Has anyone used an interior designer or home stylist?

I really think it would be a waste of money to entirely restyle a house with the intention of selling it. Surely new owners always want to (as they say on Escape to the Country) put their stamp or whatever on it? And paying a n interior designer as well? Throwing money away! Why not simply freshen up the paintwork, re carpet throughout if necessary ( in a neutral colour) and make sure the plumbing, electricity and kitchen are fit for purpose? Tidy up the garden also if it needs it with attention to fences or walls again replacing if tumbledown and make sure the house has "kerb appeal", a well painted front door, pots either side, shiny brass work.
BTW my invoice is in the post!

I agree! - money down the drain!

No harm in calling a few designers and putting the problem to them and asking what their charges are.

I have recently for the first time had one in. We have had a refurb of parts of the house though we are staying. She charged £100 for a half hour visit followed up by an email setting out what was said and giving links.

Fantastic. Things we would never have thought of in the way of re-arrangement of furniture and colours and what to get rid of. For you it would be a fresh eye and could give you the inspiration you need, even if you don't follow all that she says.

Soutra has sud it for me. On another thread I had commented I was browsing lots of houses and feeling very put off by some of the more unusual garish bright, home decor.

Soutra and Nelliemoser are right, it isn't worth spending money re-styling in order to sell. The current trend is for people to change kitchens/bathrooms, decor and often even the garden. A clear out, clean and lick of paint should be enough I think.

£100 for half an hour? My post only took max 15 (to include thinking time) so that will be £50 plus VAT inclusive of the follow - up post visit

Clean, clean, clean and clean again. Repaint and recarpet as necessary, in neutral colours - the cheapest paint and the cheapest carpet you can find. Declutter savagely so that none of your personal stuff is on show eg family photos, your collection of garden gnomes and so forth. Remove small pieces of occasional furniture. The idea is to make it as easy as possible for prospective buyers to imagine themselves living there. Tidy up the garden and bung in a few instant plants from the garden centre. Don't spend more than one per cent of the asking price - you won't get it back.

I agree with Soutra and Nellie. There are plenty of TV shows giving tips on how to sell a house by giving it a spruce up. Save your money and do it yourself.

I realise that you are not wanting to move yet because you have other commitments but I also join the brigade of not wasting money by asking a designer to give an opinion.

It sounds as though the entire house needs a makeover- do it room by room with a gap in between so that you are not totally frazzled by it all.

When you do re-decorate, have buyers in mind and keep the colours neutral. You may like red and bright blue tiles in the kitchen but think about selling on.

Have you got a good friend who would give an honest opinion?

I had a friend who bought good quality furniture, carpets, curtains etc but nothing matched and I felt I needed sunglasses whenever I entered the house. I did give my opinion once when she said that she wanted to redecorate the main bedroom- we did not fall out and she listened to me.

A cheeky thing to do would be to invite an estate agent around, saying you are not planning to sell just yet but what would put value on the house in his opinion? Ask him to be brutally honest and preferably do not have an 18 year old valuing your property.

Less is more when you are trying to sell, I think.
You could make walls, floors etc very plain, leave all your nice things around while you are still living there then pack them away when you are ready to put it on the market.

Ps I heard that 'magnolia sells houses'.

Although they also say that ' magnolia is for people who can't make up their minds'.

Both could apply in your case!

Lots of good advice here. I have bought and sold a number of houses and my advice would be to make sure everything is decluttered, clean and neutral, all obvious jobs/repairs done, garden neat and tidy. Most buyers as others have said are trying to visualise themselves I the house and believe me they will all want to change it. You don't need a designer for this- save that for your next house so you can enjoy the work. Good luck

Dear All. Thanks for all the very helpful replies. All good common sense really and stuff I know. Maybe my real problem is just feeling so stretched in this sandwich generation that I can't see the wood for the trees! The house is s very handsome house with loads of kerb appeal and a beatific front door so it will sell itself BUT it is tired and needs some cosmetic TLC. Sadly I'll have more time to devote to it when my mother is no longer here ��
Thank you again.

Pale neutral colours are an alternative to just magnolia and can enhance a room depending on the light direction. Beige absorbs light, therefore would look dull in a room with a North natural light.

Paint manufacturers have good advice and colour combinations in their free colour chat brochures.

If I was spending money it would be on white bathrooms suites, good condition floor coverings and also anything that a surveyor might pick up to stall or end a sale. x

Yup, waste of money to employ an interior designer. De-clutter drastically, clean thoroughly, paint walls and paintwork neutral, new neutral carpets if necessary (you can add a bit of colour with cushions throws etc), tidy up the garden and keep the grass short.

Now I will confess - our house is in the above sort of condition and has been up for sale on and off for two years! We have nearly given up.

I have three very opinionated daughters you could borrow! They always ha e plenty to say when we do any decorating!

I agree wholeheartedly with vegasmags. DBH kept on changing jobs and we have moved 12 times in just over 20 years. I did exactly as she described and we always sold within two weeks, no matter where we lived, or the state of the housing market.

We built an extension and completely refurbished the rest of the house three years ago and I did not use a designer. I made all of the decisions myself and it all seems to work. DH is a very brave man he allowed me to pick the kitchen, appliances and bathroom fittings.
If you are refurbishing with an eye to selling I would not spend vast sums on employing others, just clean and paint to brighten up.

My father-in-law passed away recently. The bungalow needed some updating and so we put in a new hi spec kitchen and bathroom. We sold the bungalow but lower than the market value for a quick sale. We calculated that with the cost of the kitchen , bathroom, rewiring and decorating and low selling price we were out of pocket by about one hundred thousand pounds. However it was sold. Imagine when we drove past a couple of days later and there was a skip outside with....... the new bathroom suite and part of the new kitchen in it. It was upsetting to say the least. So my advice is let the new owners choose for themselves. Also you won't have the hassle of your house being turned upside down whilst you are still living there. Good luck!!

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Put some pictures up and we can all have some input in as to what you should do to it, some new ideas.

I would love to be an interior designer, but for people with less money if that makes sense. Everything is geared towards the rich and normal people need some help from time to time. Going into a diy shop for me is like shoe shopping for other people, I love it. I've just found out there is one near my new house I haven't been to yet so I'm off to bed soon and then I can be knocking on their door at nine in the morning!