“What do you do?”  A Big Question for an Interior Designer

As a professional Interior Designer practicing in Bergen County, NJ this is a question I get asked all the time.  You are supposed to answer this question simply in one sentence or two so the person asking understands what you do.

That is not so easy.

A professional Interior Designer possesses an extraordinary amount of in-depth knowledge and experience gained through years of education and experience from many years of practicing design for their clients.

Design projects can range from new construction, to remodeling and renovations to sprucing up, to designing one space to a whole house, and to specialty spaces such as kitchens, baths,  home gyms, wine rooms, home theatres, home offices and so on.  Another design specialty is in commercial spaces such as offices, retail stores, health care facilities, or hospitality spaces.

A designer’s knowledge base grows every year. Think about all the new innovations in technology and equipment we have seen in the last 5 to 10 years alone!  An Interior Designer has to know about it all.  That’s why I take continuing education courses every year.  Even with all the information on products that is available to consumers today, it is the designer who knows how to select the correct item to meet the needs of the client.  The designer has the ability to create something totally new and custom just for you.

So if you asked me “What do you do?” I might simply answer this way:

“I specialize in helping my clients envision how they live now and how they would like to live if they could make some changes. Then I design their spaces to reflect that dream and make it a reality.”

I might add a little more about what value the designer brings to the process:

“No matter the project, large or small, I am the client’s advocate. I help them make the correct choices so they don’t make costly mistakes thus saving them money, I keep the project well managed so it stays on time and sticks to the budget, and we have fun so it is not a painful experience!”

Then I could say:

“I love seeing the client’s face when their project is complete and they experience living in the space. When a client recently said to me, “You exceeded my expectations!” that meant the world to me. 

Gotta get in front of the mirror to practice this!