How Much Does It Cost To Decorate A Living Room?

How Much Does It Cost To Decorate A Living Room?

An important question to ask before starting a design project is, “What is the budget?” It can be a hard question to answer and many times my clients are not sure what a reasonable budget really is.

I thought this would be a good topic to blog about and explore a little bit deeper.

Before I begin designing for a client, I always ask about budget. A budget number lets me know where to shop for your items and where to trim back. This way, we can get the most “bang for your buck.”

 

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Of course, you could do it all DIY and garage sales and come in on a shoe string. However, I am going to discuss the costs for furnishing a room with new items. Most of my clients have not designed and decorated an entire room before – start to finish.

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One thing I know for sure is, things add up quickly! I can mention an average number and to most people it sounds high. But when you actually look at a list of items, it soon makes sense.

So, I went ahead and created 3 price points to consider: low, medium and high for an average sized living room.

How much does it cost to decorate a living room?

Decorating Budgets:

 

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See? That added up fast!

The Low Design Budget above is shopping places like Wayfair, Target, IKEA, World Market, etc. If you know what to look for, you can find some fun and interesting pieces without breaking the bank. Of course, it could be less if you already have a good quality sofa and just need to add other pieces. 

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A Medium Design Budget means you want to invest a little more in the key pieces that get the most use, so a good quality sofa – maybe from a company like Pottery Barn or Crate and Barrel.   shop where you like to shop, so let me know if there is a sofa you have in mind already. Maybe you want more art and accessories too.

 

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A High End Budget means you definitely want quality pieces and possibly something really on trend, like possibly a coffee table from Studio McGee, a sofa from Restoration Hardware or a rug from Serena and Lily. Overall, the room will be really well appointed from top to bottom with quality, designer look pieces. Of course, this number can go sky high easily but only if you give me the green light, haha!

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I hope this helps when you are considering how much to spend on your next decorating project.

Where I come in: I help you sort through all the options that are out there. (So many options!) I help you find a look that feels like you and is functional and on budget. I know where to find the look you want for a good price. 

I am looking at all the details: scale, style, finishes, colors and then together we make smart decisions.

When I work with clients virtually, an important part of my process is a floor plan to make sure everything fits in your space. I also create a custom design questionnaire for every project to really dive deep to discover your true style.

Please read more about my virtual design services here:

 

Thank you for reading my blog post. If you have any questions, feel free to message me or set up a Discovery Call. I’d love to hear from you!

Check out a few of my current favorite picks below. If you click to shop, please know that these are affiliate links which means if you purchase, I might get a small commission but this does not affect your price at all. I really appreciate you shopping with these links and supporting my blog posts. Thank you!

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Nest Obsessed | Interior Design & New Construction Design by Claudia Hardy
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of the images in this post. 

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eDesign Dining Room

eDesign Dining Room

Virtual -edesign for Dining Rooms

I don’t know about you but I love to cook! Not necessarily fancy things but good (mostly healthy) food for my family and friends! There is just something so fun about sharing a meal with the ones I love!

Even if you only do take out – having a dining space to gather in is key. 

Maybe your dining room needs and interior design refresh? I can help you via edesign (aka online and virtual interior design) to create a dining space you will love!

 

 

Right now, we are sheltering in place because of COVID and hanging out for a shared meal with friends is not possible.

But we can dream and plan for better days to come!

A nice comfortable, inviting dining room really sets the mood for a delicious meal. Did you know that we can work together to design your dining room via eDesign? On your schedule, at your pace, from the comfort of your home and all online!

I offer eDesign Service for my clients all over the USA! Let’s collaborate and virtually design your dream space!

eDesign process example:

As you can see, my virtual interior design process is efficient but fun! I offer an online interior design platform that you log into to see your project – 24 hours access.

Please stay safe! Best wishes of health & peace to you & yours!

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Have Questions About

My Interior Design Services?

Send me an email and let’s talk!

Interior design services, offered virtually/online. Online interior design anywhere in the USA. 

Top 3 Reasons Why You Should Hire an Interior Designer

Top 3 Reasons Why You Should Hire an Interior Designer

Master Bathroom designed by Nest Obsessed Interior Design

Before I go into the top reasons, please bear with me while I go off on a little tangent….:)

 

Lesson of the Day: An interior designer should be hired at the beginning of the project…not half way through.

Please trust me on this. If you are on the fence, it is best to jump over and bring me in on the project now rather than later.

 

Keep in mind that 75% of good design takes place during the architectural design phase and framing phase of the project. After that point, most changes will end up being costly. 

Just ask my clients, they will tell you it is true: Once you work with an interior designer that you like, chances are super high you will not go it alone on future projects.

 

I always say, “It’s hard to know what you don’t know.”

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ONE:

You have hired a builder / contractor…

It may seem like you are all set BUT most likely you still need an interior designer.

Most contractors will be able to offer some design advice.  They are often put on the spot to solve design issues. However, design is not really their focus. The builder is watching (thankfully) over SO many details: code requirements, permits, structural integrity, material quality, sub-contractors, timeline, etc.

An interior designer is making sure the layout of your shower plumbing works for you and your significant other’s heights.  She knows how many times a week you wash your hair and if a rain shower head is actually functional and other personal showering details, etc.

THE SOLUTION: 

I will be the “communication bridge” that connects you and your contractor to make your designs come to life. I will be there to “walk you” through your floor plan AND help you visualize what is actually happening through mood boards, perspective sketches and elevation drawings.

“Like, seriously…how high are my window sills in relationship to my height of my tub?”

“How high should the shower knee wall be? Where should the wainscot stop and start?”

“Which direction should I run my floor tiles?”

If I need to, I will get on a ladder to make sure your trim is placed the way you want it! 🙂

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TWO:

You have “Option Paralysis”…

You have a new design project in mind. You know what you like. You have pinned TONS of photos and spent endless hours on HOUZZ. COM. You are excited and think, “This can’t be that hard, I have great taste and I have the internet on my side!”

You rush out to the store and find a few things that seem right and buy them. You come home and although you love them, they don’t work with what you already have. You don’t have an overall plan in place and now you are STUCK, like in quick sand and you can’t move forward.

 

THE SOLUTION:

I will help you sift through all the options. We will create a design plan, an overall vision. Although you will still have fun shopping and exploring ideas, I will keep you on track for a great end result. 

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THREE:

You are “anxious” and are not enjoying the idea of such a huge project…

You know this is going to entail spending some money. You don’t want to make a mistake. This fear keeps you from sleeping well at night.

THE SOLUTION:

I will ask many questions and it is my goal to learn what you like and what works for your lifestyle.

I will guide you and “hold your hand” through the design process. I am your design buddy!

I will take your ideas and make suggestions you would have never thought of…to create the space of your dreams!

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Consider your budget…It is a common thought to wonder how much an interior designer will cost…

You look at your budget and think about how much extra stuff you could “buy” instead of spending money on interior design services. I hear this one a lot. Then I hear later about the mistakes made and things forgotten and how this caused so much stress. Entire houses built without thinking about what furniture fits where and on and on. If you want proof of this, take a look on Houzz.com chat pages.  You will see how many people there are writing in and asking how to fix design mistakes. Unfortunately, many still have not learned from the past and asking for free advise, from non-professionals…go figure. It also pains me to see how things could have been and now it is too late.

The sad thing is, the total cost of the mistakes almost always ends up being way more than the cost of what would have been spent on interior design services in the first place.

You could ask a fashionable friend or neighbor for advice. However, they are probably not trained to look at things with an objective eye. so they will almost always confuse their taste with yours…which can makes things muddy.

 

Enjoy the process! Get it right the first time!  I would love to help you:)

 

How To Style A Foyer

How To Style A Foyer

I am sure you know basically what should go in a foyer or entryway but how do you make it your style and not vanilla toast? Learn how to style your foyer with the right details: furniture, wall decor, accessories, and rug.

Your Foyer (aka your Entry) ideally sets the tone for the style of your house. It should be welcoming, functional and beautiful. Interested to know the styling tips? Read on…

If you haven’t taken my STYLE QUIZ, please do – it’s at the bottom of the page. It is fun and can help you get on the right track for refining your style!

I am going to break down my Foyer Styling tips into 6 sections: Boho, Cottage, Natural, Farmhouse, Glam, and French. Scroll through to check them out…


Entry Styling for The Vintage Modern Boho Style

The Vintage Modern Boho Style Mix entry is casual cool. You are hip and want to show it off!


Entry Styling for The Vintage Modern Cottage Style

The Vintage Modern Cottage Style is about a cottage feel but not too country. Cleaner lines and color is welcome. Black accents ground the look. An entryway in this style should say “welcome home”!


Entry Styling Tips for The Vintage Modern Natural Style

Vintage Modern Farmhouse Style has a touch of rustic but overall a clean fresh look! Texture, neutrals and iron!


Entry Styling tips for the Vintage Modern Farmhouse Style

The Vintage Modern Natural Style is all about nature, texture, wood, and pottery. Earthy elements!


The Vintage Modern Glam Style Entry

The Vintage Modern Glam Style Entry is going to say “look at me”…a wall decal or glamorous wallpaper would be perfect here! Add in sparkle and pops of color!


The Vintage Modern French Style Entry

The Vintage Modern French Style is elegant and traveled. Classy and interesting!

The Right Way To Choose A Paint Color

The Right Way To Choose A Paint Color

Paint is an incredible thing.

It can literally transform a room and take it from outdated to fresh in one day!

When it is right, paint tells a beautiful color story. Look at the plaster white colored walls above.

The dark charcoal french doors and the hallway door yet another beautiful shade of gray. Love!

Before and After:

I love this photo above from Instagram photographer, Kassandra Zobrist.

It shows a how a room can be truly updated with a change in wall paint color.

Notice, they also refinished the wood floors. The new soft brown color works well with the light gray walls.

The previous honey colored floors would have not worked very well with the new wall color, in my opinion.

One of my favorite past times is looking at paint swatches and studying them.

I am a paint color geek!

As you might know, undertones are a big part in determining which color will work best in a room.

Also the source of natural light or even artificial light can have an affect on how the color appears once it is up.

I have heard of some brave people who are “risky – paint – color – pickers”.

They pick up a few swatches at the paint store, maybe a color they saw in a show house or heard of from someone.

They look at a teeny tiny swatch at home and decide it seems ok.

Then they paint the entire room. I would bet about an 90% failure rate with this method. Maybe higher?

http://interiorforlife.com/shingle-style-gambrel-beach-house/

Okay, this is a very nice warm gray. The search for the perfect gray paint color. That’s a whole blog post in itself.

Here is the thing, when I am looking for a paint color, I want it to transform the room.

I want it to be AMAZE BALLS!

There is only one way to do this.

Research, research, research!

Then make test boards!

This is a shot of my garage one night last week, making test boards for a client!

SO exciting to see the colors in action on large pieces of poster board.

Then we met at the house and decided which ones to use. I did quite a bit of research before we purchased the test cans of paint.

Maybe the idea of researching color undertones, considering adjoining room colors, LRV value and lighting is not your thing?

Maybe the idea of making up paint test boards seems like a waste of your precious time?

No worries! I can help you with this. Contact me to get started on picking your new paint colors!

Have Questions About

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How to Add Personality to Your Home – A Ban on the Boring

How to Add Personality to Your Home – A Ban on the Boring

Unless you have interesting architectural details in your home, (and the majority of us do not) it’s going to take some thought to decorate your room.

If you’ve got great architecture like large windows, beams, beefy trim, gorgeous floors, high ceilings, you’re one of the lucky ones.

 Let’s look at a few examples of bland in action.

GRAY on GRAY

I’m sure some people look at this room and are okay with it. It’s not horrible.

It is an easy way to decorate a room. Maybe you know you like gray. I agree it’s a great neutral but then you get stuck and scared to add more color.

Oh wait, there is the vase of flowers. Thank you for this!

Gray on top of gray on top of gray is depressing folks! This is not timeless. This room will look dated in 5 years.

However,

This room is gray and is far from boring:

http://www.myparadissi.com/2013/11/serene-apartment-in-copenhagen.html

Small does of blush, wood, a mixture of art and accessories,

patterned pillows in shades of blue and gray, plants, lots of textures.

The walls are gray but if you look closely, the gray has a hint of pink in it.

http://anurbancottage.blogspot.com/2012/04/black-and-white.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed:+AnUrbanCottage+(An+Urban+Cottage)&utm_content=Google+Reader

Art that shows an interest or personality.

Different fabric and surface textures, shades of similar or contrasting colors.

Where do you find cool pieces for a good price? There are so many options!

Ikea is a good one. Target too…especially with The Nate Berkus and Emily Henderson collections.

Home Goods is a fun place to shop, I like it. There is a rule of thumb though when it comes to shopping these big box stores:

You need to be SELECTIVE.

Too much of the new and you end up with a boring, predictable space that looks store bought (somewhat of a sin) and not special.

CURES FOR A BORING SPACE:

Shop Antique and Vintage Stores for Character Elements

This is such an important decorating resource.

I can’t say this enough.

You must have some old mixed in with the new to create a layered and interesting space.

So many vintage stores and antique malls have popped up in the last few years. There are so many to go visit.

I am not talking about boring brown – granny – furniture. Look for interesting woods, colors and accent pieces that express your style.

Add REAL art

Okay, so a few store bought pieces of art is not a bad thing. But you are going to need to mix it up.

You can find “real” art for pretty cheap at local antique and vintage shops.

Don’t be scared to make a run through at your local charity shops, like Goodwill. You really never know what you might find.

Also, you can make your own! DIY some color on large canvas from the Craft Store. Channel your inner Jackson Pollock!

Add Texture and Different Wood Tones

Mix your woods up.

Different wood finishes gives personality to your space.

Color

Add some pops of color that relate to your art. Pillows, rugs, lamps, throws are all good ways to inject some life into your space.

Need some help figuring out your style?

How to use the pieces you already have and make them look fresh and purposeful?

Send me an email and let’s get to work!

Have Questions About

My Design Services?

Send me an email and let’s talk!

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