Design By Numbers
Over the past ten years I have given plenty of design presentations to land projects as a Vancouver interior designer. Client satisfaction in interior design is often as much a matter of numbers as it is colors. My clients would find it unusual not to have early discussions concerning budgets.
To remove the guesswork from sourcing materials a designer has to have a good handle on how much is available. Otherwise the cost will spiral out of control. Too many items that make up a design sourcing list can chew into the budget well beyond their worth to the overall project. Start with the total and work within its constraints.
Beyond costing there are aspects to most interior design projects that can be anticipated. The size of a residence hints at the amount of space planning and drawings needed. The type of remodeling will tell you how many which trades and related permits are to be required. Professional designers have trusted trades so they can probably make a good estimate of their costs given the scope of work. When you get into the sourcing of materials is when the fluctuations can occur that balloon a budget.
The client always wants to know how much the job will cost. My advice to any designer is to confront budget head on. Do this early in the relationship as you ask your client lots of questions. Find out the scope of work soon enough to inquire about the budget and to qualify the client. Otherwise you may do a lot of up front work in vain.
Asking about budget is not rude. But it must be done so you can professionally advise the clients on whether you feel their expectations are in line with what they can afford. This question gives many designers the jitters, especially in the high end. They hesitate to ask about price for fear of scaring off a potential client.
In my town of Vancouver and in my location in the downtown core, I come across many clients who are busy professionals. They are used to working with the same, with partners and team player to reach corporate or career goals. They are usually short on time and want to give their interior design project to me to save them from wasting time and not getting it done right.
Numbers are so important because the cost of the overall project has to match the beginning budget as closely as the design matches the concepts that were approved by the client. I get a client to sign off on the details and the cost of each and every cost, item by item so there is no confusion.
When the grand ta-da is revealed and the clients stroll from room to room getting acquainted with good design, the designer’s true success will come from an absence of any feeling that the money was not well-spent. The design will show the effort but numbers reveal much more.