10 questions to ask your new interior design clients
Your first meeting with a new client is as much about finding out if the project is a good fit for you as it is about them finding out if you’re the designer they want to work with.
And to make an informed decision about whether a project is a good fit there’s certain questions you will want to ask when you first meet a new client.
Here’s the top 10 that I recommend….
Before we get started, the questions you ask at an initial design consultation are only part of the puzzle.
Running an effective and strategic design consultation is also really important in order to convert a client to a larger project.
I share some tips for how to do that in one of my other blog posts, which is linked here:
Read this blog post to learn how to run a more strategic initial design consultation….
But here are 10 of the questions you should ask when you’re meeting with a design client for the first time.
1: Tell me about your project and the spaces you need help with
This is an easy one for clients to answer and it helps them feel more comfortable as you get started with your meeting.
Clients are often a bit nervous and many haven’t worked with an interior designer before so don’t really know what to tell you. But this just starts them talking (most people like talking about themselves!) and you can start to get a bit of a sense of what they are after and what they might be like to work with.
The answer also helps to steer the conversation later on where you will start to come up with solutions to the problems they have outlined. So pay careful attention to the language they are using as later on you want to repeat similar language back to them so they feel you have listened and understood what they need.
Also keep this question open ended - don’t lead them. That way they will automatically share details with you that will give you an insight in to issues and things you will want to take notice of.
Side note: I never take notes in design consultations with clients - I always just listen. I think if you’re writing things down you lose a connection with the client. If you aren’t the sort of person who remembers things easily then perhaps jot down a few notes as you go but don’t do too much of this or they won’t be as open with you.
2: What do you love (and hate) about your home right now?
This one is pretty straight forward.
Hopefully they have given some thought to what is currently working well and what frustrates them.
If they need prompting it might be things like:
not enough bathrooms
not enough storage
the layout of the kitchen doesn’t work
not enough light
they hate the furniture
they don’t like the paint colour
They can be both big and small things - it’s all important for you as it helps give you more perspective.
If they haven’t given this much thought then this can be a good piece of homework to give them to do as often budget can’t stretch to everything so they need to start thinking about priorities.
An example of the homework task you can get them to do:
List everything out in two columns - one column = things we love and the other = things we hate
Next prioritise the items in the ‘things we hate’ list from most important to fix to least important to fix
There are likely to be things on the list that can be really easily changed that will start to make a big impact (e.g. could you get new linen for the bedrooms, paint the house one room at a time, put in some new window dressings, have light fittings changed to something more modern). These are quick wins.
Other things will take longer and be more difficult - this is where they will need your help.
This list will help you make design decisions, set priorities and allocate where budget should be spent.
3: Tell me about who lives here
This one is pretty straight forward. The aim here:
find out who lives there - kids, empty nesters, multi generational family living etc.
this will start to tell you about their functionality needs - e.g. teenage kids have completely different needs to toddlers
do they have pets? - if so these come with their own functionality needs and you can come up with some great solutions for pets - e.g. dog washing stations in spare bathrooms, pet cupboards in laundry for them to sleep in, a place for all the pet food in storage areas - think through what they might need and start to offer solutions.
focus on who is most important - start finding solutions to these problems first
4: Do you have any special requirements
Find out if any of the people who live in the home who or visit regularly have special needs that need to be considered.
This might be a firm chair for an elderly person to stand up from, wheel chair access, people with allergies (carpet may not be a good idea in that case), or very young children (in which case safety issues/sharp corners should be considered along with harder wearing surfaces).
You should also consider the needs of any pets - do they need access to the house when you are not home, a special space to sleep, robust furniture that is easy to clean, things that need to be stored?
Here’s some other considerations or follow up questions:
special needs?
who regularly comes to visit? any special needs there?
shorter people who can’t reach high places?
tall people who need higher surfaces to protect backs?
anyone have issues with stairs?
does anyone have special hobbies or interests that need to be factored in? (e.g. crafting room, workshop, gym, yoga space etc.?)
any collections or memorabilia that needs to be displayed or stored?
5: What is your design style or what styles are you drawn to?
What sort of style is the client drawn to?
This is a really important question as in my experience if a client has a wildly different aesthetic to you then the project is very unlikely to be successful.
Only once did I take on a project with a client who had very different design taste to me. This was early in my business when I was still in need of money and clients, but the project was a disaster. I just couldn’t align their taste with mine - in fact I really disliked their design style! After a bit of back and forth I eventually walked away from the project and gave them their money back so we could end the relationship amicably and I never took on another project where a clients’ style wasn’t aligned with mine again.
So learn from me!
Don’t just take on a client because you need the money and don’t try and make their project fit to your design style - it won’t work. You’re much better off referring them on to a different designer who you know works more with their style and then going out and finding a client who is more suited to yours.
If they aren't sure what their style is a helpful way to try and work this out is to use a digital platform like Houzz or Pinterest and set up two folders - one of pictures they love and one of pictures they don't like at all. So send them away to do that piece of homework. Get them to then start looking through images and saving things to each folder as they see them.
Find out more info on this process in this blog post I wrote:
Here’s the process I would use with clients for this (+ free download)
6: What is your budget?
There is no right or wrong answer to this question but it will tell you a lot!
A related question to this is ‘what do you consider expensive or inexpensive’ - as this will start to indicate whether they are more of a high end vs budget sort of client (you will often be able to just tell that by looking around a bit though).
The important thing is to get your clients comfortable enough to be honest with you about their budget and expectations around costs.
A few sub questions or expectations to start managing here:
most clients have a much lower budget than what they can achieve with that budget - it’s important to start managing expectations around this right from the start
it’s your responsibility to have an idea of what things cost to do - or at least the resources to be able to find out for them (it’s part of your role)
most clients are very unrealistic about what they can achieve for the money they have (not helped by reality TV shows!)
find out if there is flexibility in the budget - this is where building rapport so they are honest with you is important. You need to know what you’re really working with to try and give them the best possible help you can
find out from them if the outcome or budget is more important? i.e. are they willing to spend more to get the outcome they want? Or are they willing to sacrifice things in the project in order to stick to budget? The answer to this will tell you a lot!
Help them start to be realistic about their budget. Perhaps the project needs to be even be staged - e.g. what can be achieved now and what might need to be saved for a later stage?
Even if budget is tight perhaps they would like you to develop a ‘masterplan’ that they can use to stage the project. That way a larger design vision is set (and gives you a larger project to work on) but they can then tackle this over time as budget allows.
Help them understand that being strategic about the greater wants and needs in an overall design could help them save money down the track and avoid costly design mistakes that haven't been well thought through.
Some clients will have huge ideas that they think can happen within the tiny budget they have set. Decide if you’re willing to work with clients of any budget or whether you only work with projects of a certain size/scope.
When I first started I took on my projects that came my way. As my business grew I only took on larger projects with budgets over a certain $ amount.
7: What is your ideal timeframe?
This is important so that you know whether to prioritise the work, whether you can work to their timeframes around other projects you have on and whether the time frame is realistic for the scope of work they are proposing.
It's also important to keep in mind that there can be lead times for certain works that should be factored in. Builders aren't always available to start work straight away, for example. And manufacturing of built in joinery/cabinetry or certain window furnishings can take time to arrange and have installed.
Also find out if they want everything done in one go or whether they want to stage things?
Are they going to live in the house during the renovation/remodel or move out?
8: Who are the decision makers for this project?
This one is critical!
Sometimes you will meet with one person from a marriage/partnership only to find that they aren’t actually the key decision maker (or holder of the purse strings!). If you aren’t speaking with all decision makers you need to get that rectified ASAP and get all decision makers on a call or in a meeting.
You then want to find out:
how involved do the key decision makers want to be?
which decisions must they be involved in, which are they willing to have made by others/their partner on their behalf?
I find that communication starts to suffer when one person is responsible for delivering messages on your behalf around key decision points. So for major decisions make sure all decision makers are on calls or in meetings so you can present your arguments/position yourself (and not have it relaid 2nd hand by others!).
Also, if a partner isn’t able to be involved day to day but is a key decision maker (often the case where a husband/wife might work but the other spouse is at home or managing the project) then you need systems to keep them in the loop regularly.
I used a regular Friday email update for this (you can get my free template for this in my email database for designers). If decision makers had any concerns about anything in the update email then I encouraged them to contact me directly (and urgently).
9: Have you done something like this before?
This will help you understand how much education and hand holding is going to be needed.
have they renovated/remodelled before?
have they worked with a designer before? (if they have - why aren’t they using that designer again? - the answer to this can tell you a lot about a client and may send warning signals your way!)
do they have an interest in design - e.g. follow renovation shows, love Instagram/Pinterest?
Someone who has no idea about the process will be very different to work with than someone who has done this multiple times. You will need to manage expectations and communicate differently depending on their level of experience with the process.
10: Where did you hear about me/my business?
If you don’t already know where they found out about you this is a critical one to ask so you know where your leads are coming from and can do more of it!
It’s also a good way to find out more about whether the client is going to be a good fit - e.g. if they tell you they did lots of internet research and found out heaps about you then it tells you they have already become invested in you as their designer (which is a good thing).
If, on the other hand, they tell you they are currently ‘choosing between a few different designers’ this is normally a pretty bad sign. They aren’t invested in anyone in particular, they may be indecisive and I would normally steer clear of these sorts of clients as they tend to be hard work!
Also, if you do find out they have been referred by one of your other clients make sure you reach out and thank that client or even send a small gift or card of appreciation. If someone is recommending you and sending you work you need to acknowledge them for that. Not only is it polite but they may keep doing it!
Giving careful thought to the questions you are going to ask a client before you meet with them will help you frame a consultation.
But it will also help you establish whether you are going to be able to work with the client and enjoy the project (which is super important if you’re running your own business - life is too short to work with clients you find difficult!).
From the questions above you should be able to establish whether:
the project excites/interest you
you have time to fit this in around your other projects you already have on (timeframe alignment)
you had a rapport with the client
the client seemed like they may be difficult to work with (if you get a hint of this I recommend you run away - or at least charge double!)
their budget is realistic for what they want to achieve (you aren’t a miracle worker)
For a project to be successful you are going to need open and honest communication with your clients - does it seem like that’s going to be achievable from what you’ve found out via asking these questions?
If not then it may not be the right project for you, which is totally fine!
Courses and Templates for Designers and Architects
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Improve your professionalism?
Find more clients?
Bring in more revenue?
Create better systems and processes?
Then check out my business courses and templates for designers and architects.
These courses and templates leave you with work done - not just a long list of things you need to do next. We have a really strong focus on taking action and getting things created that improve your business.
Enjoy the rest of your day!
Clare x
Dr Clare Le Roy
