My Design Process | Client Meeting
I’ve sort of done this before, but now that I have 8 months of solo-designing under my belt, I’ve realized it might be helpful to go through my design process from start to finish. This is the first chapter in the story, and the first step in the process.
Many clients find me through Google search, but many others are referrals from friends of friends/family members. No matter how you found me, I’m so glad that you did! I have noticed that no matter who I am working with, across the board most people do not have the slightest clue as to how this process works. How could you? HGTV makes us believe that interior designers are akin to super heroes (not super far off, but still) and that an entire home can be renovated in a week. They also make it look FUN. How cute are Chip and Joanna when something goes wrong, and they use their strong marriage skills to find a solution? And how cool are the Property Brothers as they drench a construction site in their natural charisma? Unfortunately, that’s just not how it goes!
Background
My process starts like most others’ - with a client meeting. It might be in person, or it could be over the phone or a Zoom meeting. I need to learn more about your needs. What is the project scope? How many rooms are we doing? Are the walls coming down? Are you functional? A realist? A romantic? Do you have children? How old are they? Who is the chef in the family? What do they cook? How do you spend your Saturday evenings?
All of these questions help craft my picture of who you are and what your home should be. I want to know you. I want to leave this meeting feeling like we’ve known each other forever.
Communication
I also want to establish an open line of communication. The most important aspect of these projects has been the same time and time again… trust and communication between the designer and the client. We don’t know what the other people on this project will be like (contractors, kitchen & bath specialists, architects, etc.) and I need you to know that I have your back. It would be great if you had mine too! I’ll be your #1 gal from start to finish.
Grand Scheme
If this meeting is in person, I’ll ask for a home tour. I want to see the whole thing, not just the spaces we’ll be working in. More often than not the small one-room projects turn into whole-house projects over time, but even if it doesn’t I need to know the space I create for you will fit into the overall macrocosm of your home.
I’ll also measure while I’m there. For every project I develop a furniture floor plan. It’s the only way we can see the shapes, sizes, and locations we’ll need for furniture, decor, lighting and everything else! Measuring the house is also called “surveying”, and I’ll be covering that in next week’s post.
Money
Money, money, money. This job is almost entirely about money. I will never judge anyone for their budget (high or low). I don’t really care what it is. I only care that your budget aligns with what you want to be doing. $50,000 may be a respectable renovation budget for a few great bathrooms or a full house of furniture, but if you want to gut and expand your kitchen on top of that, it simply won’t work. We can work through this together.
Transparency is incredibly important to me, and I will always pass that on to you. I go over all the aspects of my billing process and open the door for you to have full control over this process. My hourly rate is an hourly rate because I want everyone involved to have the freedom to stop or go at will. I want to be fairly compensated for my work and I want you to never have to worry about overpaying or unexpected fees. There are plenty of those throughout the construction process and I simply do not want to subscribe to that mentality.
Inspiration & Style
This is probably the part of the meeting that everyone imagines when they think of meeting with an interior designer. I like to deconstruct “style”… I don’t believe that anyone fits in just one box (see my post about finding your aesthetic). Most people have many layers and enjoy many different things that they’ve been told “don’t go together”. I disagree! Everyone’s home should be as unique as they are.
It always helps me if you have photos saved - on your phone, on Pinterest (add me as a collaborator!), from magazines, or however else you procure images of interiors or things that generally inspire you. Showing me a picture of a specific tree in it’s fall glory is just as helpful conceptually as showing me your perfectly laid out living room.
Next Steps
I end the meeting by identifying our next steps. Some projects start with the creation of a mood board, others begin with layout changes or construction drawings. While everything eventually happens in tandem, in the beginning it’s very important that we identify the most pressing things and tackle them first. There is no set formula really, I listen to what my gut is telling me and subscribe a regimen based on that. We’ll be listening to my gut (and yours!) often while we work together. Good design comes from the soul, so we’ll need to tap into ours to get there.
If you landed on this page because you were considering booking an appointment with me, I hope this has informed and comforted you! Renovating your home is an enormous decision. You need to make sure you have the right people helping you, whether that’s me or someone else.
Please feel free to send me an email or give me a call if you want to know more, or if you’d like to set up an initial meeting to see if we’re a good fit. I’d love to meet you!
Tune in next week as I walk you through my entire process for measuring, or surveying, a home. It’s a little bit trickier than you may think.
