By: Connie Deamond

Years ago only the wealthy hired professional decorators/designers to help with their home projects.  The rest of the population was content to do their own decorating.  It was fairly easy because stores sold furniture in groups referred to as suites. For example, a homeowner didn’t have to put much thought into selecting living room furniture. She didn’t have to find a sofa, look for end tables that worked with the sofa, then find a coffee table to compliment the end tables and finally search for chairs that worked with all of the other pieces.  All she had to do was choose a style and decide which pieces of the suite she wanted to use.  The sales person would take care of the rest.

Homeowners  relied on the local furniture stores, a few popular magazines and a limited number of television shows that were aired a limited number of hours each day to catch a glimpse of new styles and trends.  Once a major purchase was made it wasn’t unusual for those items to stay in the home for many years.

Things have certainly changed.  We are bombarded with new ideas and products 24/7 on TV, the internet, in small specialty shops and the big furniture stores as well as all those circulars we receive every day in the mail.  In addition to this it’s common for today’s homeowners to change furnishings every 7-10 years.

There are many more choices today than there were even just 15 years ago.  And with the proliferation of design shows on television you may see dozens of different “looks” on a weekly basis.  The trend today is more toward buying complimentary pieces that create the feel and look you want rather than purchasing a suite of furniture.  It can all be over whelming and time consuming.
The role of a professional decorator/designer is to keep abreast of changes in furnishings and color trends.  And he/she knows how to “pull” a room together with the correct style of furnishings, proper placement of furniture and accessories and color combinations to create the look and feel you desire in your home.

Hiring a professional to help you need not be expensive.  If you like to do things on your own, but just need some help getting started, you could benefit from a consultation.  You’ll be asked many questions so the decorator/designer can understand what you want to achieve and then you’ll be given guidelines and suggestions, possibly even a formal plan, to follow to get you to that end result.
If you prefer not to work on your own or if you just don’t have the time, a professional decorator/designer has the resources to help you complete your project or handle the entire project from beginning to end.  A professional will be able to solve the decorating dilemmas that have you stumped.  For example, the odd shaped room, the room that seems too small, how to get privacy without covering all your windows.  They know which colors to use to create the feel you want and they know how the sunlight brings out wanted or unwanted undertones in paint and they can design a window treatment for you that’s unique to your home.

So…what are the benefits of using a professional decorator/designer?  They take the stress out of your decorating /design projects by offering solutions for the project and solving problems.  They save you money by helping you make the right decisions the first time.  They save you time and they help you create a space that is balanced with furnishings, color and proper placement of accessories to compliment how the room functions.  They design spaces that work for how you live.

If you’ve never worked with a professional decorator/designer now is a good time to call a few, chat with them, find out how they work with clients.  In today’s economy it’s important to spend wisely.  These professionals want to help you fulfill the dream you have for your home.  They’re people just like you.  They just happen to have a passion for home projects, textiles & color.  Whether your project is an awkward corner in a room or an entire house they will welcome the opportunity to talk with you, listen to your ideas and help you to create a space that you love returning to at the end of each day.

Connie Deamond, owner of Interior Creations, has been helping homeowners for nearly twenty years create interiors that fit their lifestyles.  Her goal is to provide clients with fine products and superior service so that decorating their homes is an enjoyable experience.

She believes that the most important aspect of a designer/client relationship is communication so that “we together, create a haven away from everyday stresses…a beautiful, balanced space that you love returning to at the end of each day”.

Connie is a certified professional decorator and is a member of Decorators Alliance of North America, Window Coverings Association of America and the New Castle County Chamber of Commerce.

Contact information:
Phone:  302-239-5806

Email:  conniedeamond@verizon.net

Website:  www.conniedeamond.com

Testimonial:
“We had some ideas of how to design our empty living room, but didn’t know how to tie it all together and were concerned about making costly mistakes.  Connie brought our living room to life.  She created a plan that highlights the room’s architectural features, opens up the space and fits our style perfectly.  She listened and got to know our style, crafted creative design plans and always followed through.
Working with Connie took a lot of stress out of the design process.  We enjoyed working with Connie and highly recommend her.”
~ Josh & Nancy L., Greenville, DE