Interior decorators/stylists/designers in Sydney to work on regular project homes

We need to decorate the house, our first home, that we just bought in Sydney! Exciting!!
I and my partner are both not knowledgeable about this as we've never done this before. We've only lived in rented apartments so far and have bought stuff from shops like Ikea and Fantastic Furniture. Sometimes, our pieces didn't go well together with each other but, we just lived with them. After we bought this place which we are yet to move into, we tried learning some stuff off Youtube and Udemy. Its a lot of information to take in. Moreover, selecting the right furniture, lighting, accessories, etc, is really very overwhelming and we're worried that we may end up with something we don't like. Our best way forward will be to engage an interior decorator, we think.

We contacted a few interior decorators we found by Googling, on Houzz and other sites but, they don't seem to do regular project homes. One of them said that she only works on big boutique design homes. Another one said that she doesn't do decoration and styling unless it also involves some design and renovation. We don't need to do any renovation as the house is in very good condition. Another one said that she doesn't work on any project with a budget less than $50k. We only want to work on the living areas, dining and alfresco for now and we don't have a very big budget.

Our house is a regular, run of the mill, project home with 4 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, 2 car parks, a study, 2 living areas and a dining area. It is a double storied house built on a 450m2 block.

Any interior decorators on this forum who would like to work on these kind of houses? Or does someone know someone who would work on these poverty-pack homes?

 

This is an exciting time - congratulations. Some stores will have in-house decorators. I would recommend you start by gathering images of rooms you like. Separate them into the various rooms/areas you are aiming to furnish/decorate. You will then start to see what your style is - coastal/contemporary/scandi/traditional/hamptons etc. When you come to choose your items, you refer back to check they fit with the style you have chosen. Good luck.

 

Congratulations!

1. Set your budget.
2.Stick to it.
3.Live in it for a while so you can see how the house 'behaves' in the different seasons.
I hope this helps

 

We received some input from an interior designer at Freedom many years ago - this was for a remote site. We worked with the ID at both the local store and the one closest to the site.

Admittedly we bought the lounge, dining & other furniture there but had the paint colours, wall hangings, carpet already selected.

 

Most large-ish chains of furniture stores have "in store" designers - like Freedom and Coco Republic etc who would be a big help - but you really need to know your own style first.

Even as a trained designer (not working in the industry) - a dozen renos/builds under my belt - I find the internet an overwhelming place to look for ideas, unless you already know what you want (and then you can never find it).

What I find works best for those without experience, is to sit down with a stack of interior design magazines - my fav basics are House and Garden, Home Beautiful - flick through them and rip out (without thought) anything you see that you instantly like. Don't try and analyse - or even think about your choice - if something about the look appeals then rip it and keep flicking.

What you'll find is that, the collection you end up with on the floor, will have a common look/theme running through. This gives you a good base to start your narrowed down search from.

Okay - so you'll need a few magazine to do this effectively. Personally I have a stack about 3 feet high but haven't had to touch them, as I now know what I'm looking for - so - either find someone with lots of the magazines (don't take notice about the age of them, you're just looking for your niche, which should be timeless) - or - live with what you've got and spend 6 months collecting magazines for the process.

One major tip - don't follow "fashion" unless it's for cheap items such as cushions, paint or ornaments. For the major items go neutral and timeless - and then zing it up with the changeable accessories.

I find making up an "ideas" powerpoint (converted to PDF) really useful to gauge whether things will work together ... but still find choosing pendant lighting is my Achilles heel (just had a light bulb moment! - back in a flash)

(back again) Good luck - I'm off to check out fishing float pendant lights for my beach house island bench

 

... and then - after a quick search and ponder - went from the first idea to resolving on the second

Don't get fixated on an idea - let it take you on the journey until the gut says "yes"

 

you should give Gemma a call "The Styling Edge - Property Styling" Home Staging Photo Portfolio | Sydney & Wollongong
Gemma was very easy nice and easy to deal with... Gemma and her Mother staged our home before it sold on market in January this year.