would you hire an amateur who wants to go pro?

[munkii]

Redesign or redecorate?

If you want a redesign, hire an interior designer.

If you just want to redecorate, bring her in ONLY if you feel it will not cause problems in the workplace (like if she makes decisions you disagree with, you have to fire her, etc.).

[kaylie]

Yeah, I wouldn't do it in your situation. What if you hate her decorating choices or turns out to be very hard to work with? I feel like that could make work very awkward.

[Deleted]

Re-design because we need to add another bathroom to our second floor.
Everything else would be re-decorate.

[TBM]

I would hire a designer or at the very least, use a company for the bathroom design that has a designer on staff.

For the rest of it, I would consider it only if you can be sure that she will not be so bossy that she doesn't consider how you live and your taste. I have seen decorators, and well meaning friends totally railroad people into something that does not fit their lifestyle or taste at all, and it really bothers me to see people waste their time and money on people like that.

That said, if you are buying furniture from a store, especially if you might be getting more than a couple of pieces from the same place, see if they offer the services of a designer. It is sometimes a free service. I once took a class from an in store designer, and she really was a full service designer...far beyond just what the store had to sell.

[jloww]

Not a family member, friend, or coworker.  Just for the awkward factor alone if something goes wrong.

[emoflamingo]

Nope. Especially the bossy part. Adding a bathroom requires some real knowledge and if you're gonna pay her to pay someone else to do it, cut out the middleman.

[treedimensional]

I'm unclear on what exactly is her role. Project manager? Okay. Anything else, I don't think so. You didn't say anything about her professional expertise, and being bossy or "take charge" isn't enough qualification to do anything else.

[lavender444]

Apr 20, 2014 19:34:44 GMT -5 jloww said:

Not a family member, friend, or coworker.  Just for the awkward factor alone if something goes wrong.

Ditto!

I would look for someone else.  It wouldn't bother me that she's an amateur. But it turns me off that she is someone you know, and that she is so bossy.  Sounds like a recipe for trouble when it comes to something so personal as your home and money.