You’re gaining experience at a residential firm, but commercial interior design is where you want to go. Here’s how to make strategic moves before you graduate. You land a solid internship at a residential design firm. The work is real, the exposure is good, and you’re learning. But somewhere around week three, you’re walking through […]
How to Pivot to Commercial Interior Design While You’re Still in School Read More »
Estimating a project timeline is one of the most honest things you can do for a client relationship. Here’s how working designers build numbers that hold up. A client asks: “So how long is this going to take?” You’re early in the process. You don’t have a full scope yet, lead times are unpredictable, and
To-The-Trade Episode Summary 25 Years in the Trade, and One Clear Lesson Ann Feldstein has spent more than 25 years in the interior design industry. She started at Kravet, Inc. in 2000, spent 15 years there rising to vice president, and in 2015 launched Moxie Marketing, a firm built on the idea that women in
Your design proposal is signed, you are already thinking about materials and layouts, and then the builder’s estimate lands. Suddenly, everyone is staring at you like you hid the real number. That fear showed up recently in an Interior Design Community conversation. A designer asked a simple question that hits a nerve across the trade:
How Interior Designers Confirm Project Budget Before Construction Pricing Read More »
When your team is busy, your calendar is tight, and you still want alignment, a vision board session can work if it produces real outputs. Here’s a structure you can run in 90 minutes, plus the follow-up that turns inspiration into goals and decisions. There’s a point in every design firm’s year when everyone is
How to Run a Team Vision Board Session That Turns Into Real Goals Read More »
A designer + GC partnership can make projects smoother and more profitable, or it can blur responsibility and create unnecessary stress and expense. The difference is clarity on roles, money, risk, and how you’ll exit if life changes. You and your contractor click. The site runs calmer when you’re both involved, decisions get made faster,
Designer + GC Partnership: Roles, Money, and Risk Before You Team Up Read More »
When a client uses AI to question your pricing, your specs, or your plan, it can throw the whole project off track. Here’s how to stay calm, stay professional, and keep your process intact. You’re on a discovery call, and it’s going well. Then the client says, “I asked ChatGPT, and it thinks we can
Clients Using ChatGPT Against You: How to Protect Your Process with Confidence Read More »
Working with a new general contractor for the first time is one of those “this should be simple” situations that turns into a surprisingly high-stakes conversation. Because it is not really about faucets versus flooring. It is about clarity, accountability, client experience, and yes, profit. Get this right, and your project feels calm and professional.
Working With a New GC: Who Buys What and Who Warrants What Read More »
To-The-Trade Episode Summary In this episode of To-The-Trade, Laurie Laizure talks with Boston-based interior designer Dane Austin about the long game of building a design career, the quiet power of community, and why comfort and quality should drive nearly every major furnishing decision. Dane shares that he’s known he wanted to be a designer since
The contractor was charming right up until he ghosted her. A designer in our community told me this story. She met with a general contractor for coffee to discuss partnering on a series of remodels. He had seen her work online and “loved her refined process.” “Walk me through how you run a project,” he
Protect Your Interior Design Process: 9 Ways to Handle Contractor Copycats Read More »
