Getting to know your client and yourself
The simplest of questions can often stump even the smartest of individuals. Have you ever asked someone where they live?
The answer is generally a reply such as "I live in Atlanta." If you are speaking with someone on a more intimate level, the answer maybe the name of a neighborhood, or the building number and street name, if it is someone you know. But that is not the answer I am looking for.
As a designer, you want to know what type of dwelling they live in. For example, "I live in a cottage in a historic neighborhood" or "I live in a new condo downtown." These are answers that let you imagine where they actually live.
At times, even the spaces we inhabit can seem foreign to us. An exercise I like to ask my clients to do is to make a basic drawing of the space or room where they want to have design work completed. I ask them to do this as a process of discovery. It shows how subconsciously they perceive the room.
The drawings usually reveal whether or not there is an important view, whether the room is wide or long, or if there is any architectural feature that is significant to the room and the client.
Learning to read a room is something most professional architects or interior designers know how to do, and do it instinctively. This exercise is also intended to make the homeowner or client aware of the character or specific details about a room. It is also the intent to make the homeowner or client imagine their room a bit. Without specific designs, this exercise in "picturing" may help develop a great idea or concept for the project.
Understanding your clients is the hardest part of making a cohesive design. Prior to beginning to design, I often ask clients to fill out a questionnaire. Not unlike match.com or e-harmony, there are questions that are to be filled by the client or by both clients independently. The questions are varied and range from programmatic about the nature, size and budgetary.
For example, some questions may have to do with how many people live in the home, square footage of the home, whether the home is a primary residence or seasonal getaway.
Other questions that deal with the architectural style of the home are also brought to light, as well as the typology: single-family detached home, condominium, loft or townhouse.
An important insight might be the style desired, where one occupant desires one style and another occupant wants another. A tricky task for the designer is how to please all of the main characters.
The next set of questions deal with the daily operations and maintenance of the home, such as the occupant's schedules, cooking habits, hobbies and habits.
Finally, we also ask questions about color preferences in general, preferred colors in clothing and even the color of the car one drives. This exercise provides insight as to what colors work for whom, and guides the designer on how to blend a color palette that is pleasing to everyone in the home.
A designer's work seems easy but there are intricate issues and subtleties in the creation of a design that require finesse and expertise.
• Joseph Pubillones is the owner of Joseph Pubillones Interiors, an award-winning interior design firm based in Palm Beach, Florida.
© 2017, Creators Syndicate