From our experience speaking with friends, family & clients, there seems to be a misconception about what a designer really does. An Interior designer’s job is truly more complex than just putting pretty things together or staging a room for home-selling purposes. Design is more permanent and considered an investment in your environment. It takes planning, talent, and passion. I mean, Interior Designers exist for a reason. We have come across many people who initially try to do it themselves but in the long run, end up spending more money because they thought putting together multiple pieces they liked would work but in reality don’t end up making sense. Understanding the value of a designer is crucial so that you can trust in them to make your home reflect you and the things you love while creating a functional layout to make the most out of a room’s potential in terms of use and aesthetics while taking into account the characteristics of the space and the style desired.
Designers are artists who create something out of nothing. Here are 4 ways Interior Designers work with clients – from an Interior Designer.
1. Interior designers study their clients
Knowledge is key to a designer. The more we know about you, the more bespoke our designs can be. That’s why at the beginning of a design project, there is always a client questionnaire either prior to or after a consultation. Your space should reflect your personal functions and style; there’s no way to know that without asking personal questions. We want to know all the tea about your life! Haha. No, but seriously, one question we ask every client is how they would like to use the space. If it’s a living room do you want to watch tv? Or would you rather make it a space to read, relax and spend quality time with family? I wouldn’t want to create a design for a client without knowing who they are and what they like because the one enjoying the fruits of our labor is our clients. Interior Design is definitely like the psychology of how people live.
2. A great interior designer has a highly effective process
Every great designer has a process in place for how they work. One designer’s process might be different from another designer’s process, but they are generally very similar. It’s important to trust your designer’s process. It may seem like things get repetitive or back and forth, especially in the Concept Creation phase. The process generally works in phases by design hierarchy. For example, our process goes like this:
- Step 1- Defining the Design
- Step 2- Concept Creation
- Step 3- Design Discussions
- Step 4- Detailed Drawings
- Step 5- Styling & Implementation
If you’d like to learn more about our process, click here for more information.
3. Interior designers communicate visually
Design is a very thoughtful process. The foundation of our designs is always a mood board where we create the look and feel of a space with colors, textures, and furniture that align with your style (See example below). We appreciate when our clients have inspirational images so that we can better understand and narrow down your likes and dislikes.
A couple more ways we communicate visually is by detailed drawings such as Floor plans, Reflective ceiling plans (RCP), 3D renderings, Sketches, Elevations, etc. When designing there are so many things to factor in like space planning, safety, finishes, material selections, and functionality to name a few.
4. Multitasking is an interior designer’s middle name
As special and unique as you and your project may be, you aren’t their only client or task in mind. If a designer runs their own business, not only are they designing for you, but they are sourcing, doing administrative work, marketing themselves, they are trying their best to keep up with social media, and most importantly executing your bespoke design. Yes, bespoke meaning it’s custom to you and that every project is different and comes with different challenges along the way. So please, be nice to your designer and know that they are always thinking about you (I say this from experience). Multitasking is our middle name and we try our best to do the best for our clients.
I believe educating people on the value of Interior Designers is so important. Our job is just as important as being an Engineer or a Chef. They each serve a different purpose and are masters of their craft.
If you want to see more of our work, follow us on Instagram @threesistersinteriors and check out our business website.