“Whaattt?! Is she for real out here throwing out personal advice when she supposed to be designing?” Yes, Felicia. Yes I am, with all of my cents, getting personal to talk to you about interior design. Part of what makes interior design such a unique service and industry is that we gotta get in your business: our relationships with our clients often transcend the surface information sharing that you typically see in business to consumer (B2C) relationships. Specifically, residential designers are often privy to… private information that you wouldn’t typically share with the grocery cashier, or even the hairstylist that you gossip with every 2 weeks. That means having a clear understanding of yourself and what you want will help us help you.

Here’s a scenario: you decide to hire a designer to redo your master bath. The designer asks what you want, and you say you’re open as long as it’s contemporary and new. The designer goes off, pulls something together, and you decide it’s not really your cup of tea. You and the designer chat about updates, but you still haven’t fully expressed what you want. The designer makes updates based on the conversation, but you’re still not satisfied. Now stress and frustration gets in the mix. You start searching for pieces on your own and complaining to family and friends about how things aren’t working out like you want. Now there’s distance between you and the designer. The designer recognizes the change, but doesn’t have any additional information to help resolve any concerns. Communication breaks down, and eventually the process ends at some point with both parties unsatisfied in some way.

Listen. We don’t want that. No designer wants an unsatisfied client and the difficulties that come with it. And I know for sure that no client wants to have spent their money on a service they feel did not provide what they needed. Unfortunately, this is something that just about every designer has experienced, but it doesn’t have to be your experience. That’s why it’s so important to understand who you are and what you want before you start your design journey. I know that there are pros, magazines, TV shows, all telling you what you should have and where, but design is so much more than that. It’s about you. Your project is customized for you, and in order for us to create a customized space for you, you have to know you. Understand your likes, not just your dislikes. What do you need to support your hobbies? How do you want to interact with your space after a long day’s work? Know these things for yourself first so that your space can be created around and in support of them.

Now I know you some part of you may be thinking, “But isn’t that what a designer is for? You’re supposed to be able to help me figure it out. That’s your job.” Well, Felicia, you’re only partially right. We do help you visual your needs and incorporate them in the physical space, but that doesn’t happen without some level of workable information. Telling me that you want a contemporary space with no blue is very different from telling me that you want a contemporary space with warm woods, black accents, and maybe some greenery for an oasis-like feel. The difference is getting specific about what you want, and not stopping at generalizations. If you can identify the specifics and describe them to yourself, then you’ll be able to communicate them with your designer.

So, there you have it. Knowing yourself helps you communicate with us, which in turn helps us to pull together a better customized design, which creates a more enjoyable design process for all. And ultimately that’s what we want. Your success is my success, and your designer’s success. So what’s next? Well that is you liking this post and subscribing to the blog so you get notified when the next article drops. Talk with you soon!