Has anyone ever used a designer? (Inspired by the Home Improvement thread)

[Mercy]

We are getting ready to do some remodeling to our kitchen/living room. Has anyone ever used a designer, someone like they have on Designers Challenge on HGTV?

Is it very expensive? If I didn't go with a "designer", would a contractor be able to design a plan?? I'm new at this, so I need some help/advice. Thanks!

 

[DVC-Don]

We hired a designer when we redid our kitchen a couple of years ago. We had to wait till she got back from a WDW vacation so we knew she had to be good. She spent about an hour at our house interviewing us about our thoughts, likes, etc. Then she spent about another hour measuring our kitchen and drawing. About a week later she came back with 2 computer aided designs for the kitchen. To tell the truth it was hard picking one. It came out great. She kept in touch during the rebuild and stopped in a couple of times and then after too.

Was not too expensive and well worth it. Since then 2 other families on our street have hired her.

 

[disykat]

I think I'd do it in a minute for a kitchen, because kitchens require a lot of expertise. I really debated when I redid my living room because I have a friend who is an interior designer. In the end, I really wanted to feel like I did it all myself. Thankfully, I'm very happy with the way it came out.

 

[diznee25]

Lucky for me, my MIL is a great decorator, everyone asks her to help redecorate their homes! So I have someone to bounce ideas off of when my husband and I get into a house.

Never thought of hiring a designer though, good idea.

 

[WDWAurora]

Who needs one with my grandmother around? While I don't own a home as of yet, and I'm currently renting a trailor due to lack of non-trashy 1br apts in the area, she really has an eye for all that is artistic. She helped me with layouts, etc. here, but her kitchen is what would make me always seek her help. I liked it before, when it was a country apple theme, but they made (this is in a 37 or so year old house with original cabinetry) their kitchen look like something out of a French or Italian villa. It is lovely. They changed the hardware on the cabinets and painted them a bright white (previously more of an ivory). They changed the countertop to a green, and the floor is some special kind that looks like slate, textured and everything when you're standing up, but when you kneel and touch it, it feels almost flat. It fits together like a puzzle, and I'm not sure what it's called. Added with a beautiful fruit basket border (looks like an antique still life, and I don't like borders usually), it is just a perfectly "done" room. She'll help me design everything when I get a place of my own, assuming I'm lucky enough to have her in my life that long.