Communicating Effectively With Your Designer

Effective communication is the key to all relationships in life, so your relationship with your designer should follow suit!

Here at Nancy Lane Interiors, we have been lucky enough to work with an wide array of clients over the years, and know that every project is an opportunity to streamline communication even more to keep the design process moving.

Today, we're sharing our thoughts about what you should tell your designer upfront, what to refrain from as a client, and how we stay in touch throughout the design process! Read on for expert tips on communicating effectively with your designer.

Communicating Effectively With Your Designer

What Designers Want to Hear From You

Design projects can last for a few years, depending on your scope of work, so I liken this relationship to a long-term dating relationship that could turn into a multi-decade/lifetime relationship if you have multiple properties or spaces to work on.

So when we say we want to get to know you, we really mean that! Surface details only get you so far - your needs, preferences, lifestyle, hobbies, daily routines, etc. will actively guide the layout and design of your project, so there really is no limit to the amount of detail we want to hear from you.

DETAILED RESPONSES TO OUR QUESTIONNAIRE

Our initial questionnaire is very detailed (and might be overwhelming to some), but every question has been added as a direct result of prior experience, and they are crucial to creating a custom home for you and your family. The more thorough you can be at the beginning when you're still excited and energized, the less we have to dig for these details in the midst of design iterations when you may have decision fatigue!

LOVES AND ABSOLUTELY NOTS

Feel free to make a list of loves and absolutely no way nots for each of you that shares a space! That includes colors, of course, but that could mean a specific texture, an heirloom piece from a loved one, a climate, plants and landscaping, specific places like favorite hotels or restaurants, or a layout love or pet peeve. Or maybe you don't like sofas and prefer chairs for conversation. The more specific, the better - and don't be shy! They are all valid for you and the unique home you want us to help you to create.

VISUAL INSPIRATION

If you are a visual person, we highly encourage you to assemble a Pinterest board, physical images, or a Google File folder with saved images (preferably with notes about why you like or don't like certain elements in each photo). Like we said above, the more information, the better. But we also know that our clients have their own busy lives, so consider this step a nice-to-have!

What to Refrain From When Communicating with Your Designer

"SPARING OUR FEELINGS"

We promise that you will not offend us if you don't like something about a specific design plan. Always speak up if you aren't happy with something - we know we create beautiful spaces, but you have personal preferences just like the next person, and you are fully entitled to have your unique preferences in your own home. Not telling us not only costs you time and money in design fees and redesign work, but it may jeopardize your overall satisfaction with your project in the end.

HESITATION

Designers are not mind readers - you must have a sense of what you like and don't like, even if you trust your designer to create a beautiful, functional space on your behalf. Changing your mind on any one element has a domino effect on the rest of the plan, so honesty at every touch point from the beginning is totally necessary!

DOUBTING OUR BUDGET ESTIMATES

Being honest about your preferences directly affects our budget estimates as well. There is a range of quality and customization available to you based on that budget, hence our in-depth onboarding procedures and why we ask for client approval on budget estimates before we even begin a design plan. These estimates are based on our experience in the industry and based on historical data we keep from each and every project we work on so please trust us when we send over estimates for rooms or whole-house projects.

THE BOTTOM LINE

This is a lot of information - we get it! But doing this prep work is similar to stretching before a run - you've done the prep to make your process easier, and that's well worth the upfront effort.

In terms of ongoing communication, we stay in touch with you by email and expect a return response within 48 hours to keep the design process moving forward, not only for time and momentum and also for pricing. Tariffs still are ever present, and we can't guarantee pricing past that point, as vendors change their pricing that quickly these days.

If we can play this game of ping-pong communication back and forth effectively, we'll get to the end of a project with feelings of fulfillment and a home that works exactly how it should for you. Bottom line, and we cannot stress this enough, here at NLI, we require open, honest and timely communication throughout the design process not only because we want you to love what we create for your home but we want everybody involved to enjoy the process and the end result!

Ready to get started? Reach out to us here!