What is the difference between an interior decorator and an interior designer?

A decorator works with furniture, color, textiles, art, lighting, and accessories. A designer does that and also reshapes the space itself through layouts, millwork, cabinetry, lighting plans, and construction documentation. Sarah Jacquelyn Interiors provides both.

Can you decorate a room I already have furniture in?

Yes. Our Finishing Touches service is built for exactly that, adding pillows, art, mirrors, lamps, plants, small rugs, accent tables, paint, and wallpaper at a flat fee per room.

Do you help with paint colors only?

Yes. Designer On Call is bookable in two-hour blocks for paint color selection, rug sizing, furniture arrangement, and styling advice.

Do you design Lincoln Park greystones?

Yes. Greystone and brownstone renovations are among our most common Lincoln Park projects, including kitchens, baths, and whole-home work that preserves original millwork, mantels, and detail.

Can you design a Lincoln Park new construction home?

Yes. We work with your builder and architect from early drawings so millwork, lighting, cabinetry, and finishes are planned before framing closes up.

What should I plan for in a Lincoln Park renovation?

Narrow stairs and tight landings limit furniture delivery, existing plumbing stacks make relocating baths costly, and landmark district rules can govern exterior work. All of it is manageable when planned early.

Interior Decorating in Chicago, IL

Interior decorating in Chicago, IL from Sarah Jacquelyn Interiors covers furniture selection, rugs, drapery, lighting, paint colors, art, and accessories for rooms that need no construction. This top-rated Chicago interior decorator layers color, texture, and pattern to finish spaces quickly, with flat-fee-per-room styling and hourly consultation options available.

Decorating Versus Designing

An interior decorator works with the surfaces and contents of a room: furniture, fabric, color, art, lighting, and accessories. An interior designer does that and also reshapes the space itself — moving walls, planning millwork, specifying cabinetry, and documenting construction.

Sarah Jacquelyn Interiors does both, which means you never get sold the wrong scope. If your room needs a plan and a contractor, we say so. If it needs a decorator and a delivery truck, we say that instead.

Interior decorating is the right service when the bones of your Chicago home are already good. The layout works, the kitchen is fine, the floors are staying — the rooms simply do not feel like anything yet.

What Interior Decorating Includes

Furniture selection, specification, and layout
Rug selection and correct sizing
Custom drapery, blinds, shades, and window treatments
Upholstery and fabric selection
Paint colors and wallcovering
Table and floor lamps and decorative lighting
Art sourcing, framing, and hanging
Mirrors, sculpture, and decorative objects
Pillows, throws, and textiles
Bookshelf, mantel, and coffee table styling
Delivery coordination and installation day

A Decorating Approach Built on Color, Texture, and Pattern

Neutral rooms are easy to sell and easy to forget. Our reputation was built on layering — a patterned drapery against a textured wallcovering, a saturated velvet against a natural fiber rug, an unexpected color in a room everyone else would have painted greige.

Layering has rules. Pattern needs varied scale so nothing competes. Color needs repetition in at least three places so it reads as deliberate. Texture is what keeps a monochrome room from going flat. Height variation is what makes a shelf look styled instead of stacked. These are the mechanics behind rooms that photograph well, and they are what an experienced decorator brings that a showroom salesperson does not.

Interior Decorating for Chicago Homes and Condos

High-rise condos need furniture that fits an elevator and a freight schedule, plus window treatments that respect building rules. Vintage co-ops need pieces that work with plaster walls and radiators. Greystones and two-flats have narrow stairs and tight turns that decide what can physically be delivered upstairs. We plan for all of it before you buy, not after a sofa gets returned.

Ways to Book Interior Decorating

Finishing Touches — a flat fee per room for accessorizing and styling with pillows, throws, art, mirrors, lamps, plants, small accent tables, small area rugs, decorative objects, paint, and wallpaper.
Designer On Call — two-hour or ten-hour blocks for paint colors, rug sizing, furniture rearranging, styling, and local or Merchandise Mart shopping.
Full Service Interior Design — for whole-home furnishing including large furniture, full-size rugs, and overhead lighting.

Start with a design Discovery video Call

Every project starts with a Design Discovery Video Call with Sarah.

This FREE 30-Minute Video Call is a great opportunity to learn if we are the right fit for each other.

We’d love to learn about your design needs, budget, and timeline for your new space. We’ll guide you toward the right design package for your project and answer any questions you may have.

Schedule A Design Discovery Call

Frequently Asked Questions

A decorator works with furniture, color, textiles, art, lighting, and accessories. A designer does that and also reshapes the space itself through layouts, millwork, cabinetry, lighting plans, and construction documentation. Sarah Jacquelyn Interiors provides both.
Yes. Our Finishing Touches service is built for exactly that, adding pillows, art, mirrors, lamps, plants, small rugs, accent tables, paint, and wallpaper at a flat fee per room.
Yes. Designer On Call is bookable in two-hour blocks for paint color selection, rug sizing, furniture arrangement, and styling advice.