by Carol G

Created on: March 30, 2009

There's no way around it an interior decorator can decorate your home better and faster than you can. When you take on the job of decorating your own home, you could be at it for a long time. Why?

First of all, the decorating usually takes place right when you first move into your new place. You are probably tired, and working very hard toward getting it organized. This is a time for making a lot of functional decisions such as how you will be using the cupboards, and where you will put things. If you have kid's rooms to deal with, you'll have decisions for them as well as your own systems that will go into making things routine again.

Second: At this point, your decision making factor may be wearing thin. You get your photos, wall hangings, pottery, and what - nots out of the boxes and the stress begins. So many of the lovely items that were perfectly placed in your previous home, just don't work the same as before.

You will have different room proportions, and that picture grouping that worked so perfectly before can end up looking forced, or contrived. Even if it's a new home that you think you've got perfectly planned, think again. There's a saying about best-laid plans not working.

If you are already established in your home, but are planning to redecorate, you might stand a fighting chance for success. You may have some really good ideas, but making the right decisions still needs to come from an objective standpoint.

Since it's your home and you have sentimental memories of events, or that certain picture you like you like so much, but won't match anything you may not be able to make the right design choices.

Third: Decorating your home, like so many other parts of life, will always require a seasoning process. This all goes back to the objective- thinking concept. Only after so many times of passing through a room, will you truly be sure.

Again, that aha moment of "Yes, this is the way I want it," probably won't come along for a quite a while.

Doing the job yourself entails a sort of a layering process during which you'll have to give yourself some time to stand back and evaluate it.

At the very least, with a professional interior designer, you will have a good, basic layout to work with. You'll have a springboard from which you can begin to infuse your own ideas. You can relax and live with the basic interior design, letting your own personal touches evolve over time.

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