We were looking for an affordable interior decorator with a modern/contemporary style, someone who would move beyond the traditional or flounces. We were on a tight budget and were looking for someone to partner with about ideas rather than someone who just takes over. Someone that could help turn our house into a home not a showplace.
Enter Sarah Kidder. Creative and charismatic defines Sarah Kidder from day to day. She understands how to decorate for real life with kids, and we’re thrilled with what she's done for us.
Sarah helped us transform our new house into a warm, inviting and cozy home that looks terrific. We wanted lots of new furniture but Sarah also worked with pieces we already had. Sarah mixes the old and the new in her designs with an emphasis on functionality. She has a great eye for color and style, is cost-conscious, and really easy to work with. She really knows how to help you figure out what you want and then to make it happen in a timely and cost effective way. We can't say enough good things about her! In addition to interior decoration, she is an artist AND an organizer, so she brings a lovely bundle of skills to the table.
Her key strengths: 1. Great eye: she is creative and inventive, can see lovely combinations of color, texture and arrangements that "click" in terms of practical purpose and aesthetics. She will look at what you have and help you maximize the effect of existing pieces, and help you envision what might complement them.
2. Great ear: she is a fabulous listener, gets to know your priorities, and helps you establish not just surface order but also living habits and patterns to help you maintain that order. Maybe that's the key to a "home-not-a-showplace" -- the beauty and calm have to withstand the test of kids whirling through and busy tired people keeping it in place.
3. Flexible, non-judgmental, easy to work with: Having just bought a new home, we didn't want to spend an arm and a leg. After a free initial phone consultation Sarah suggested options for proceeding in the most optimal and cost-effective ways for us. She has pointed us to vendors/sources (and we can either choose to buy ourselves, or she will help us purchase). She will find ideas at all sorts of places, from designer furniture shops to thrift stores. She never shamed us for being slobs or too busy etc. so we could instead focus on doing the best we could to get our home in order. We both agree that our time with Sarah has been well worth every penny, with immediate returns on sanity and satisfaction. Best of all is the feeling of finally truly enjoying our home.
BONUS: Her non-judgmental style helped us negotiate sticking points. We didn't have huge budgets so working with someone who can creatively provide inspiration from across a wide range of mid-range (ie. Upper Room, Pier 1) to lower-range (ie. IKEA,etc.) was great.
Sarah's sense of style is just fantastic -- but she also really listens, and worked to help us express ourselves in our home. We could not recommend her more highly. She has done an impeccable job with us -- very high quality, but also laid back, reasonably priced, efficient, and just so very cool! She'll make you look like you've got it going on! It’s been a lovely process of bringing harmony to our home. Good luck with your search for an interior decorator - we definitely suggest contacting Sarah Kidder!!
