As decorators and stagers, we do more than make rooms look good.  We make people feel good. 

This occured to me as I was visiting a client last night who was in the process of redoing her kitchen.   She had already been to a cabinet maker and decided on the layout and cabinetry but was having a hard time deciding on paint, counters, floor and back splash. 

Enter the decorator. 

After sitting with her for over an hour and just listening to how she wanted her kitchen to feel, I had a very good idea of what would appeal to her.  She certainly knew what didn't appeal to her, as she related from her countless trips to home improvement stores.  The variety was just too much and the choices were too important to her to make a wrong one.  By the end of the meeting she told me she wasn't enjoying the process as much as she thought she would.  I reassured her that bringing a professional into the mix would make it more enjoyable.  The relief on her face and in her voice was priceless.   Knowing that all she would have to do from the comfort of her own home was choose from the select few combinations I would bring her, made her feel like a weight  had been lifted.  

That was worth the drive over poorly plowed roads and trying to find house numbers with no outside lights on.  I left knowing that my client was looking forward to the next phase of her kitchen makeover instead of dreading it and so was I.  Isn't that the way it should be?