A doctor once asked me during an appointment when she figured out what I do for a living if I watched a lot of design shows on HGTV. When I said no, she laughed and said, “Of course you don’t. I don’t even know why I asked you that. That’s like someone asking me if I watch Grey’s Anatomy.” And we both had a nice {borderline hysterical} laugh. This little story pretty much sums it up for us.
We’ve lived in a world of “Move That Bus” for some time now, entranced by sparkle transitions and scripted reality TV. America has been brainwashed when it comes to all things home. We’re here to tell you that if you’re a fan, that’s so great, but that’s not really how it goes. {It can be a red flag for us when we show up for an initial design meeting and someone is donning a “Magnolia” hat.} Renovations are never easy. They’re actually a mix of design, budgets, organization, communication, unpredictable situations, and psychology. We want to help you move through it smoothly, and that’s our role from beginning to end.
We launched a series called “Things Your Designer Wants You To Know” on our site a year ago. Today, we thought it would be good to highlight it again for anyone ready to dive into a renovation of their own. We’re covering everything from that initial meeting to the finishing touches. We thought it might help bring a little awareness to the process and possibly help anyone avoid a few of the pitfalls that come with working with various professionals. So here it is!
Things Your Designer Wants You to Know.
Here, we’ll cover:
• Why you should stop apologizing for your space because we promise we’ve been there.
• We might not always tell you what you want to hear because we’re not going to lie to you so that you hire us. {AKA that project will not cost 10K. It will cost 200K.} We’re not going to pretend.
• Also, we’re not like the other girls: why our process is a little different + how you can benefit.
Here, we’ll cover:
• There’s no such thing as a small job, and design is not a one-size-fits-all.
{Just because you can, doesn’t mean you should.}
• Trust is a MUST, because overthinking can sabotage a project quickly.
• Stop self-sabotaging. It’s the number one thing we want to tell people. While most of the time, we absolutely adore working with clients, just like any well-seasoned professionals, we’ve also had our share of nightmare experiences. If you have high anxiety starting on this project, you’re going to have high anxiety all the way through. Guess who usually takes the brunt of that anxiety? Tensions run high when you’re working on a house. People tend to forget that this isn’t our first rodeo. Therefore, trust goes a long way.
• Project fatigue is real. {AKA, you’ll probably fixate on something in the process.}
Here, we’ll cover:
• Why the design process is fluid and collaborative
• Too many cooks in the kitchen + what that can mean {why boundaries are good}
• The client always comes first. 85% of our job is communication and organization. {Probably more, that’s just a guess.}
• And a few housekeeping notes.
Here, we’ll cover:
• Why some of the horror stories are real, and how we can help you avoid them.
• From main character vibes to money up front, unrealistic timelines, and communication issues, these are just a few things to avoid.
• Scary red flags for designers to look out for, {we didn’t just cover the contractors}.
• Change orders
• Please stop going rogue
• No house is perfect,
• Let the creatives do their thing…and more.
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Got any questions? Be sure to shoot them our way! We’d love to hear. Have an inspired day!
