Is an Online Decorator Right for You?

Between house makeover TV shows and also the wealth of online resources available today, there are more options than ever for those people wanting to decorate and improve our homes independently. However, what happens when things just aren’t coming together? DIY projects go awry, paint colours look wrong, color schemes and furniture fashions don’t come together — we have all been there. Occasionally turning to an expert full-service professional or interior designer is the right course; however, if the price of an in-person decorator is out of reach, or in the event that you merely need to have more control over the design process, there’s a new choice to take into account.

“E-decorating” or even”virtual decorating” allows clients to get a decorator from any place on earth, receiving a design program either in a package through the mail or through email. Much less expensive than in-person interior design, e-decorating may consist of everything from mood boards and floor plans to certain resources for furniture and paint colours, and a growing number of decorators are getting on board with virtual services. Here, learn about four decorators on the forefront of the trend and discover if this strategy is right for you.

Burnham Design

1. “Immediate Space,” Betsy Burnham. A leader of the online decorating concept, Betsy Burnham of Burnham Design developed Instant Space, her online design support, to fill a demand she realized: supplying high quality design to budget-conscious and long tail customers.

Full-service interior design from the highly sought-after Burnham can become quite pricey. But when a client is prepared to do some of the legwork, an instantaneous Space box complete with furniture plans, resources, fabric swatches and paint samples, plus specific instructions on the best way best to implement the plan, arrives in as little as a month — and in a tiny fraction of the cost.

Need to know: You send in dimensions and photos of your space plus inspiration photos, complete an online questionnaire and cover the complete fee up front. Four to six months later, you receive a pretty sheet box in the email containing a design board, cloth and paint samples, a furniture plan drawn to scale, a shopping list together with resources available anyplace in your area or online and step-by-step directions for pulling the space together.

Cost: $975 to $1,950

Is it appropriate for you? Immediate Space is a good option for anyone pining to work with a fancy decorator but that want to execute the plan on their own time. If you love the Burnham Design appearance and love receiving a luxe box using samples and skilled design planks in the email (rather than emailed documents alone), this could be the right option for you. Also worth noting, you may choose to add trade-only furnishings and fabrics to your Immediate Space design plan for an additional 25 percent commission.

Watch the meeting with Betsy Burnham

Burnham Design

The Betsy Burnham appearance: famous for the expert way with color, Burnham offers stunning and unexpected color palettes that are really liveable. Expect interiors that are polished and upscale but consistently comfy.

Vanessa De Vargas

2. Turquoise, Vanessa De Vargas. After running her own successful design shop, developing a line of furniture and supplying complete interior design services through her organization, Turquoise, Vanessa De Vargas has garnered a dedicated clientele in the Los Angeles region. Wanting to offer a less expensive option, De Vargas a long time ago expanded her services to include e-decorating.

Need to know: You send in dimensions, photos and drawings of your space, along with inspiration images, your budget and an info sheet, and cover the fee up front. All information is filed electronically. About three weeks later you receive your personalized design program, including suggestions for wallpaper or paint, ideas for design items you own, furniture placement and resources for everything displayed, from furniture to accessories and artwork.

Cost: $500 to $1,050

Is it appropriate for you? Turquoise e-decorating offers the experience of a time-tested interior designer in a less expensive price point, and communicating entirely via email makes things easy and fast. This could be a fantastic fit for your job if you love Vanessa De Vargas’s contemporary glam look and need advice for utilizing some of your current furniture in a new manner.

Watch the meeting with Vanessa De Vargas

Vanessa De Vargas

The Turquoise appearance: Brand New, contemporary and a bit glam, De Vargas’ style blends new and old pieces for a look that feels personal and fun yet polished.

Vanessa De Vargas

Things to expect with design planks: whichever decorator you choose, you will likely receive some kind of design board — either as a hard copy in the email or as a PDF download. In the case shown here, from Vanessa De Vargas, it is possible to see that images of the actual furniture pieces chosen for the client are organized alongside paint color swatches and fabric patterns.

Design boards reveal suggested products and substances, and therefore are meant to help you visualize how the appearance will come together; it is different from the floor program, which (if included) will reveal where to put all that furniture. A written description might also be included to iron out the exact particulars that are not easily displayed on the design boards. Last, you also need to receive a source list with directions on where to purchase everything displayed in your strategy, either locally or online.

Tobi Fairley Interior Design

3. InBox Interiors, Tobi Fairley. Chosen as among Traditional Home magazine’s Top 20 Young Designers in the usa, Tobi Fairley is an accomplished designer offering full-service interior design in addition to an online decorating choice by InBox Interiors.

Need to know: You send in dimensions and electronic photos of your space, inspiration images and also a questionnaire, and cover the full fee up front. All communication happens using a Tobi Fairley team member through email. Six to eight months later, you receive a stunning box comprising a hard-back”look book” with floor plans, sketches and elevations of important details, a concept board, a shopping guide with pricing and detailed directions on implementing the design. You’ll also receive a packet with swatches of your preferred fabrics, paint and wallpapers.

Cost: $1,350 to $2,500

Is it best for you? For those with traditional preference looking for a thorough strategy and hands on materials and design boards from a high-end design home, minus the significant sticker shock, Tobi Fairley’s InBox Interiors team could be a fantastic fit.

Watch the meeting with Tobi Fairley

The Tobi Fairley appearance: famous for her freshened-up conventional appearance, Fairley uses large-scale prints, classic furniture shapes and contemporary pops of color. Her design is simple yet luxurious.

4. Birdhouse Interior Design Consulting, Jessica McKay. Jessica McKay offers in-person remodeling and decorating consultations for those in and around Omaha, Nebraska, in addition to online consultations for customers who just require a little bit of help pulling everything together.

Need to know: Online consultations incorporate an area mood board with resources for furniture and accessories, tips on developing a color palette, ideas for repurposing items and a written explanation of how to execute the strategy.

Cost: $250 per room

Is it right for you? Birdhouse Interior Design Consulting could be a fantastic fit if superaffordable design help from somebody with a fantastic eye is what you are after.

The Birdhouse Interiors appearance: Expect trendy, classic touches and lots of ideas for creatively aligning items. It’s hip and contemporary with an eclectic flair.

Interested in hiring an Internet decorator? Here are a couple more e-decorating companies worth checking out:
Maggie Rose Interiors: Decorator Maggie Morgan offers e-decorating bundles in addition to in-person decorating in the Seattle region.
Kelly + Olive: Courtney Davis and Lauren Paradise offer color consultations and mood boards online, also online decorating decorating for those from the Chicago region.
Nesting: Specializing in baby and children’s spaces, designer Susan Hutchinson offers e-design bundles in addition to in-person design consultation in the Philadelphia region.

Tell us: What do you believe? Can you (or have you?) Tried e-decorating?

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