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 »
Contractor bids for interior designers can feel like a tightrope walk. Your client wants “transparency,” your trusted GC wants their time respected, and you want bids you can actually compare without turning your project into a free-for-all. This guide gives you a clean, repeatable way to run the contractor bid process like a pro. You’ll
Contractor Bids for Interior Designers: 6 Steps to Compare Estimates Read More »
Author: Guest post by Shannon Ggem, Principal Designer, Ggem Design Studio As interior designers, the brands we specify reflect our values. At Ggem Design Studio, we are not just curating beautiful rooms, we are choosing which companies we invite into our clients’ homes and into our own workflow. Our brand vetting standards are one of
How Interior Designers Vet Brands Before They Specify Them Read More »
