I Got My Home Reviewed by an Interior Designer: Evaluate, Value, Results

There are a couple of areas in my home I adore and did not need to change, like my entrance studying room, however others that fall flat.

My residence workplace, eating room, kitchen and kitchenette, and visitor room are all simple areas that I do not suppose want revamping proper now. 

Instead, I needed assist with three particular areas: our main bed room, lounge, and completed basement. 

I discovered an inside designer who provided the particular and budget-friendly design providers I was in search of.

I determined to work with Alisa C. Popelka of Alisa Cristine Interiors as a result of I actually preferred the before-and-after photographs on her Instagram. They helped me image what she may to do assist my residence. 

I additionally preferred that for $500, she would do an in-home design session and ship me a digital design information along with her suggestions and inspiration photographs. That approach, I may execute the imaginative and prescient by myself time and finances, somewhat than paying her to do the purchasing for me. 

We did not need assistance selecting a colour palette or paint colours.

Our residence’s colour palette is fairly outlined. We repainted after we first moved in, changing the lavender partitions with a cool gray-toned blue.

Most of our furnishings and decor are cool-toned grays and light-weight blues, accented by greenery and pops of off-white. 

Numerous my furnishings can be fairly new, so I needed to reimagine the area somewhat than substitute dear objects.

About three years in the past, I bought couches and a bed room set for my final home. Though they do not match my new area completely, they’re new sufficient (and costly sufficient) that I do not need to substitute them. 

I instructed my designer I was keen to buy a couple of new items, however I needed to benefit from the furnishings I have already got.

I additionally needed assist discovering equipment that may spherical out the area and make it really feel extra full.

She stated our bed room format was largely proper, however wanted to be brightened up with lighter equipment.

Our bed room largely looks like a crowded afterthought. 

With an enormous window on one wall, the doorway on one other, and two doorways to a toilet and walk-in closet on a 3rd wall, there’s just one place for our mattress within the main bed room. The inside designer agreed, so we made no plans to maneuver our mattress. 

She stated the area wanted extra stability.

She really helpful that we discover one other place for my husband’s dresser and add two finish tables with “textured” lamps on both sides to deliver stability.

She additionally urged we substitute the cheaper ceiling gentle in our bed room with one thing nicer and add one other, softer gentle supply to keep away from the sometimes-harsh overhead gentle. 

She really helpful we added one or two huge items of artwork over our mattress and a mirror above my dresser, loosen up the bedding and curtains, substitute the canine’s cages with an enormous canine mattress, and add a big space rug. 

She was proper — including an enormous piece of artwork above the mattress was a sport changer.

We nonetheless have to make numerous modifications, together with completely different bedding, however the huge piece of artwork makes our room look greater. I suppose it is as a result of it attracts your eye as much as the ceiling top.

The lighter, longer curtains she urged additionally made the darkish furnishings really feel much less heavy. 

Our lounge’s elongated form has all the time stumped me.

Our lounge is longer than it’s extensive and really awkwardly organized proper now — I affectionately name it my “sofa room,” since couches line two of the partitions.

I truly gave this room a mini makeover final yr — including curtains, a rug, photographs, and extra mantle decor — nevertheless it did not really feel like sufficient. 

Her primary suggestion for this area stunned me.

Much to my shock, the designer instructed me to exchange my second sofa with two chairs. 

I’ve seen this model alternative on social media, and I’m open to making an attempt it nevertheless it looks like an enormous endeavor as a result of I’m unsure what to do with the opposite sofa.

I’m not able to half with it and it will not match downstairs or in another area in my residence. 

She additionally urged we substitute the leisure middle with one thing that may sit nearer to the wall.

We do not truly use the leisure middle to retailer something aside from our web router and a speaker. Her suggestion made me notice how cumbersome the piece is in an already-crowded lounge. 

She stated we additionally have to get a a lot bigger rug, artwork items that match the area higher, and a spherical mirror for the middle of the mantle. 

The completed basement was our greatest conundrum, and the inside designer agreed.

Our completed basement simply appears to be like and feels empty to me. 

The chairs have been from two completely different rooms in our final residence, so they do not match. Since we have by no means had a imaginative and prescient for the area, we’ve not actually tried something to make it look welcoming. 

As the basement door opens to face a hallway wall, it is extraordinarily difficult to get massive furnishings down the steps, so transferring one in all our couches down there was out of the query. 

My husband needs to have the ability to show some private objects on the partitions and has a group of classic sport consoles that he’d prefer to maintain someplace aside from containers, however he additionally did not need the world to really feel like a stereotypical “man cave.” 

The inside designer’s suggestions have been useful, however we’ve not purchased into this imaginative and prescient but.

In the design information, she gave us numerous options for the basement, however it should be an enormous undertaking so it is the final room of the three we plan to sort out. 

I preferred the lounge chairs she urged, however I’m unsure the console show has the extent of magnificence I hoped for. 

I liked that the designer despatched me a doc laying out what we coated in our assembly and a few options for what to search for.

The information was extremely detailed, which is admittedly useful since I’m slowly bringing her options to life and it could take me months to really feel like we’re making progress. 

I can see myself referencing this whereas I’m in a retailer or buying on-line. I additionally appreciated the included footage however needed to discover completely different shops than those she urged. 

The worth vary at even the extra “budget-friendly” shops she urged was thus far above what was lifelike for us (I do not know if I will ever spend near $800 on an finish desk) however the types gave me one thing to search for when I store at locations like TJ Maxx and Target. 

Overall, the session was extraordinarily useful however I should not have gotten my hopes up that this could be a magic repair.

Honestly, I did suppose an inside designer would discover all the good options however my expectations ought to have been extra lifelike, particularly for a $500 session. 

Her options for the bed room have been precisely what I was in search of and the small modifications have already improved my area, however I nonetheless do not know precisely what to do about our completed basement. 

Still, bringing in a brand new perspective was simply what I wanted to get a leap begin on this undertaking and I love that I get to make the modifications by myself timeline and finances.