Client Communication and Boundaries

To-The-Trade

To-The-Trade S2E57 Budgets, Boundaries and Beautiful Shoots with Romina Tina Fontana

To-The-Trade Episode Summary In this episode of To-The-Trade, host Laurie Laizure sits down with Montreal-based designer Romina Tina Fontana, founder of Fontana & Company, to discuss how her deep background in marketing and graphic design shapes her approach to running her interiors studio today. It is a conversation that blends branding, editorial photography, client education, […]

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To-The-Trade, Isy Jackson

To-The-Trade S2E56 British-Inspired Interiors, Sourcing Antiques, and Setting Realistic Project Budgets with Isy Jackson

To-The-Trade Episode Summary In this To-The-Trade podcast episode, Laurie Laizure and Nile Johnson sit down with DC area designer Isy (Isabel) Jackson of Chelt Interiors to talk about British-influenced interiors, sourcing antiques, holiday decorating, and the real business of interior design behind the pretty pictures. Isy shares her creative origin story, starting with a very

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Client photo, portfolio, no photo

Client Photo Privacy: How To Handle “No Photos” Requests Gracefully

Project photos are the fuel for your portfolio, website, and social feeds. They are also photos of real people, real homes, and real lives. So what happens when a dream client says, “Please do not post this online”? In the Interior Design Community, this question comes up in conversations about the business of interior design and client

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Client management for designers, 9 practical moves when custom orders disappoint

Client management for designers, what to do when custom orders disappoint Custom orders are the heartbeat of our industry, and sometimes a custom piece arrives, and your client is not thrilled. This guide refreshes our original post for today’s design pros with concise steps you can take before, during, and after delivery. It maintains the

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texting, clients

Client Texting Policy for Designers, Real Talk and Tactics from the Trade

Should Interior Designers Charge for Client Texts? The Trade Weighs In Picture this, you are in the middle of a site visit, knee deep in tile samples, when your phone buzzes. A client wants to know if their sofa fabric is kid-friendly. You answer quickly. Then another message comes through. And another. Before you know

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Client Gifts, hand me downs, gifts

Client Gifts: Hand Me Downs, Real Stories and Practical Tips

Design pros build deep relationships with clients, and sometimes those connections lead to generous gifts. This piece collects hand me downs from interior design clients, plus a short guide to accepting client gifts with clarity. It is part celebration, part practical advice, and all about the business of interior design. Hand Me Down stories from

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Projects, proud

The Projects Designers Are Most Proud Of, and Why They Still Matter

The business of interior design is not only proposals and punch lists, it is also the work that imprints on you. Inside the Interior Design Community we asked, which project are you most proud of, and why. We asked designers on @interiordesigncommunity to share the project that made them proud. The responses were not pageview

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scary, client management, designer

5 Scary Truths Every Interior Designer Needs to Face, Before They Haunt You!

Happy Halloween, designers! While you’re picking out the perfect pumpkin spice latte and the most creative Halloween costume, I’m here to talk about something truly terrifying the nightmares that keep design business owners awake at 3 a.m. After working with hundreds of interior designers and construction professionals during my long 25-year career, I’ve seen the

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To-The-Trade, Dara Segbefia, Wellness

To-The-Trade-S2E52 How The Zen Experience Transforms Teacher Lounges with Dara Segbefia

To-The-Trade Episode Summary In this To-The-Trade podcast, our host Laurie Laizure talks with designer Dara Segbefia of The Zen Experience to explore where wellbeing intersects with the business of interior design. Dara’s work focuses on holistic design, and her niche is impactful, creating teacher lounges and staff spaces that prioritize educators as people first. She

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gift, client, hand-me-down

The Sweetest Trade, When Clients Gift Their Designers a Piece of the Past

Client gifts for interior designers often arrive at the end of a project, in the quiet, grateful space between the final walk-through and goodbye. In the Interior Design Community, designers shared what they have been given, what they kept, and what those moments meant. It usually starts with a quiet offer. “Do you want this

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