DIY With My Expert Eye

Expert Guidance. Fresh Ideas. Personalized Feedback.

A high-touch consultation experience for design enthusiasts who relish the process of doing it themselves, but want expert guidance, fresh ideas, and personalized feedback to pull it all together flawlessly.

Available virtually or locally. In-person sessions available for clients in Hudson Valley, Northern New Jersey, Martha’s Vineyard and Cape Cod.

I wanted to make the right choices and have the direction towards a classic style and furnishings that we would still love in 10 years.

“Moving to a house from a small condominium was overwhelming and exciting with the need of many furnishings. After much thought and research, we hired Marina Case who helped and guided us with her design services. The outcome was amazing and reflective of our background from window treatments, furniture, carpets to wall hangings. Marina has a keen eye, style and advice that inspired me as well.”
S.J.

Experience all the fun and creativity of being your own interior designer — **with none of the overwhelm and analysis paralysis.**

When it comes to interior design, you know what you like, what you don’t like, and you’ve watched enough Magnolia Homes, Property Brothers and Love It or List it to have a sense of what good design entails. Truth be told, you’ve always secretly thought that given a do-over, you might have become an interior designer yourself.

So your mind is probably spinning with ideas for that upcoming room redesign or renovation. In fact, there’s a good chance you’ve already spent hours pinning on Pinterest while sipping a glass of Pinot, ordering samples while you soak in the tub, and dog-earing the pages of House Beautiful or Elle Decor while you savor your Saturday morning coffee.

These days, there is an endless well of inspiration for design enthusiasts like you, which is both a blessing and a curse.

BOOK A FREE DISCOVERY CALL

Even though you generally feel like you have a good eye, you’re no stranger to analysis paralysis, second-guessing your decisions, and general overwhelm when tackling a big project yourself.

Falling in love with individual items like a rug or sofa is one thing, but understanding how everything will come together takes skill and experience, especially when it comes to furniture scale, light fixtures, drapery, or art placement.

You’ve considered hiring an interior designer because you’re determined to achieve that magazine-worthy, perfectly pulled together look.

But spending five figures or high dollars on full-service design may not be in the budget right now, and to be honest, you want to be more involved than if you were to simply hand over the entire project to a designer.

If only you could have an expert interior designer on speed dial for all the design dilemmas that will inevitably pop up.

What if you could get professional advice, guidance, and ideas without having to invest in a full-service interior designer?

What if you could DIY … with me?

READ ABOUT MARINA

Hi, I’m Marina Case

I’m an award-winning interior designer best known for designing The Spa at Glenmere Mansion, which was named the top 100 places to visit by Departures Magazine, Langdon Hall in Cambridge Hall in Ontario, and The Old Stone House Inn, and other swoon-worthy projects, including my own home, which was featured in The New York Times (yes, I’m still pinching myself!).

Working with residential and commercial clients throughout Hudson, Martha’s Vineyard, Cape Cod, and across the U.S. for the past 20-plus years, I’ve met so many individuals who love interior design and have a great eye, but just aren’t totally confident pulling it all together or get stuck in “analysis paralysis” along the way. I also know that not everyone wants or is able to invest high dollars in full-service interior design services.

I designed this high-touch interior design consultation experience to help design enthusiasts like you who aren’t afraid to tackle design projects on their own, but want a second opinion, expert guidance, and reassurance along the way.

Before I share all the details about this collaborative consultation experience, let’s talk about who this is perfect for.

This is made for you if you…

Have up to three rooms in your home you’re looking to redecorate, whether it’s a living room, bathroom and master bedroom, or a kitchen, mudroom, and dining room.
Dream of a magazine-worthy room without having to spend tens of thousands of dollars on a professional interior designer or custom furnishings.
Have a vision, but aren’t sure how to recreate it yourself.
LOVE interior design and want to DIY, but want a second opinion, expert guidance, and reassurance along the way.
Would love to have an interior design expert in your back pocket — someone you could text while you’re at Home Goods or West Elm for a second opinion.
Want to make sure you avoid costly design mistakes like buying the wrong size non-refundable couch or rug. I’ve seen it happen one too many times!
Want to make the most of your limited budget.

If any or all of these sounds like you, I designed this experience just for you.

WHAT’S INCLUDED?

Marina rescued me from a bad decorating decision.

“I was busy picking out a red leather sofa to match my red Persian rug and red Asian coffee table. She wisely directed my selection to a more appropriate couch while educating me about the interior design process. I relied on her professional advice to purchase other chairs and accessories to compliment the art in my studio apartment in Manhattan. I am confident that through Marina’s guidance, I will have a personal space that will not feel dated for the foreseeable future.

Jeff R.

DIY With an Expert Eye What’s Included:

Vision Session
Before our first call, you’ll share details about your project including pictures and measurements of your space, Pinterest or Houzz boards, and more. My prep form will guide you through this process). Then we’ll hop on our first call and talk details, to see where and how I can best help you through this process.

12 Hours of Collaborative Consultations
This usually adds up to direction and guidances for up to 3 rooms.
You’ll get 12 hours of my time that you can use however you like and you have 14 months (YES, 14 whole months!) to use them. We can meet monthly, every two weeks, or whenever you have a particular design dilemma for up to 90 minutes at a time. In my experience, most clients need about 4 hours of interior design consultations per room. With this experience, we can usually complete up to 3 spaces in your home.

5 Ask Me Anythings Each Week
Between sessions, you’ve got me in your back pocket. If you have a question from your contractor you’re not sure how to answer, or you’re out shopping and you want a second opinion on a sofa or lamp, just text me a photo. I just ask that you give me 48 business hours to reply.

My Decorator’s Toolkit
I’ll share with you all of the “rules” dos and don’ts you need to create a professional looking space. This includes guides to choosing the right size rug, sofa, end tables, drapery length, etc.

Unlimited Free Paint Swatches
Skip the overwhelming trip where you stare at 30 different shades of blue and end up spending $53 on samples. I’ll share my top 25 favorite paint colors and mail you large swatches, so you can hang them on your wall and make a final decision with me.

Investment: $5,955

CLICK TO GET STARTED NOW!

My only wish is that I had called Marina before the blue was ever painted on!

“When my fiancee and I purchased our fixer upper home in Virginia last year, we knew we wanted to paint over the terrible original pinky tan color. Being the “do it yourselfers” that we are, we selected a dark blue gray color. I came home from work to learn that my dark blue gray was actually more of a bright blue green. I asked the painters to stop and I called Marina at the Red Shutters. We worked together via Skype and ended up choosing a warm gold and have planned for brown gutters and a red door. My only wish is that I had called Marina before the blue was ever painted on!”
Grace C.

How you use our time together is completely up to you. I can help you with:

Furniture and home decor selection and placement

Styling for surfaces, sofas, beds, walls etc.

Floor plan layout and space planning

Stores and brands to consider that fit within your budget

Fixtures, finishes and trims

Paint/wall treatments

In-person consultations & Showroom Visits within 90 miles of Hudson Valley

Drapery/window treatments

Let’s get started!

Marina stepped in and graciously gave me back my confidence with my own eye and guided me to an incredibly successful completion.

“Marina rescued me from a large-scale home renovation project that I thought I could manage but quickly grew out of control. Before I knew it, the joy was all but gone. Marina stepped in and graciously gave me back my confidence with my own eye and guided me to an incredibly successful completion. I highly recommend her for any private or commercial project. She’ll take you to new levels of satisfaction!”
Ellen M.

FAQs

How can I use our time?
How you use our time together is completely up to you. Click here for ways other clients have used our DIY With An Expert Eye services.

How many hours do I get?
12 hours, and you get 14 months to use them.

14 months seems like a really long time! Why so long?
As a design lover, you probably already know it can take a long time to get just one room right. I want to make sure I give you the time and space you need to research, shop, and execute each space. This is a creative process and sometimes you can’t rush that! Plus, with shipping times these days, it gives us some extra breathing room.

What if we run out of hours?
At the beginning of our engagement, we’ll create a plan to make sure we use your hours wisely. That said, you can always purchase additional hours a la carte.

How many rooms can you help me with?
In my experience, this covers up to 3 rooms, depending on how large and what the scope is.

Can I call, email or text you between calls?
Absolutely! This experience includes 5 Ask Me Anythings per week. Email me questions through the week, or if you’re out and about and you see a lamp or sofa you love, you can send me a photo and get my opinion. I just ask that you give me 48 business hours to reply.

Can we meet in person?
YES, I’d love to meet you in real life! In-home consultations and in-person shopping/antiquing trips are available within 90 minutes of Hudson Valley (BONUS: I don’t charge for travel time!).

How do I get started?
Just complete the short intake form below and we’ll hop on a quick call to make 100% certain this experience is right for you.

QUESTIONS? BOOK A FREE DISCOVERY CALL

DIY With My Expert Eye. Ready to Get Started?