How to Be a Successful Interior Design Client
Over the years I’ve had the pleasure of working with many wonderful clients. There’s definitely a way to be good at it! Here’s how to have a successful collaboration with an interior design professional.
Bring Suggestions
You may not know exactly what you want yet, or even what you don’t want, but it’s important to give me a place to start the conversation. Bring photos of rooms you love, designs you hate, colors that make you happy, and spaces that might work for you, with a little tweaking. Houzz is a great place to find and collect those photos, like 21st century clippings. Tearing pages out of magazines still works, too!
Prepare for Meetings
If I’ve asked you to choose between floor tiles, or discuss color schemes with your partner, please come to the meeting prepared with feedback on those items. It will save delays, which means it will cost you less for your customized designs.
Be Open-Minded
I have a lot of experience in both envisioning change, and seeing it become reality. I understand people and their lifestyle needs, and can understand yours as well, after getting to know you. I may make suggestions that seem scary or off the mark to you at first, but I promise I have a good reason for proposing them. Try to be open to these ideas, and you’ll be pleasantly surprised! And, if something really doesn’t work for you, we’ll change it. It’s all about communicating and collaborating together to create YOUR home, after all.
Practice Good Communication Skills
If you don’t like something, please don’t be concerned you’ll offend me — tell me! Honest feedback is the only way we’ll arrive at the perfect space for you. I’ll listen and ask questions to make sure I understand, which can be helped by being clear and upfront with your opinions.
Bring All Stakeholders
If you want your partner or family members to be part of the decision-making process, by all means, bring them along! Nothing causes more delays than “I just need to check this with my spouse, who isn’t here today.” As you know, delays = higher cost, and potentially not having your dining room ready for the holidays.
Be Decisive
While I know it can be difficult to make choices, in the end, you’re the only one who can do it, so find a decision-making process that works for you. Whether that’s putting paint colors on the wall to see how they look at different times of day, or having a pillow made in the proposed fabric so you can live with it for a couple weeks before committing to a full sofa, or asking your friends for their impressions, there’s no wrong way to arrive at the right answer for YOU. Be decisive and tell me your thoughts, so I can give you the best possible professional advice, and create the home of your dreams.
If you want an experienced designer, look no further than Kimball Starr Interior Design! She creates homes beloved across the San Francisco Bay Area and Lake Tahoe areas. Contact her today for a socially-distanced in-person or remote consultation!
