As you embark on your journey to explore the possibilities of creating a vision for a specific project, it is so important to be able to communicate with yourself, your partner, your family, and lastly, your designer or person completing the project.
Communication is one of the most, if not the most important thing we have as humans. Every sound creates a word, and each word creates an expression of something about each one of us. It is the key to all self-growth, healing, and relationships.
When you hire someone, you should take time to first communicate with yourself exactly what you need and want out of a project. Personally, I am very intuitive and have a natural ability to connect with people, understand them and their needs. I feel blessed to have this ability and to truly enjoy connecting with people. Even so, this can only go so far in any relationship. Communication must go both ways.
Open communication is a dual pathway to the person with which you are communicating with. In design, this is the designer and the client(s). Usually, the communication starts at the inquiry, going into scheduling the consultation. As a client, you should take time before you decide to hire or interview a designer, to decide what exactly you want to communicate to that person. Here is an easy list to go by:
Brain dump all of your ideas, goals, and wishes for each specific project. A list per room (if necessary) is a good way to organize it.
What are you trying to accomplish?
What are your expectations?
What type of service are you looking for (a full-service interior designer, a carpenter, a handyman, a plan for DIY, etc.)?
What is your budget?
What is your timeline?
How available are you going to be to that person you are hiring?
How active do you wish to be in the process? What would you like to be a part of? Be clear in deciding this and communicating this.
Are there any specifications, special needs about you, your family, or regarding your project that the person you are hiring needs to know (this could be allergies, house availability, specific products, etc)?
Being able to communicate with the person you hire, and be clear and open to expressing yourself, your needs and wants, and defining a budget, will determine whether or not your project will be successful in the ways in which you envisioned it.
I have of course experienced unsatisfied clients in my twelve years of business, but when I look back at a couple of projects, it was because the client was not actively communicating with me, and was not a part of the plan, nor did they care to read over the details in which we provided.
It can be so personal to be in someone’s home. We have developed what we think is a seamless onboarding process to ensure our client has time to think over some very important questions before we ever schedule a consultation. If you do not have this opportunity, make sure to refer to these questions above, and communicate them with your service provider.