We want to answer a question that clients never ask, as we believe it is the most important question you should ask before engaging a designer. Here’s an idea using pictures to illustrate:
Project 1
A space starts here …

Moves to here …

Then to here …

And ends up here.

Project 2
A space starts here …

Moves to here …

Then to here …

And ends up here.

So what is the big question we are surprised that we never hear?
The question is, “Does your interior design business have the people needed to make the designs and dreams for my home a reality?”
No one ever asks that question and that is probably one of the most important questions that a client should ask. A good designer can help you develop the dreams for your home because we have to assume that anyone promoting themselves as a designer knows how to put colors together. But after that, it takes a huge back-end operation to bring those dreams to life. Each of our stores’ five design teams is made up of two to four people, depending on the designer. Then there are our other 25 staff members who are making sure orders are entered correctly, tracked, received, and delivered to your home. In addition to that, we have 25 subcontractors who make the draperies, upholster the furniture, fashion the custom-designed pieces, etc.
So, when you choose an interior designer, always make sure you hire a business that is a true design firm first and foremost and not a furniture store that does design work. You need a team whose mission is design and who is not motivated by selling you something they need to move off their sales floor. Then be sure to ask the important question: “Can you make the dream I have in my head a reality in my home?”