INTERIOR DESIGN BUSINESS SPOTLIGHT
Mistakes To Avoid With Your First Interior Design Clients
Table Of Contents
Table Of Contents
I've been an architect and interior designer for over twenty wonderful and rewarding years, yet the lessons from my very first interior design projects remain some of the most impactful and essential to shaping my career and business success. That’s why I thought that this post was essential to write, especially for solo designers or new designers who are working on their first interior design projects. Avoiding these mistakes with your first interior design clients can make all the difference between thriving in this industry or facing setbacks that could cost you years of regret, or even lead you to give up on this career altogether.
When I started in interiors, the industry was secretive, highly competitive, and interior designers often had a reputation for being difficult to work with. Thankfully, things have come a long way since then. With so much information available online and through AI, it’s easier to learn, but one thing you can’t find anywhere else is real project experience. That’s what makes this post so valuable.
People always say they wish they could learn from other people’s mistakes, and that’s exactly what this is about. I want you to take away practical, actionable advice from this post, something that will immediately impact your design career and help you succeed. These are the lessons I wish someone had shared with me! If you have more to share, let’s continue the conversation below the post.
Most interior designers who start out get their first client through someone they know. Usually, it’s a friend, relative, or a friend of someone they know. That referral often makes them feel like a fraud, and they think their first client isn’t a “real” client. One of the biggest mistakes to avoid with your first interior design clients is discounting your time (or working for free), relying on verbal contracts and briefs instead of professional processes, and being too casual about the whole thing because it’s your first project. That is the biggest first mistake. When you are dealing with any client as a professional, no matter if you know them or not, you need to be a professional. You need to guide the process and treat every single client like a real client.
This was a mistake I made because those first few clients I worked with when I started my business were friends. We had no contract, no written brief, and a very fluid and flexible timeline, which meant I did more than I should have on those projects and didn’t get paid for all the work I did. Avoiding these mistakes with your first interior design clients is crucial if you want to succeed. The reality is, if you are in business, you need to treat every person that comes your way as a client, no matter if you know them or not. You’re a business, so you need to act like one. If you can’t do that with the client you have, then that client isn’t for you (no matter how badly you want them!).
One of the most important lessons in interior design and mistakes to avoid with your first interior design clients is understanding that projects take far longer than you might expect. As a naturally optimistic person, I often underestimated how much time tasks would require, even after 20 years in the industry. Your mind can distort reality, especially when imagining the final result, but sticking to your systems is key. To manage your time effectively, you must keep a timesheet, track your tasks and estimate how long each stage of a project will take. Without this, it’s easy to underestimate the effort required, leading to delays and missed deadlines. Even if you don’t know how long the project will take, the act of thinking through it and listing out tasks alone will get you to think about what is really involved (much more than a guess!)
When preparing a fee proposal, always break the project into phases and calculate how long each task will realistically take. This is essential for setting accurate pricing and avoiding resource mismanagement. Another often-overlooked aspect is sourcing materials and furniture. Finding one perfect piece that meets all the client’s needs which is the right style, size, budget, and availability can take an entire day – even on the simplest of projects. Multiply that by the dozens of items required for a project, and the hours quickly add up. Always include sourcing time in your planning and communicate this with clients to manage expectations. One of my rules of thumb is to simply double the time you think it’s going to take (you can thank me later!)
If you’re just starting out as an interior designer you might also like this post about The Reality Of Starting An Interior Design Career | Challenges You Need to Know
Although it might seem obvious when you read this that you’re in control of the project, it’s easy to let responsibility slip when you’re just starting out, passing off important responsibilities to others (like the client, contractor or other professionals), but, you need to take control of the project because clients rely on you to guide the process. If you don’t take ownership or show confidence in how you work, the project can become chaotic.
When you let other people like contractors, suppliers, or even the clients themselves push you in directions you don’t want to go, the vision gets muddled, and the entire project can end up a disaster. Being the leader doesn’t mean being rigid, but it does mean having clarity, confidence, and the ability to steer the project toward a successful outcome.
If you want to be paid more than a token amount for your work, you need to show up professionally. This means keeping communication open with your clients and being available to them. I struggled with this at the start because I was shy and avoided answering calls, which only made things harder. Another common mistake with first interior design clients is hesitating to communicate openly or avoiding conversations out of fear.
To succeed, you have to get over those fears and be confident in leading the project. When you communicate clearly and guide the process, your clients will trust you, they will forgive you easily if (and when) you make mistakes and your projects will run much smoother. This has a knock on effect. If your projects go well, you build your confidence for the next project and so on!
Every time I skipped part of my process, thinking it wasn’t necessary, I got something critically wrong. Whether it was skipping the onboarding process, working without a proper contract, or thinking I didn’t need to be as professional with someone I knew, it always backfired. Following a set process ensures consistency and leads to much better outcomes.
Always onboard your clients properly, stick to contracts, and maintain professionalism no matter who the client is. When you follow your process every time, you set yourself up for a smoother project and build trust in your ability to deliver. If you don’t have a confident client, business or project process, have a look at our mentorship options.
Finally, clients take bad photos. A lot of new designers work on projects for free or at a reduced rate because they believe that the project will provide them with a stunning portfolio. Trust me when I tell you that those first projects are unlikely going to be the type of photos that you want to be known for. Many e-designers will try to get their clients to take photos of the project but most clients will not capture the stunning, professional-quality portfolio images you might hope for!
This can be frustrating when you’re just starting out and trying to build a portfolio, but it’s a reality you need to accept. One of the biggest mistakes to avoid with your first interior design clients is placing too much importance on getting perfect photos instead of prioritising the quality of the project itself. Your focus should always be on delivering a great design and making your client happy.
When you put your energy into the process and outcome, happy clients will lead to referrals and better opportunities down the line. As you gain more experience, you’ll work on larger projects with clients who are more willing to invest in professional photography, giving you the chance to build the portfolio you’ve been dreaming of. If you would like to know more about how to run e-design projects, you’ll like this post: How To Provide Interior E-Design Service.
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What did I learn from my first interior design clients? Treat every client as real, know that interior design takes time, take control of the project, be available for your client, follow your processes, and manage your expectations about photos from your early projects.
Jo Chrobak