22 Responses to “How Much For This Room?”

1. 1 Cindy commented:
   February 13th, 2009 at 5:00 pm
   
   

   This room is lovely. However, I have to say Initially freaked out at the price. But looking over the list, the majority of the stuff was low-cost, with a few investment pieces thrown in… I’m interested to tabulate the cost of the stuff in my home and ACTUALLY see how much I spent, as it sure adds up quickly :)

   Cindys last blog post: Home Renovation Tax Credit

2. 2 Denise Smith commented:
   February 13th, 2009 at 5:03 pm
   
   

   Very very nice. Warm texture paired with clean lines; I love this room. I operate my business much the same way, and I can tell you it is not the norm around here.

   From this post, Lori feels like a kindred spirit. Thanks, Holly.

   Denise Smiths last blog post: Romance

3. 3 decor8 commented:
   February 13th, 2009 at 5:03 pm
   
   

   I agree, when you see the grand total it’s normal to get TOTAL sticker shock. If the average person
   did a quick total on a room in their home, including all of the mistake items out in storage or
   in the attic that they never ended up using, you’d be surprised. My bedroom is valued at around $20,000.- and
   I purchased all of my furniture at stores like Room & Board and West Elm and some items are from IKEA and the flea market.
   My living room, don’t even get me started, around the same amount.

4. 4 Denise Smith commented:
   February 13th, 2009 at 5:11 pm
   
   

   For the pieces in this room, and the style, the total is reasonable. She added new floors and the cost of paint as well as some very nice furniture. I noticed how thorough and realistic this breakdown is…sometimes in magazines and catalogues the editors neglect to put in half of the room! Their is an ulterior motive involved… to get you to BUY.

   Denise Smiths last blog post: Romance

5. 5 erinn commented:
   February 13th, 2009 at 5:24 pm
   
   

   Lori’s work is ALWAYS fantastic. If I had one question it might be how she recommends her clients divide up the work or separate it into phases. I am always trying to come up with parameters on how to divide up my clients’ projects into pieces they can understand and afford.

6. 6 Darice commented:
   February 13th, 2009 at 5:42 pm
   
   

   I’m in need of just the same type of decorator that Lori is since I need direction but have a limited budget, being single and house poor. Does Lori have some insight on how to begin looking for a decorator in my hometown (a Dallas, TX suburb)? Are there a good set of questions I should be asking?

7. 7 Lori Andrews commented:
   February 13th, 2009 at 6:18 pm
   
   

   Thanks everyone! yes the purpose is to show how much rooms really cost. If you are handy and can sew (drapes and cushions) and paint and install your own flooring you can save about 50% on those costs.

   erinn- principle rooms first (living room, dining room) then the master bedroom, (starting with getting the closets done up right with drawers etc.) and finally the kitchen. I usually recommend things in that order. that way the clients can already really love their home before committing to the big ticket items required in a kitchen overhaul.

   Darice- you will want to see photos of some of teh decorators work. If you like what they have done for other people chances you will like what they can do for you. Do not go with the cheapest decorator but rather go with the one you feel the most in sync with . :) Don’t be afraid to ask lots of questions. If you enter into plans with a decorator that involve more than a simple consultation, you will want to be sure that the two of you have some agreements down on paper. If the relationship isn’t working, the two of you will need to have an agree upon method of terminating the relationship. generally, you will be obligated to pay for any items on order as well as any time the designer needs to wrap up the loose ends.

   Thanks for the series Holly!

8. 8 Rachel B. commented:
   February 13th, 2009 at 7:57 pm
   
   

   I have wanted those simple dining chairs forever. I can’t seem to find them for a reasonable price. Her condo looks amazing!! Well worth the cost!!

   Rachel B.s last blog post: Beautiful Handmade Jewelry by Lilly Queen

9. 9 Rachel May commented:
   February 13th, 2009 at 9:28 pm
   
   

   Lori I love your type of design! I recently got my bachelor’s degree from the Art Institute of Colorado in Interior Design and would love to offer affordable design to clients. That has always been a goal of mine. Thanks for already doing that, and well!

   Rachel Mays last blog post: Preparation for Valentine’s Day

10. 10 April Force Pardoe commented:
    February 14th, 2009 at 11:27 am
    
    

    I love the clean lines and the pop of green on the table. It’s a lovely, peaceful room.

    I have a question about the space over the fireplace. It feels like it needs some added height and I’m just curious what you are planning to do there? Probably waiting for the “right” piece.

    Thanks for sharing.

11. 11 Tim commented:
    February 15th, 2009 at 2:29 am
    
    

    Very nice space. I was happy to see the large bird on the table beside the sofa. My wife recently brought that very same bird home to our house here in The Woodlands, TX. It’s a real beautiful piece.

12. 12 Lupin commented:
    February 15th, 2009 at 5:01 am
    
    

    The thought of buying all those things in one go makes me feel slightly giddy but it’s always so interesting to see how much these things really cost…

    We were adding up the costs of the things in our house yesterday thanks to an article in the Guardian where a stylist furnished a (small) study for £150. It was a very interesting exercise, especially working out what you’ve spent the most money on and how little it would actually cost to replace x item you don’t really like and make the room look better…. Most of our furnishings are inherited or thrifted, and we worked out that we spend most of our money on the “extras” like art :)

    Lupins last blog post: Stocking up on some Essentials

13. 13 elena commented:
    February 15th, 2009 at 3:41 pm
    
    

    what an awful rug ! is it nesecery to have a rug from animal ? omg

14. 14 Lori Andrews commented:
    February 15th, 2009 at 7:46 pm
    
    

    thanks everyone!
    elena- different strokes for different folks.

15. 15 decor8 commented:
    February 16th, 2009 at 1:16 am
    
    

    Elena – I agree with Lori, everyone has a right to their personal choice. The key to enjoying your home is having things inside of it that you really love whether that is an animal hide or the whole animal, it’s really up to the homeowner because it’s their personal space.

16. 16 elena commented:
    February 16th, 2009 at 7:08 am
    
    

    So you can really love a rug only when it is from animal skin ? Just for having your house a good style ? There are so many options. Thats my point.

17. 17 Lori Andrews commented:
    February 16th, 2009 at 7:49 pm
    
    

    thanks elena
    Your point was very strongly worded (what an awful rug).
    Personally, I come from a ranching family. Hides are just very practical.
    If I had a vegan client I would naturally recommend products that did not disagree with the clients life beliefs. :)

18. 18 decor8 commented:
    February 16th, 2009 at 8:26 pm
    
    

    Elena I appreciate that you’ve left your thoughts but again let’s leave what Lori and her client
    select to decorate with their decision as they have the right to decorate with what they love.

19. 19 Colleen commented:
    February 18th, 2009 at 11:57 am
    
    

    Lori,
    Great work! As an interior designer I feel you left one cost out of the calculation that no one ever talks about, so clients are always shocked at: the cost of our services. I bill hourly for my design time in addition to a markup on the products I sell (most of which ends up below retail because our discount is more than my markup). Clients come to us for our knowledge and ability to efficiently pull together from a wide variety of sources (as your list of resources highlights). But then when they see it took maybe $2000 to design and source pieces for two rooms, some people are shocked. I think the design community needs to be more open about this aspect of the business. Do they forget their doctor, lawyer, accountant, landscape designer, etc get paid an hourly fee for their knowledge and specific set of skills?
    This is not to say anything against you… I just wanted to add this to the discussion for others to think about. I’m sure you know this all too well. =)

20. 20 decor8 commented:
    February 18th, 2009 at 12:21 pm
    
    

    Colleen – I thought about that and thanks for bringing this up! Lori can certainly share that if her client is comfortable but I’m more concerned about showing readers through this column the cost of items in a room so that we can all look at the rooms in our favorite magazines with a more realistic eye. Most of my clients (when I was practicing full time) had sticker shock over and over as they were trained that a room should be $1,000 or less thanks to the wonder tube and all the hour-or-less makeover shows that pound this into people’s brain. They would hand me photos of rooms from Elle Decor wanting “Exactly This!” not realizing that the room shown was about $150,000 worth of furniture and art.

21. 21 Lori Andrews commented:
    February 18th, 2009 at 12:30 pm
    
    

    I charge hourly for all of my time. I share my designer discounts with my clients 50/50. so say I get 20% an item, the client gets 10%.
    The cost for my services varies greatly from client to client. Some clients are pressed for time and want my firm to accept all deliveries and supervise and arrange all construction and installation. Some clients simply want a consultation. My clients pay me for all of my time. travel, email, phone, meetings, and design.

22. 22 Elfya commented:
    February 19th, 2009 at 6:48 am
    
    

    Holly! This is such a great initiative – thanks so much for shedding some light on the subject!

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