Ten Dirty Truths About Being an Interior Designer

Happy Monday Y'all!

Ugh...just kidding. There's not much exciting about a Monday morning. But to add some fun to it, I'm letting you in on some secrets. Who doesn't love a secret?

Here are the top Ten Dirty Truths about being an Interior Designer...from the front lines y'all here it is:

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1. The first design idea is never the best.

I always think I've had an epiphany when that first GRAND idea comes into my head! You'd think I'd learn by now not to get excited about something that will either never work, is too expensive, or is just plain dumb after thinking it over. So I end up scrapping about a days worth of work and planning. Every single time, folks.

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2. If you are an Interior Designer, other women are instantly be jealous of your job title.

Interior Designer! Wow! That is soooo cool! And exciting! You are so lucky! They only think this because they don't know #3

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3. It's really hard to make money in Residential Interior Design.

This is because every time you finally think you are finally turning a profit, one of the following will probably happen: your computer (iPad, cell phone, printer, etc.) breaks, a client is two months late on a payment, you realize you forgot to pay your sales tax (which makes you realize that you need to hire an accountant), or the worst, you made a mistake (oops that $6,000 custom sofa won't fit through the front door!). Guess who has to keep that sofa? Yeah...you guessed it (me).

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4. We are not all Jenny Komenda (best do-it-yourselfer designer in the western hemisphere).

Jenny Komenda of Little Green Notebook is a genius. Do I wish I could turn a rusty old toilet seat into a center piece? Yes. But it's not going to happen. Not to me. Not in this lifetime. And neither are you. So put down the gold leaf and step away from the floor sander. Unless you are in fact Jenny Komenda (and if you are thanks for reading my blog!) Which leads me to my next point:

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5. If you hire an Interior Designer, expect to pay up.

If you have no budget and want a do-it-yourself fabulous makeover, orchestrated by Jenny Komenda, forget it. Not going to happen. What you will save in furnishings, you will pay for in design fees. And you will end up doing the dirty work yourself (yuck)

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6. Most people have no idea how Interior Designers make money.

This is such a hush, hush topic we are not supposed to discuss but it's your lucky day so I'm going to tell you. In the olden days, before the Internet, designers made money off of the furniture/wallpaper/accessories they sold. If they sold you a table that retails for $4,000, they payed wholesale for it which a lot of times is less than half. That extra $2,000+ is their profit. Only it doesn't really work that way anymore because the items that used to be available only to designers, regular people can now purchase on the Internet at a great price. We hate this because it blew up our entire business model. We can still mark up most of the things we "sell" but the margin is MUCH smaller. Think 30 to 5%. That profit plus hourly or project based design fees is how we make most of our money.

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7. Marketing is hard.

When I'm not working on a project I'm marketing myself. Instagram, twitter, blogging, and general advertising is a full time job in itself

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8. Not every Interior Designer has good taste.

This always seems to surprise me. I've been in design showrooms standing next to Designers wearing scrunchies and 90's Kolhs outfits. Rule of thumb here is if you don't like the way a Designer presents themselves fashion wise, then you probably won't like their design aesthetic. (To be fair, "different strokes, different folks" and all that.)

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9. We do a lot of stuff we don't get payed for.

Such as dog sitting, babysitting for "just a minute", helping to wire light fixtures, planting flowers, cleaning (lots of this after contractors leave), touching up paint, making beds (no nothing nasty, get your mind out of the gutter), and I've even jump stated a car. All in a days work folks!

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10. Even after all this, it's still worth it.

Working with clients (who often become friends) to create a beautiful space for them is awesome. Because, it just is.