When I ask designers this question inside Interior Design Community, the answers come fast. You can almost feel people exhaling.
Picture this. It is 11:37 p.m., you are sitting at your kitchen table with a laptop that sounds like a small airplane, half a glass of grocery store red, and an inbox full of “quick questions” that are not quick at all. Your project management system is a mashup of color-coded folders, screenshots, and whatever your bookkeeper begged you to use last tax season.
The client you bent over backwards for just asked if you can “pop by for ten minutes” tomorrow, which you know will be an unpaid two-hour site visit. You scroll Instagram, see another designer’s beautifully shot project, and think, “If I had known what I know now, I would have built this business differently from day one.”
Our community thread on this topic lit up immediately. Designers at every stage, from new studios to seasoned firms, shared what they would change if they could hit the reset button on their interior design businesses. The themes were clear: marketing that is actually strategic, systems that support profit, boundaries that protect your time, and a long-game mindset about money and career.
This article pulls those lessons together. If you are already in business, consider it a midcourse correction guide. If you are starting, treat it like a cheat sheet from older siblings who already fell into all the potholes.
Make Your Interior Design Marketing About The Client, Not Your Portfolio
One of the strongest responses came from builder and remodeler Chad Arendsen, principal of COAT Design Remodel in San Diego, who often collaborates with designers on complex projects. You can find him on Instagram at @chadofall_chadillac and at coatdr.com.
“If I were starting today,” Chad says, “I would make all of my marketing about my client and not about me, my team or our work. I would never use the words full service or high quality to try to differentiate. I would be unrelenting in providing an amazing, loving experience for the client at every interaction, even when they do not appreciate it. I would own my mistakes quickly and fully, and never assume I know more than my client, subcontractors, trades or anyone else on the project.”
That is a masterclass in positioning.
Most designers still lead with “We are a full-service interior design firm creating timeless, elevated spaces.” Clients have seen that sentence a thousand times. What they have not seen as often is language that sounds like:
- “We help busy families renovate without blowing up their lives.”
- “We manage every trade and detail so you do not have to.”
- “We specialize in getting projects photographed, published, and resale-ready.”
When your website, social posts, and inquiry process speak directly to the emotional and practical outcomes your clients care about, you stand out without shouting.
If you are revisiting your messaging, try this little prompt:
“Before working with us, our clients usually feel __________. After the project, they feel __________.”
Fill that in with real words your clients use in emails and conversations, not aspirational marketing buzz. Then thread those phrases through your About page, your services, your Instagram captions, and your proposals.
Chad is also reminding us that humility is part of good marketing. Designers who build trust with trades, subs, and integrators get better referrals, better execution, and fewer “how did this happen” disasters.
Push Clients Further And Protect The Portfolio
Creative risk is another area many designers would handle differently.
Montreal-based designer Jean Stéphane Beauchamp of Jean Stéphane Beauchamp Design shared that, if he were starting again, he would challenge his clients more. You can follow him on Instagram at @jsbeauchampdesign.
“Knowing what I know today, I would push my clients further,” he says. “My best projects were those that went beyond the clients’ comfort zone. I would also choose better projects to photograph, take more pride in my work, and be clearer with my visual identity.”
There is a quiet truth here. Interior design businesses are built on portfolio pieces that show what you can do, not only what clients are already comfortable with. If every room is dialed down to the safest choice, you will end up with a website full of beige, fear-based choices.
Pushing clients does not mean ignoring their needs. It means saying things like:
- “You hired me to stretch you a bit. I would be doing you a disservice if I did not show you this bolder option.”
- “Here is the safe route, and here is the version that will really make this room sing. Let me walk you through the tradeoffs.”
And then, as Jean Stéphane reminds us, be deliberate about what you photograph. Free yourself from feeling obligated to take on every project. Prioritize the work that actually represents what you want more of.
Photograph Everything, Then Build Systems To Track The Money
Portfolio and profit sit closer together than most designers realize.
San Francisco designer Jihan Spearman, founder of Spearman Spaces and voice behind @spearman_spaces, says her do-over would start here: “High-quality professional interiors photography of all projects. And using software to track items with a bookkeeper.”
That is the intersection of visibility and financial control.
A photographed project is an asset. It feeds your website, social media, press outreach, and speaking invitations. It justifies higher fees when prospective clients can see the level of detail and finish you deliver.
On the financial side, the firms that grow consistently are not necessarily the most creative. They are the most organized. They know, in real time, which invoices are out, which purchase orders are in, and what the margin looks like on every specification.
Jihan’s comment pairs nicely with the advice from Blue Sky Creative, a B2B design support studio that serves other designers and builders. Founder Jessica of Blue Sky Creative and @blue_skycreative said she would “set up better systems in the beginning.”
If you are starting now, or course correcting after years in business, make a shortlist of non-negotiable systems:
- A design or project management platform that tracks proposals, POs, receiver logs, and install notes. Think of tools like Programa or StyleRow, or the design-specific platform your brain actually wants to use.
- Accounting that speaks the language of projects, not just tax categories. You need to see what each job is actually earning once freight, receiving, and installation are factored in.
- Shared documents or a CRM that keep client communication, selections, and site notes out of your head and off random text threads.
Marbé, principal designer behind Los Angeles-based Marbé Designs and Instagram handle @marbedesigns, cut right to the chase in our thread, “Knowing what I know today? Many things. Starting with good design management software.”
Listen to her. Software is cheaper than stress.
If you feel overwhelmed by the idea of migrating your whole studio into a new system, start small. Choose one upcoming project as your test case, build it entirely in the new platform, and give yourself a 90-day experiment. The goal is not perfection. The goal is fewer things falling through the cracks.
Brand Clarity, Vision, And The Client Experience
Sound systems and profitable pricing still rely on one thing, a clear vision of who you are in the market.
Brand and web designer Suman Panja specializes in helping interior design studios get this right. You will find his work at sumanpanja.com and on Instagram at @suman.for.interiors.
His advice in the thread was sharp and straightforward, “Establish a clear vision and create a personal brand to build trust.”
Your brand is not just colors and fonts. It is the promise you are making to clients on every page, in every reel, in every presentation. When that promise is fuzzy, people hesitate. When it is specific, they either lean in or opt out, which saves everyone a lot of time.
To clarify your own vision, try answering three questions in writing:
- What kinds of spaces am I uniquely good at creating?
- What type of client gets the best results with me?
- What is the experience of working with my studio supposed to feel like, from inquiry to install?
Then audit your touchpoints. Does your website show projects that match the client you just described? Does your inquiry form filter the way you want? Do your emails and proposals match the level of professionalism you say you deliver?
Abiola Amusan, co-founder of AV Luxury Design and community member behind @avlddesign, brought a little humor to the thread when he wrote that, starting today, he would “read every blog post and every Instagram post IDC ever written first.” You can learn more about his technology integration firm at avluxurydesign.com.
Kidding aside, it is a reminder that education shortens the learning curve. Whether it is IDC content, your local design association, or specialized mentors, seek out people who are already operating at the business level you want. Learn from their wins and their mistakes so you are not reinventing the wheel in a vacuum.
Know Your Worth From Day One And Set Hard Boundaries
Every time we talk about starting a design business, money trauma walks into the room.
Oklahoma-based luxury designer Heather Lay of Heather Lay Interiors and @heatherlayinteriors did not sugarcoat it in her comment.
“Know my worth from the get go,” she said. “I spent too long undercharging and not setting clear boundaries with clients. Now we charge what we are worth and have the most amazing clients who realize the value of a great design team.”
Most designers can point to the era when they accepted every job, negotiated their own fee down, and let scope creep take over. The irony is that low fees do not usually attract grateful clients. They attract people shopping for a bargain, who often require the most emotional energy.
If you are revisiting your pricing, here are a few practical steps:
- Separate your design fee from your procurement profit. Your design work is not free just because you are also selling a product.
- Set a minimum design fee for any project that exceeds a single consultation. Anything under that amount stays as a paid consult or a one-room concept.
- Choose a procurement margin that supports your overhead, risk, and client handholding. Then stick with it unless volume or scope truly changes the math.
On the boundaries side, create scripts so you are not inventing responses on the fly when you are tired or caught off guard. For example:
- “I would love to look at that. I will add it to our task list, and we can review it during our next scheduled meeting.”
- “That is outside our current scope. I can send an amendment with pricing if you would like us to take it on.”
- “I am not available for site visits without a signed agreement. The next step is to review the contract and retainer together.”
Heather’s experience shows that once you hold the line, the clients who value strong leadership and clear process stay. The rest fade away, making room for better fits.
Understand The Timeline, Interior Design Is A Long Game
One of my favorite comments came from Liz Crivello of Collected Interiors, based in Walnut Creek, California. You can see her work at collectedid.com and follow her at @collectedid.
Liz wrote, “Realize that it would take more than two years to make it a full-time job.”
That should probably be printed on every design school diploma.
Building a referral-based, relationship-rich interior design firm is not a quick sprint. It looks more like three to five years of stacking projects, refining your process, slowly raising your rates, and learning how to manage trades, clients, and your own nervous system.
Jihan from Spearman Spaces has often spoken about her career path from attorney to designer and how long it took her to feel financially stable. Heather, Liz, and many others inside IDC echo that timeline.
If you are in year one or two and wondering why it still feels wobbly, nothing is wrong with you. You are building something that often requires long lead times, years-long projects, and a trust-based sales cycle.
Practical ways to support yourself in that long game:
- Keep another income stream for a while, whether it is part-time work, a partner’s income, or design adjacent consulting.
- Watch your overhead. You do not need a glossy studio lease on day one. You do need good insurance, solid contracts, and clean books.
- Track your inquiries, close rate, average project fee, and margin so you can see real progress even when your brain says “nothing is happening.”
Start Today With One Different Choice
So, if you really did start your design business today, what would you change first?
Maybe you already know your answer because it has been whispering to you while you read this. Raise your minimum. Fire the client who has crossed the line three times. Block time to audit your systems. Hire that bookkeeper. Email the photographer you have been stalking on Instagram.
Here is the good news. You do not actually need a time machine. You are allowed to restart your interior design business from where you are standing right now.
Take one cue from Chad and review your marketing so every sentence speaks to the client and the experience you deliver. Borrow courage from Jean Stéphane and push one client a little further than they feel comfortable on the next presentation. Follow Jihan and Jessica’s lead and get serious about software, photography, and the numbers. Let Suman’s reminder about brand clarity guide your next website decision. Stand with Heather on knowing your worth and with Liz on honoring the long journey.
Then remember what Abiola joked about in his comment. You are not doing this alone. There is an entire community of designers who have fallen on their faces, rebuilt, and kept going.
If tonight finds you at that same kitchen table with the loud laptop and the long to-do list, consider this your permission slip. You can rewrite the rules of your studio. One boundary, one system, one better project at a time.