably as havingfun suggests 80s Geek. (Havingfun, your dragon guarding his treasure seems pretty awesome.)

Helen, your framed Buck Rogers prints seem like a lovely way to remember and honor something that was important to your brother. It sounds like you had a great designer, and I hope that I am able to find someone as knowledgeable and wonderful as you did.

Hire an architect for the addition. Most architects these days just do the "building shell" and have the homeowner and GC pick/purchase the finishes, particularly on smaller jobs. So once you have a permit set of drawings for the construction, you can pick everything out yourself.

You don't say what the other "smaller" jobs are: furniture plans? Furniture and accessory purchase? If your taste is that specific, perhaps you simply use the on-site design services of the big retailers, e.g. Crate & Barrel, Pottery Barn or Room & Board. The services are free and their motivation is selling you furniture, not doing a job for their portfolio.

You're just going to have to interview a bunch of designers and pay attention to who seems to actually get it. There are designers who are down for anything, so long as you're truly committed to executing the project. And you reminded me, I need to go get some portfolio shots of the medieval castle garden I did for a client a few years ago :)

Personally, I like the look of some Dungeons and Dragons stuff better than a collection of, say, Lalique or Hummel figurines. And I'm not a game player myself. For a decorator, a collection is a collection no matter what it is.

Hallett & Co., your clients with the smurf blue kitchen seem very fun, and it seems like you have a great relationship with them. Here is to hoping that my husband and I are able to find a lovely designer like you locally.

Tedbixby, these are very practical suggestions. I will add your suggested questions to my list and try to refrain from using the word hideous.

Our favorite artist does not sell through a local gallery (he does sell some pieces through a gallery in another state). We buy pieces once a year when he is in town for Mayfest. This year, we are hoping he brings this large dragon skull. We are very enamored with it. https://www.facebook.com/snobhogstudio/photos/a.10151795050727826.1073741826.314019092825/10155298979652826/?type=3&theater

What a lovely piece of art! Dennis does beautiful sculpture. Most people wouldn't understand this as "art" but those are the same people that are buying their "art" at the discount stores. And it's the same people that don't understand cubism or something that isn't "main stream" so to say. If this is the art you are purchasing, then even more reason why you shouldn't call your style hideous.

If I were you, I'd take that photo of that dragon skull and in the early stages of the interview with each designer, I would show it to them and ask them what they would do with it. It's not something that you may actually do but it will give you some insight as to how comfortable they will be with working with something like this and how creative they are. And their reaction will tell you how excited they might be about your project without having to go through a long interview process!

Mayfest looks fun.

Fantastic work of art.

Smit, that dragon is really cool & I’m not even the dragon/sci-fi type. Live w/ someone who digs that stuff though. Here’s a dragon box he recently 3D printed for himself experimenting w/ wood type filament. Still needs some sanding & touching up plus it’ll probably get painted.

Smit, I loved reading your post (I have no advice, I just wanted to pipe in, unwanted). I love your tongue-in-cheek description of your aesthetic, your writing style, and your honesty.

I'm so glad that there are individuals here who march to the beat of a drummer that they wish others could hear..

I adore you and I don't even know you.. :)

I wonder if a table something like a puzzle table or train table with retractable or flip top lid would be a good option for being able to leave the game set up, but out of sight (and out of harm's way of accidental or purposeful rearrangement). I admittedly have never played D&D so I don't know if that set up would be useful or practical.

Swrite, that dragon box is awesome. Your cohabitant seems to have mastered the 3D printing game. My husband has just started getting into 3D printing, but he has mainly done small game pieces.

John3582, it is hard to go wrong with a wall dragon. Your style sounds cool.

I have very realistic life size latex orc and Uruk-Hai busts on a tall cabinet in my garage. I completely forget they’re there until, as happened Friday, I raised the garage door to talk to the city water guys and didn’t really til after they left why they looked so shell-shocked. (Heaven help them if they knew what was in that wall of cabinets). In our old house, we had a custom stained glass pantry door with a large mallorn leaf in the middle. My husband drew the line at having the new kitchen done in Rivendell style.

following

I think you're ahead of the game, since you have a style and you know what you want. Sounds like a fun project -

and you may or may not like the pink chair... but just for fun.

Anything goes. And any designer who is knowledgeable should know how to put a space together outside of the 'bright and airy' box - because every space is just not designed for that. Some indoor spaces are designed for more of a soft ambient lighting experience and bright sunlight streaming in and bright colors are not always conducive to that. So if a designer is stuck on light and bright and airy either their personal preferences are limiting them, or their design knowledge is limited. That's really all it is, from my perspective. And it's your space, and your money... so.... you pretty much get to live in it the way you would like.

Have fun!

Alternatively, find out who Ozzy Osbourne’s decorator was and hire him/her. ;-) Seriously, though, you might almost be better off with someone who does stage/set design than a traditional interior designer.

For a period of time I collected feather mask that were done by artist who specialized in this medium. I had a wall of them and when I went to sell the house, I heard through a friend of my Realtor that Realtor really thought that I should take those mask down as they were not "mainstream". The Realtor and I never had that discussion and I did not take them down. When the buyers of my house wrote their offer, it included a clause that they had to have all the feather masks as part of the deal!

I find that if something non-mainstream is done tastefully, it really is amazing how many people find that they like it because it is different. They just don't have the vision to pull it off and it is easier and safer to do what everyone else is doing then step outside of the box..

Smit, I thought the box was pretty neat, too. He started out w/ a small printer & recently added a slightly bigger one. This is one of the bigger things he’s tried thus far. If your guys’ printer will accommodate it, here are the plans my husband used for it. They’re part of the public domain ones on thingiverse, wasn’t his design: https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:916125

since you are good at 3d printing, could you look at doing something amazing to help others? I predicted it to be the next great tech, but it is taking everyone so long to think out of the box that it is losing to the drone - which i also though would be great, but i believe things like medicine the 3d printer could really change our lives.

having said that about the drone i am still disappointed it has not been used in more storm clean up.

Swrite, thanks for sending the plans. My husband has only been 3D printing for like a month, so he was really impressed with the box and the use of the wood filament.

Apple pie, and Sabrina, we live in Oklahoma, far from most stage/set designers. While there is a limited theater scene here, there are probably only one or two set designers in Tulsa, so that may be difficult. A lot of what we need is functional.

Thanks for having such a great sense of humor and for sticking to your style. I think you just need to find a designer with a sense of adventure, a good sense of fun, and someone who is not so caught up in their ego that they can allow themselves to dive into an unusual aesthetic and make it the best it can be. Good luck and please let us know how it all turns out!

Since there are few stage or set designers locally, try reviewing the online portfolios of local interior designers. Ask around to friends and perhaps the local comic book stores(the proprietors often get to know their customers and how they use their purchases, so they may know if so and so has recently added a new display room in their house). Another way you can check out designers is to go to open houses for new housing developments. The pros who do the model homes are often excellent at spatial relationships as well as the "flashy trendy" aspects of decor.

[https://www.houzz.com/photos/hillside-residence-eclectic-landscape-san-luis-obispo-phvw-vp~80126[(https://www.houzz.com/photos/hillside-residence-eclectic-landscape-san-luis-obispo-phvw-vp~80126)

Have you tried contacting designers in your area who are recommended or whose work you like?

I don't think good designers are limited to one style - they interpret a client's taste and aspirational pictures and translate them into something that works well - especially since you are interested in functionality.

A LOT of what a designer does has absolutely nothing to do with specific artwork or tchotchkes - which is what you are describing.

As I posted previously, I am the person who is driving the style of my remodel. My designer is interpreting it and providing me with a plan of how that is implemented - and so much of that has to do with scale, lighting, how specific colors work together etc.

If you have a sufficient budget for what you want to accomplish and the scope of the project is large enough, you will find a designer. In my experience, for myself and friends, a designer is hard to find for a small project or a limited budget because it doesn't make economic sense. For those kinds of things, the pool of designers is limited to those who work by the hour or whatever.

Until you actually contact designers and meet with them, don't think you won't find one who would be delighted to translate your vision and provide exactly the design you never could have dreamed you could have if you attempted to put all the elements together.

In re-reading this thread, there's one thing I'm not really clear on: do you want your furniture/architecture to mimic the D&D/Comic Con themes, or do you simply need a creative way to display all your collections? Either way, the designers who might do a great job on this are those who have done "man caves", and/or media rooms e.g. tricked out sports-themed/movie themed types of spaces. I'm sure shifting to movie/character game memorabilia and collections would not be too much of a stretch. In a lot of these spaces, the furniture is modern and minimal which puts the focus on the thematic collections. And if you treat it like a media room, your recliners would not feel out of place. I would also consider hiring a decorative painter to paint thematic murals on key walls--just don't overdo it.

M&M Interiors

"Thanks for having such a great sense of humor and for sticking to your style. I think you just need to find a designer with a sense of adventure, a good sense of fun, and someone who is not so caught up in their ego that they can allow themselves to dive into an unusual aesthetic and make it the best it can be."

Hallelujah and I would hire you in a heartbeat (if I needed to!)...just for saying this... :)

(sorry op...back to you.)