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He will function by means of purchases that he makes here and there with the client, or with the client and architect together; by engaging painters, upholsterers, curtain makers, lamp-shade makers, by visiting the fabric houses for the purpose of selecting coverings and draperies, the wall-paper houses, the furniture manufacturers or antique dealers. His contribution will be in the form of advice, sometimes valuable and good advice, and perhaps, also, in the arrangement of articles after they arrive at the residence. I think it is safe to say that few, except the very rich, can afford the services of this type of decorator, nor can the decorator himself in this case afford to work for those in moderate circumstances; because, whether he receives a lump sum fee by way of compensation or a commission on all the purchases for the interior of the house, his compensation will not be sufficient to justify the time that he has to expend on the work to furnish any adequate result, unless the total sum expended is of great size. Decorators of this kind do not normally receive the full trade discount from manufacturers and so they are forced to depend for compensation principally on a commission from the client, and most clients in moderate circumstances are unwilling to pay this decorator's commission.
It is possible, of course, that the clever and well equipped decorators of this group will come to be the interior architects that I referred to in my first chapter,
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14INTERIOR DECORATING
but a great amount of education of the public will be required to make this a suitable field of activity. At present it certainly constitutes a very difficult one. It must be obvious, for example, that every decorator who does not want to be bothered with an office and staff cannot achieve the perhaps enviable position of mingling with the very rich, and if he does not, how is he to secure his clientele? What distinct services is he prepared to offer to the average person that other decorators do not offer? What means can he adopt to reach the general public? Of course it is true that this type of decorator requires fewer orders than the decorator with an establishment, but even these few become increasingly difficult to secure as the decorators with establishments become better and better equipped and more and more able.
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