by Mary W. Matthews

Created on: June 10, 2008

Whether to decorate your home yourself or hire a professional depends a great deal on how much you care and how confident you are in your own taste. A good designer has access to goods, services, and discounts that ordinary people don't. A good designer can make a room look even better than you dreamed it could.

On the other hand, it's possible for a home to scream "professionally decorated!" to visitors. You may not want your bedroom to be mistaken for a hotel room, for example. Remember that 50 percent of all professionals — doctors, lawyers, architects, decorators — graduated in the bottom half of their class!

The decisions that a professional can help you with are not rocket science. Look over this list of criteria and decide whether it's something you feel you can do yourself:

* What is the scope of the project you're thinking about? There's a big difference between buying a few throw pillows and completely emptying out a room and starting from scratch. If the thought of new paint AND a new carpet AND a new sofa AND all-new curtains and pictures fills you with dread, remember that you don't need a professional for the entire project. You can hire someone just for an hour or an afternoon, and then implement the pro's recommendations yourself. (BEFORE you hire the professional, have some very specific ideas on how the pro can help you, from furniture arrangement to color choices to "style." But that's another article!)

* What is the function of the room you're thinking about decorating? If it's the living room, don't just say "living room." "Frequent party zone" is different from "showplace"!
      How often will the room be used? Who will use the room? When I was a child, the living room was for grown-up parties; we kids were only allowed there on special occasions. After about 1980 or so, the living room was used only once or twice a year. Today, my husband and I use OUR living room every day; it's more like a family room. A guest room that's used two or three times a year will have a completely different set of priorities from a master bedroom that's used every day.
      What will the room be used FOR? Will you display your collection of Star Wars action figurines there? Will teenagers be allowed to party there? Will you go ballistic if someone spills his drink on your rug? Will Aunt Gertrude do a white-glove inspection every month?

* What colors are you thinking about using? Does the idea of color fill you with panic,

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