An Interior Designer Reveals: 3 Things I Wish My Clients Knew
The president of the Interior Design Confederation Singapore gives us 3 tips on what he wishes his clients knew
1. Be prepared when you meet your interior designer
According to Woo, you need come prepared with ideas, inspiration and personal information on the occupants.
“Don’t come without a floor plan,” says Woo. “Make sure you’ve got a functional brief; this means that you know exactly the scope of work you’d like your interior designer to do.”
This include minutiae like number of bedrooms and occupants, what stage of life you’re at etc.
“Come with a wish list of mood images and a visual diary of images of things you like and what exactly you like about them,” he adds. Offering an image and saying that you like everything about isn’t very helpful in pinpointing your aesthetics, so give specifics.
According to Woo, you need come prepared with ideas, inspiration and personal information on the occupants.
“Don’t come without a floor plan,” says Woo. “Make sure you’ve got a functional brief; this means that you know exactly the scope of work you’d like your interior designer to do.”
This include minutiae like number of bedrooms and occupants, what stage of life you’re at etc.
“Come with a wish list of mood images and a visual diary of images of things you like and what exactly you like about them,” he adds. Offering an image and saying that you like everything about isn’t very helpful in pinpointing your aesthetics, so give specifics.
2. Be realistic about professional fees
You need to be aware that you’re paying for professional skills and realise that you get what you pay for says Woo.
“The people that you’re engaging are going to be spending quite a lot of time assessing your life, your life stage and how to improve your home,” explains Woo.
“It’s a big investment, not just in terms of time, but also in money and effort.
“Give them due respect as they’re professionals in what they do and know how to make this assessment properly,” says Woo.
You need to be aware that you’re paying for professional skills and realise that you get what you pay for says Woo.
“The people that you’re engaging are going to be spending quite a lot of time assessing your life, your life stage and how to improve your home,” explains Woo.
“It’s a big investment, not just in terms of time, but also in money and effort.
“Give them due respect as they’re professionals in what they do and know how to make this assessment properly,” says Woo.
3. Be honest about your budget
Interior designers do not possess a mental calculator that will give you the job cost down to the last cent he cautions “because they need to do a design based on your brief first”.
Interior designers do not possess a mental calculator that will give you the job cost down to the last cent he cautions “because they need to do a design based on your brief first”.
“You have to allow for the design process to be done for the interior designer to even give you a baseline cost.
“They might also have to work with another consultant, if the job is very complicated, to give you the cost of the build.”
“They might also have to work with another consultant, if the job is very complicated, to give you the cost of the build.”
TELL US
Were these tips useful? Tell us in the Comments below. And don’t forget to save your favourite images, bookmark the story, and join in the conversation.
Were these tips useful? Tell us in the Comments below. And don’t forget to save your favourite images, bookmark the story, and join in the conversation.
As the president of the Interior Design Confederation Singapore (IDCS), Woo knows exactly what a client needs to do for the best results.