3 Reasons My Interior Design Business is Not a Hobby

3-reasons-my-interior-design-business-is-not-a-hobby

3 Reasons My Interior Design Business is Not a Hobby

I have to fight off irritation when a potential client treats my interior design firm like one big hobby. (Rant alert!) Not only is it degrading, it also shows their gross lack of knowledge. If they knew what I did, they wouldn’t dismiss it as a merely “picking out paint colors and arranging furniture.”

Sure, I’ll help you narrow down your color palette and style your space with the perfect furniture pieces, but that is barely a glimpse of how I give my clients the royal treatment. …and by royal treatment, I mean that I fully remove the burden of decision-making, coordinating vendors, and organizing installations.

Here are 3 reasons why my interior design business is so much more than a hobby:

#1: Because of what I do, my clients are able to tell me what they want with lackadaisical ease. They don’t have to spend hours clicking through thousands of products to find just the right armchair, new fabric to reupholster their grandma’s antique lounge, or design window treatments that will fit those difficult arched windows.

#2: We designers have trade connections that non-designers simply don’t. We know what all of our clients’ options really are—not just the ones they see on Wayfair, Joss & Main, or IKEA—and we help them pick the right items the first time around. This results in zero wasted dollars and zero regrets.

#3: They’ll never need to call a vendor five times in one week, demanding to know where that dining room chandelier is or negotiating a better price on a custom area rug. They’ll never need to worry that a countertop arrived damaged and that a return and replacement must be coordinated—and somehow still meet the contracted deadline. Nope, all of that stress, headache, and labor of love is my job.

 

An interior designer’s job is to do 90% of the thinking, planning, strategizing, hunting, ordering and vendor follow up for his / her clients. This job requires us to become the safeguard that protects our clients’ emotions and stress levels from the hundreds of negative experiences that always occur during a project.

 

I’m a professional interior designer. I’ve got the education and the training. I even have a storefront and employ a staff of professionals. Believe me when I tell you this is not a hobby to me.  Sure, there are decorators who work part-time helping friends and family, and there are designers who work in retail stores. There is nothing wrong with that, but my employees and I are not in that category.

Several years ago, I heard an analogy that still resonates with me to this day:

Let’s say you go to the doctor and he tells you, “You have a terminal illness.”

After you get over the initial shock, he tells you that he can cure you in 10 short weeks. You will need to pay $10,000, and you will have to come in every week to get a shot, give fluids for testing, and get your vitals checked. At the end of 10 weeks, you will be cured.

You think about this for a while and consider the cost. The doctor says you can pay $1,000 per week. You reply, “Uh, I have a next door neighbor who is a nurse. She could give me the shots. I have a brother-in-law who is an EMT, and he could check my vitals. So, can I just buy the medicine from you for, say, $500 a week?”

…I think you know where I’m going with this.

Yes, I am “expensive,” and I’m not for everyone. But guess what? If you are reading this, you are probably anxious about a kitchen or bath remodel and you’re looking for a blog post on “how to choose tile for your kitchen backsplash” or “5 tile designs for your curbless shower.”

You came to me looking for information so that you can continue picking and plodding your way through one very long remodel or design project. It’s not as fun as you had hoped it would be, and you can’t wait for it to be done.

Wouldn’t it be nice to have someone else manage your project, ensuring it’s done right the first time? Wouldn’t you want someone on your team to navigate through the showrooms, contractors, architects, and well-meaning family with their fickle and loud opinions?

Don’t make mistakes that you’ll regret. Interior design is so much more than a hobby. We take your home as seriously as you do.

Give me a call so we can chat about your upcoming remodel and get it right the first time.

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