office interior design tools

starting a new business in any form is scary. in fact, starting any business is scary. let’s look at the interior design industry. it’s a service industry. you’re going to get difficult clients, performstrange hours, asked to do strange things and problem solve on the hop. secondly, it’s personal. of course it is. it’s someone’s home.

why would it not be personal? you’re going into people’s lives for aprotracted period of time. you’ll meet their families, their pets,their friends.. if you don’t want to know that aspect ofpeople’s lives you’re in the wrong profession. but what is an interior design business anyway? put simply, it’s helping someone else. your skills are guiding them to the rightdesign, layout and style for them.. notice i said them, not you. this is such a common misconception.

years ago i was a stylist and over those years,i met so many other stylists who styled each of their clients the exact same way. as an interior designer, i’ve met designerswho do the same thing and only do their own designs, the same way each time. with no client involvement whatsoever; theywon’t change, budge or make alterations. not only is it self limiting, but its shortsighted business-wise. you have to be able to design in all sortsof ways - not just your signature style. the essence of being a good designer is beingable to design different styles - not just one way - be it eastern, minimalistic, neutrals,retro, shabby chic or whatever.

i’m different in that i work collaboratively. it’s a team design. the client and me. yes it’s great to be left alone sometimesand get really creative, but in my experience, when they client says “i don’t want tomake any decisions”, that means “ i want you to come up with solutions to all the problemsi give you at the start and then some more solutions to the problems i create later. that's what happens, that's the reality. what this means is that the vast majorityof clients have ideas and themes they want

to use. again, be prepared that this is going to happen. remember - it’s their property - not yours. once you know it’s the right industry foryou and you accept that it’s a service for others, you can then decide whether you wantto be part of a larger team basic or set up your own business. today we’re going to focus on ‘your ownbusiness’ let’s look at the fours skills that you’llneed.. confidence to do this - and self belief.

when i say this, i mean confidence in yourteam and having the tools to do this. i also mean the confidence in your ‘time’to do it. you cannot rush the process of design. things take longer than you think - you arerelying on other workmen and suppliers. things sometimes take more money than theclient thinks and you need to be able to communicate these changes to the client professionally. all this takes confidence in your abilitiesand your team’s ability to deliver. organisation - are you neat and tidy? are you organised?

how is your diary? well thought out? do you know what the plan for the week is? do you know how you’re getting to certainplaces? do you know what’s coming up in two weeks? do you plan ahead? all of these things need to be thought out. futuristic and strategic - scary words maybe,but you need to develop these if you are going to plan an entire project. being a designer isn’t just designing.

it’s project management. you need to convey what you want to a builder,soft furnishing makers, carpenters, electricians, roofers, delivery men and installers. plus you’ll need to keep the client informed(to a degree!), happy and excited. problem solving - things will go wrong andunexpected items will come up. i completed an edwardian house a few years ago and a random steel beam appeared in a very ancientextension that was being rebuilt. the architects missed it and so did the structuralsurveyors. even the previous owners didn’t know itwas there.

it had to be removed. that cost extra time and money and the clienthad to pay for both. there are no ways around something like that. you have to know what to do, make the decisionthere and then or get a cost and relay the news and the cost to the client. other problems are more commonplace. deliveries are the most common hold up. this wouldn’t be a problem in most people’slives normally but when a delivery of lights are promised and the electricians are dueon another job, you can have issues.

another problem is sickness. issues with workmen are few and far betweenthank goodness. but other ‘one man band’ suppliers cansuddenly fall ill or have to take time off for a variety of reasons. contingency planning is vital. if someone can’t make a delivery and completean installation of curtains, do you rearrange? can you rearrange?! all these things have to be thought out andyou need to give yourself extra leeway to cover your schedule.

clients won’t be interested if a workmanor supplier can’t get to you because of a strike that they’ve known weeks aboutor even a funeral that they have to attend (which they’ve also known about previously). you need to jump in and save the schedule. sometimes there really is nothing you cando. trucks breaking down, gas leaks from adjoiningproperties, police blocking roads due to flash mob protesters - i’ve had it all. in these cases you have to re-route plansto another day and make sure everything and everyone has been told and they know the changeof plans.

you cannot just shrug your shoulders - thisis where the practice of giving yourself plenty of time comes into it’s own. marketing/pr/business acumenwhere are you placing yourself? high end? families? commercial? what is your usp (unique selling point). what do you want to become known for? what are you and what are you not?

knowing this and sticking to it is crucial. do not send mixed messages. being a jack of all trades and master of noneis often an issue for designers. in our quest to help anyone and everyone,especially at the beginning, we tend to take on everything. i know as i’ve done it. i get asked all the time “do you do xyz?” and i invariably say “yes, i don’t thinkthere’s much that i don’t do”. it’s the truth, but when you’re startingout, be careful not to take on too much.

i specialise in three things; 1. designing family properties,2. rental property renovation and3. heritage building refurbishmentoften into luxury apartments - but keeping the heritage aspects intact. you need to ask yourself and establish whyyou’re different. i’m more relaxed than highbrow and crucially,i look after those properties going forward when the work is done and everyone has movedin.

my marketing usp is that i work with my clients- i don’t dictate what they should like, feel or have. you’d be amazed how many designers saythey do this but don’t actually do it. so there you have it. four points to nail down! confidence2. organisation3. problem solving4. business acumenif you concentrate on these, your design business

will thrive. good design is inherent and will be recognised. but if you don’t convince your client onyour ideas, you don’t organise in a timely manner, you can’t fix a problem quicklyand you don’t market yourself clearly, you’ll be floundering around and not travel in anyone direction but around in circles. so that's all for this time. if you have learned anything from this video,like it, share it and subscribe to this channel for my next words of wisdom!happy designing!

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