Eye of the designer

Deep down I guess I never really knew that I had a budding passion for decorating. I loved organization, that part came naturally, but the decorating part I was a bit of a late bloomer. Even now I'm not on the cutting edge of interior design, but through practice and studying, I've picked up a few things here and there.  I couldn't afford a lot of things, one of which being a personal interior designer, but then the next best thing happened..

Raise of hands on how many people have looked through and drooled over the pages of Pottery Barn? Now, have you ever read the back of the magazine? I mean REALLY read the back? Or really read to the bottom of the sale emails? Perused the website? Because if you did you already know what I'm going to say, but for those of you that may have missed it, THEY OFFER FREE DESIGN SERVICES AND CLASSES! You read that right, FREE!!  I will never forget the first class that the hubby and I signed up for, I thought it was too good to be true.  They showed us in that class how to create a seascape in a tall vase and some other tips on decorating with vases.  Then we were able to shop the store, using a discount and this all happened on a Sunday BEFORE the store opened. It was amazing!

10 years later and we still have it!

The free design services are legit too and I was super skeptical before I made my appointment. My problem at the time was the top of our kitchen cabinets and the built in bookcases surrounding our fireplace. They were both completely empty and there was a lot of space to cover, but I didn't want to jam pack those areas and make it feel totally cluttered. I took pictures of the spaces and brought in my iPad to show the designer. For a solid hour she showed me different ideas, we played with the products in the store, I asked loads of questions, and I took LOTS of notes. At the end, she said I could use a discount if there was something that I wanted to purchase that night. Shut the front door! Well yeah! The best part, she told me they do in home services if I still needed help! The most impressive part was that it was, once again, free!

Before

After

Don't have a Pottery Barn near you, have no fear! On their website there are a slue of decorating ideas tips and tricks. Including a room design planner so you can figure out how to arrange your furniture without having to lift or move anything! How-to guides, holiday decorating tips, room inspirations...I mean come on!! I feel like Oprah right now."You get free information, and you get free information!!"  Still have design questions, they have a hotline you can call.  Their services also apply to their Pottery Barn Kids/Teen side as well.

But wait... there's more! Pottery Barn isn't the only company offering free services. West Elm, Ethan Allen, and La-Z-Boy, to name a few, also offer free services.  (Contact them for more information.)   No matter if you're trying to figure out a design issue, pick up a new skill, or refine your design talents, I don't think you can go wrong learning for free from the experts. In the land of Pinterest and Google, it makes sense to have so much information right at your finger tips. I know it keeps me coming back to Pottery Barn time and again.  Well played Pottery Barn, well played.