Hey guys! We’ve had so much fun covering this side of all things business on our site, and today we’re sharing
Things Your Designer Wants You to Know {part 5}!
If you’re not familiar with us, we covered a little bit of what we do:
• In our FAQ’s post, {where we’ve outlined a little of our company}
• Things Your Designer Wants You to Know {getting started, part 1}.
• Things Your Designer Wants You to Know {getting started, part 2}.
• Things Your Designer Wants You to Know {the process, part 3}
• Things Your Designer Wants You to Know {red flags, part 4}
We’ve covered a lot in these last few posts about all things working with a designer. From a few basic things to look for, to some things that honestly aren’t that easy to say… we’re glad we could tackle them here. We love to take a design from the first concept all the way to that photo finish with a furnished space for our sweet clients, whenever possible. We hope that at the end of the job, they consider us their friends… this is how passionate we are about what we do. I think this specific post is a little bit of a wrap up post on this series, when it comes to just a few things we want to leave you with.
before
• Things Your Designer Wants You to Know: Welcome to Therapy.
As we’ve previously established, design is a lot like therapy because you really have a true meshing of different personalities that come together in a project. We’re all just humans in this world, trying the very best that we can with the tools that we have. AMIRITE? I’m establishing this here because I think it’s important to extend grace to those around us when in a working partnership. It can be easy to fall into old habits and be ruled by fear when it comes to all things communication. So I think it’s important to establish this little reminder first.
We covered all things contractors in our last post, with their main character vibes and other red flags to look for. I would be wrong not to mention this about designers: I think that there are a lot of designers out there known as prima donnas for a reason… because they are. Unfortunately, their clients have zero say and are ‘forced’ to go with the designer’s “vision” for the home. It doesn’t mesh well. I think it all goes back to that psychology/therapy thing: these professionals have pivoted to change their approach to design, and then start projecting because they became really fatigued by their jobs. And/Or they had visions of celebrity designer status in their heads. It happens, but we totally disagree with this approach to working with people.
We view our design approach as a guided, collaborative effort, and we want to achieve this together. We just want to communicate clearly with you to create a beautiful home for you. That being said, we hand over our references, work hard for our clients, and love creating beautiful spaces that make people happy. These are just a few points to remember from the other side of things.
• Things Your Designer Wants You to Know: Changes
We covered the preliminary part of the design and the concept of trust in our getting-started portion of this series. Our work has revisions because we want you to be happy with the outcome. We are happy to work with you until you feel good about your project. Please just remember that changing out elements doesn’t mean just one thing. Every time there are multiple changes, it’s sometimes hours of work for us. The design as a whole still needs to be considered. There’s always a real reason behind the recommendations we make, and we just want to help you achieve the best space for you. We spend a lot of time on revisions, and the design can become lost very quickly if you don’t have a professional to help you rein it in. We often see clients getting really fixated on one element without considering the whole, final thing. So we’re here to easily sub things out and then sometimes challenge the reasons why you want something changed. We believe in wise design decisions for long-term, sustainable options. Just remember that trust in our process goes a long way.
Read: Please don’t go crazy and start changing things mid-renovation and then try to blame the designer. We’ve seen it all.
• Things Your Designer Wants You to Know: Time
We want you to feel like you are the only Belle at the ball, but our clients are usually shocked to know that we actually have multiple projects going on at the same time. They’re all in different stages, and we truly care about each one equally. We respect your time and the funds that go into making something like this happen. We are honored that we get to be a part of the process.
If we’re working with you, it means you’re in our schedule. There are schedules for a reason so that our people are ready, and you aren’t left without a kitchen for three months. This isn’t our first rodeo, so there are a lot of logistics and the order in which things must be done. That means we need this one thing: Please get back to us in a timely manner. Or just communicate with us in the meantime. {See the overall resounding theme here for all these posts? It all keeps going back to that communication thing.}
before
• Things Your Designer Wants You to Know: Stop Going Rogue
Sometimes, they just can’t help it. And sometimes, they’re {admittedly} repeat offenders. They’ve paid us a retainer and a fee to manage their project, but on a whim, decide that they want something to change and do so without consulting or asking first… Which always results in more work. Because, well, you kind of need us. Remember that part about changing out one thing can easily affect the rest of the design? Remember that thing about communication?
• Things Your Designer Wants You to Know: No House is Perfect
Especially when working with an older home and putting things back. Remember that thing about fixations? Sometimes, it’s not just one window in your kitchen {me}. Sometimes, it can be easy to feel like nothing is good enough in the entire process. Sometimes, each step of the way can feel exhausting if the client isn’t willing to accept things as they are. Floors in older houses can be uneven because of an older foundation. The ceilings can be a little wonky. This can affect the new. We do our very best to deliver an amazing space, but houses aren’t perfect. Sometimes, that combination and a client’s first-ever renovation are not a good mix because of the expectations and reality. Sometimes, they can get really caught up in perfection and lose sight of the forest for the trees. A beautiful space can be presented, and they still aren’t happy because they choose to be upset over, well, everything. That can be a lot of wasted energy, to be honest. The project will be beautiful, and sometimes, you just have to trust that process. So please remember that no house is absolutely perfect. We do our very best.
• Things Your Designer Wants You to Know: Let the Creatives Do Their Thing.
Our son waited until the last possible minute to let us know about the fact that he needed a corsage for prom last weekend. I had to find a florist, call around, yay teenagers. I found a sweet florist who was willing to take my order over the phone. She kindly explained everything to me {I was going cross-eyed over rhinestone bands vs. ribbon bands vs. white roses… though I really appreciated her thoroughness} and once I handed off the color, I said, “I trust you. Do your thing.”
“Really?” she asked, shocked. “Are you sure? Because a lot of people are very picky.”
“I can only imagine,” I replied. {I know where we live}”But I believe in letting the creatives do their thing.”
She breathed a sigh of relief.
I am the same with our photographer, our hair stylist, and anyone in the creative field.
Is there an easy way to say this other than the above trite metaphor? Yes, a fifty-dollar corsage does not equate to a full-on renovation. There is a lot more stress involved, and we know because we’ve been on the other side multiple times {We are SO over our own house.} But I think we’ve established our process so that you realize by now that we aren’t here for a hostile takeover. But small business owner friends and I have bemoaned over this… I think there’s just a different approach to viewing life once you have owned a small business.
Trying to control everything about what you have hired someone else to do is the quickest way to stifle a creative flame. On the other hand, Letting people do what they were hired to do is the best way to inspire trust on both sides and achieve the best possible outcome.
I’m repeating a little of what I’ve said in the other posts, but you hired us {a designer team} for a reason. We just want to help. If you think you know what your style is, but your home looks nothing like it, that’s an indication that you don’t know how to pull it together. Sometimes you need help, and that means listening to us.
• Things Your Designer Wants You to Know: Communication. Trust. Pixie dust.
I think I keep throwing out percentages here, but we believe that 100% of our job is based on good communication from both sides, {along with mutual trust and organization}. We haven’t even thrown in the fun part, which is the design. TV has made our job look easy. It’s also made our job look cheap. Neither is true. We’re looking out for you and your home, and we adore pulling it all together for one happy space. We just need a client’s help to make the magic happen.
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People always ask us about ‘nightmare clients.’ We are very fortunate to work with amazing people, though I think every small business owner gets a dose every now and then. At the end of the day, the worst possible client is one who just won’t communicate. Bottom line. This entire series, from things you’ll probably do as a client so that you feel normal {see: fixation}, to red flags to look out for, to things to be aware of from the other side in this post, are all a part of something that we hope has been helpful to others.
Designing a house is a lot like therapy because we really get into the ins and outs of our client’s personalities and lives. It is really the chemistry of two different parties coming together to make something work. It takes patience and understanding. So, we hope this little series has given you a bit of insight as to what makes a job successful… and what doesn’t. It’s good to check it out before hiring someone or moving forward with a big project!
Did you know that we take on clients in the Nashville area and nationally? We’d love to hear from you! Contact us here!
See the entire series here:
• In our FAQ’s post, {where we’ve outlined a little of our company}
• Things Your Designer Wants You to Know {getting started, part 1}.
• Things Your Designer Wants You to Know {getting started, part 2}.
• Things Your Designer Wants You to Know {the process, part 3}
• Things Your Designer Wants You to Know {red flags, part 4}
• Things Your Designer Wants You to Know {Part 5}
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