Interior Decorators - how much?

I may have reached my breaking point when our fireplace was delivered last night and we realized that with our TV on top of it, it feels like we're sitting in the second row of the movie theatre.

Does anyone know how much an interior decorator costs? I basically just need someone to come in, tell us what furniture and arrangement would work for our space. I'm very tired of making expensive mistakes (like the electric fireplace that looks pretty but I have no idea where to put it now).

Thanks!

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Posted by jenniesunshine

I may have reached my breaking point when our fireplace was delivered last night and we realized that with our TV on top of it, it feels like we're sitting in the second row of the movie theatre.

Does anyone know how much an interior decorator costs? I basically just need someone to come in, tell us what furniture and arrangement would work for our space. I'm very tired of making expensive mistakes (like the electric fireplace that looks pretty but I have no idea where to put it now).

Thanks!

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I THINK ITS PRETTY EXPENSIVE BUT MAYBE YOU CAN GET A FREE CONSULTATION FROM A DESIGNER?

HOW IS THAT FIREPLACE? ID LOVE TO SEE PICS!!!

ANOTHER OPTION IS TO PUT IT IN YOUR BEDROOM OR DEN OR EVEN DINING ROOM..

Jen...you have FM.

ETA: She's start-up, hence why her prices are so reasonable.

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Posted by Preshy7

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Posted by jenniesunshine

I may have reached my breaking point when our fireplace was delivered last night and we realized that with our TV on top of it, it feels like we're sitting in the second row of the movie theatre.

Does anyone know how much an interior decorator costs? I basically just need someone to come in, tell us what furniture and arrangement would work for our space. I'm very tired of making expensive mistakes (like the electric fireplace that looks pretty but I have no idea where to put it now).

Thanks!

---

I THINK ITS PRETTY EXPENSIVE BUT MAYBE YOU CAN GET A FREE CONSULTATION FROM A DESIGNER?

HOW IS THAT FIREPLACE? ID LOVE TO SEE PICS!!!

ANOTHER OPTION IS TO PUT IT IN YOUR BEDROOM OR DEN OR EVEN DINING ROOM..

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The fireplace is BEAUTIFUL. I will definitely take pics. We don't want to return it (plus there'd be a $500 restocking fee anyway) so we may put it in our dining area or bedroom. We could put it in our guest room as well but then we can't really use it as an office. Decorating is so much harder than wedding planning!

Sorry I don't any Interior decorators, but I have a suggestion, maybe try HGTV.com? I never tried it myself, but they have a message board maybe you can post or even contact them and they might have a solution -- you never know

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Posted by Blu-ize

I went to Ethan Allen and they have a free design service. I had someone come in and tell me how to arrange my oddly shaped living room and my dining room. We picked out colors and fabrics for the sofas and chairs . I haven't bought anything from them yet or done anything, but I will soon.

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good to know -- we just bought a place and have some pretty good ideas of how to decorate it, but we could always use the extra help

Jen,
Didn't you measure the fireplace and the space? Ok, for all of you other purchases, before you make them, take newspaper and tape it together to the dimensions of what ever piece you plan on getting and see how big it feels.

I had such a terrible experience with an interior decorator. Now I just buy books and magazines and I even tried using graph paper to lay out a room.

I paid the decorator for her services, yet she was still all about trying to sell me on things she got a comission on. When I bought some items on my own, items that were in the decor and color scheme we had talked about, she got really mad and told me to leave the decorating to her and let her pick everything out (even flower vases??). Once I paid her, she insisted that we start from scratch with everything new. Yet before I paid her, I told her that we could not spend that kind of money and she said that she was there to help us use what we had. If I wanted to deal with a salesperson, I could have used a decorator that didn't charge a flat fee on top of everything. Many big stores have that.

Just a heads up. Next time, I would get a decorator that works on commission only if that commission structure is clear to me from the beginning. I was misled last time and it was a friend of a friend, someone I trusted.

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Posted by lrs2005

Jen,
Didn't you measure the fireplace and the space? Ok, for all of you other purchases, before you make them, take newspaper and tape it together to the dimensions of what ever piece you plan on getting and see how big it feels.

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Of course I measured I even have a model of my apartment drawn to scale on graph paper with graph paper furniture cut-outs We put tape on the floor and walls to indicate where the fireplace would be - but there is just a difference between seeing the area taped out and actually having the piece of furniture in the space.

Thanks for all the recommendations!! I've got some really great leads thanks to you all!