Meet Michele of Fredericksburg, Virginia; Sharon of Hammond, Louisiana and Dennis of East Brunswick, N.J. They each won a $100 Gift Card from Hooker Furniture in our recent Facebook contest, when they became a fan, or “liked” our Facebook page. Beyond becoming a fan, they were among approximately 150 people who emailed us with suggestions of what they are interested in hearing about from us in Facebook messages and posts on our “Experience Your Home” blog and our “Envision the Possibilities of Your First Home” blog.
We want to thank all of you for your suggestions, which made this contest a win-win for everyone! As we connect with you on Facebook and our blogs, we want our messages to be educational and inspirational and help you enjoy your home more. So what where the most frequent suggestions?
• Easy and affordable decorating ideas (this was the most frequent request)
• What to look for in quality furniture
• New product introductions and information
• Trends in style, design, color and types of furniture
• Company news, contests and history
• Ideas for accessories, especially kid-friendly accessories
One of our winners, Michele of Fredericksburg, put it this way, “I’m always interested in decorating tips on a budget, wall hangings, furniture and table displays, especially when you have small kids. Those huge vases filled with glass beads are nice, but not in my house. It’s an accident waiting to happen. Lol.” Michele and her husband are the parents of five girls, ranging in age from 3 to 17.
Sharon from Louisiana plans to buy an ottoman with her gift card. Since her recliner broke, she hasn’t been able to put her feet up, but now she will be able to. She said her favorite decorating style is “country chic.” Dennis of New Jersey is single, and his apartment has a modern, simple style, he said.
The award for the most intriguing suggestion goes to Abby, who said, “I’d like for you to give us the chance for fans to come up with their own designs for the company.” Hooker has always welcomed input into the development of our new products and designs. What ways do you suggest for giving us your feedback on design directions through Facebook?
The comment that makes us determined to help comes from Michele. “If I could change something about my house, it would be the lack of decorating,” she said. “I’m scared to take what I like and apply it to my rooms because it seems like I can never achieve the look I want…so I do nothing.” Have you ever felt like that? We hope that, through our ideas and trend reports, you’ll be inspired to take the leap and “just do it” when it comes to decorating. If anyone has any suggestions for Michele to help her overcome her decorating fears, please leave a comment. And look for some blogs in the future about how to overcome decorating inertia!
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I would suggest that Michele invest in an hour or two with a design professional. Preferably on whose work she’s seen and connects with.
Even being in the business, it’s difficult to “know” what a final look will be. $75 – $150 is a small price to pay for a master plan to make your home mirror your lifestyle.
David has a good idea and I applaud using a designer if one is comfortable with it. Good designers will talk to you, ask you questions about your lifestyle and your goals. So–it’s a good idea to do this first. In the process, you might realize whether it is a good idea for your or not. A note of caution, depending on where you live, design fees can be expensive. Many designers require a non-refundable fee to give you a consultation. This may not seem appropriate, but to protect themselves, they have to be fairly certain that a client will take their ideas and move on by themselves. We all want to think everyone has good motives. So, interviewing a designer is really necessary.
As a general rule, part of a designer’s income comes from the percentage they get from the ordering of furnishings, etc. You can discuss this with a designer you hire.
To sum up–a good designer is worth his or her weight in gold. But there are rules of the road to understand. Understand what they are and do your own homework. In the final analysis, it is your home and you will want to understand how to make it as comfortable as possible and as pleasant as possible for you to continue the ongoing process.