Add personal touch to your home

There might have been a time when buying a new home meant the painstaking process of picking out furniture, upholstery, drapes and trinkets — but these days, Bangaloreans are quite content to outsource these jobs.

The cult of hiring interior decorators is definitely on the rise in the City, with quite a few new home-owners coming to the conclusion that this is the best option.

The advantages, of course, are many: it’s a huge load off the shoulders and besides, decorators spend so much of their time following new trends and fashions that they come up with quite a few attractive ideas.

On the other hand, there is a flip side — decorators don’t come cheap. Besides this, they tend to repeat patterns and samples, because of which the same decorator might actually do up a string of identical-looking homes in the City.

As Meiraba, a professional, puts it, “People who have a big budget can consider going to an interior decorator. But personally, I don’t think this makes sense.” He adds, “One should do up their home based on their personal taste — which is something that a hired decorator might not be able to understand so well. I’d prefer to take a few suggestions from my friends and get everything done myself.”

Radhakrishna V Sait, a housing contractor who also handles interiors for many of his clients, points out that given a rather large budget, hiring a decorator might not be such a bad idea.

“These decorators are quite in touch with what is fashionable in terms of interiors. Since most people want their homes to look perfect, it’s convenient to get external help. They do charge a lot — but it’s worth it,” he says, adding that in the last few years, he’s seen quite an increase in the number of people approaching decorators for assistance.

Some feel that while doing up a home is a time-consuming process, it’s worth it to handle it without professional help. Pavi, a software engineer, says, “It gives a certain personal touch to the house. It does, of course, take a lot of effort — it involves looking around and figuring out your own style. But I believe it’s best to do this sort of thing without external help.”

She advises new home owners to make it a point to browse through a range of stores before selecting anything. “It makes sense to look around a lot, take suggestions from people who’ve been through this before and then make a decision,” she reasons.

Others, though, have a radically different opinion. Ganapathy, a stock broker, feels that outsourcing the entire decoration process is convenient and helps save time. “I went for a decorator. My home is a dream for me, and I want its interiors to give me a sense of great living — which is why I think it makes sense to consult a professional,” he says firmly.

He adds that it’s important for a home to have a personal touch — which is why he suggests sitting down with the decorator and threshing out the details of what one wants in their home. “It makes sense to discuss your likes and dislikes with a decorator, who can then blend that with his own professional expertise,” he explains.