A Room in it’s Underwear is not the Finished Product!

A room in it’s underwear is not the finished product! What on earth are you talking about I hear you say? Room’s don’t have underwear!

But they do have a processed of being “dressed”.

One of the hardest things to deal with when an interior design or decorating project is underway is the client making comments and wanting to make changes because they aren’t sure that what they see is what they had expected!

This can be draining on time and your energy and cost the client a lot more money.

What I suggest you do is tell them at the beginning to have faith in your expertise. Then during the project remind them that you know what you are doing and when the job is finished, they will then love the end result! Don’t back down and make changes willy nilly! This will compromise your design, but if you believe they have a valid point or some of the items specified are not available and you have to make subtle changes, then go ahead, but in general, stick to your scheme.

Finished Product
Good things take time!

Remember if it looks good on paper, then it should look good in real life!

What I mean by that statement is that you have already been through your design process, taken your client brief so you know what your client needs, you have gathered up all your options and weeded out the things that don’t work and kept what does. You have collated it and made your color board and it looks great. This process takes time and by the end you have created a well considered interior design or decorating scheme and it looks good. Your client has invested their energy and money into it and have “bought into the design”, both emotionally and financially. But this can mean that they begin to doubt their decisions as it is a big investment and they don’t want to get it wrong. Just remind yourself that you are the expert, and remind them that this is exactly the reason they hired you! So stick to it and follow your design instincts.

You've got this, make your clients wait for the finished product before making comments or changes.
You’ve got this, make your clients wait for the finished product before making comments or changes.

I know from years of experience that it pays off. When I was younger I just wanted to please everyone and would often end up making ridiculous compromises and then at the end everyone was disappointed, the jobs didn’t have the design flair that they should have.

I am now stronger and more forthright with my clients and ask them to trust me! Believe me it makes life easier! After all you have done your homework and you can visualize the end result, which is a skill that unfortunately most of our clients don’t have, so stay strong and be confident!

One way of remembering this is to think of when you get dressed to go out at night. You start by putting on your underwear, then you add pants, skirt, dress, shirt ie another layer, then you add a belt, tights, socks, shoes, boots, scarves, jumpers, jackets, gloves, vests, jewelery, hats, …..now if your partner walks in when you only have your underwear on and says, oh, I don’t like that outfit! What would you say? I’m not going out in this, I am not finished dressing yet! Wait to see the end result!

So this is where I am coming from when I say that a room in it’s “underwear” is not the finished product! Read more about the design process here.

Wait for the finished product

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1 thought on “A Room in it’s Underwear is not the Finished Product!”

  1. Even if you give your clients lots time they tend get impatient. As a San Diego based interior decorator, I know this first hand. It’s just a matter of educating the client and keeping them informed on a regular basis.
    jeanine
    http://www.ontheinsidedesign.com

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