Decorating Consultant Business

Most people don't have thousands of dollars to spend on an expensive interior decorator, but they have no idea how to get started redecorating on their own. What goes together? If they have a room full of items of the same color, will it look calming or just bland? Should they buy all of their furniture at once and then decide on a color to paint the walls or vice versa?

As a decorating consultant you may also want to provide your services for people trying to decide on a color theme for the exterior of their home. For most people, the greatest challenge lies in just getting started. They don't know how to decide on a color scheme, much less the contents of an entire room. You will help make this a painless process for them.

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Next, you will have to help your customer to figure out what their basic style is. A great way to do this is to present them with options. Provide them with small pieces of metal in different colors and with different finishes. Which ones are they most attracted too? This can help them to decide on the kinds of fixtures that they would prefer.

Do the same with wood finishes. Do they prefer lighter, unpainted knotty wood or dark mahogany stains? Maybe they prefer only painted surfaces. By showing them examples of each basic choice, it will help them to decide on their favorites. This can help them to decide on flooring and possible furniture choices. Next, you can show them colors from paint swatch books. Do they prefer a warmer, exotic color schemes or cooler, more modern colors? You should also bring fabric swatches of different textures. Do they hate wicker and adore linen? Perhaps they will prefer synthetic upholstery choices that are more durable and that are stain resistant. Using these types of tools will also help you to explain how the colors of these surfaces can contrast or compliment one another. This will help them to choose their final color scheme as well!

Another way of helping your customer to decide on a basic style and color palette would be to take a brief tour with them of their home. Have them point out their favorite pieces of furniture or artwork. Are there items that they would like to include in their completed room? Maybe you notice that they have several items in their home that they purchased because they loved them but they just didn't fit into their current decorating or color theme. These kinds of clues may help you to aid them in choosing a final direction to move forward in.

You will also need to help them to take measurements of the room or rooms that they would like to decorate. Discuss the pieces of furniture or the kind of lighting that will be needed to help the room function properly.

As their project gets underway, they will likely need further assistance making additional decisions. For instance, they may need your help if they decide to cover the walls in wallpaper. Making a decision in this area can be extremely difficult because of the sheer number of possible selections available to the public. You may want to accompany them to a wallpaper dealer and help them decide on how much paper they will need to order to complete the project and also what kind of finish will be appropriate for the room they have chosen. Will it need to be washable? You're the decorating consultant so will it need to be easy to remove so that it can be replaced within just a few years? Will they be installing it themselves or need referrals to someone who can do it professionally?

With a little decorating know-how and good communication skills on your part, your customers will be able to proudly show off their completed rooms, giving you the credit for helping them to design a room that is beautiful and reflects their own personal style. In no time at all, this kind of word-of-mouth promotion will help you to expand your decorating consultation business!

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