Is Your Interior Design Business Turning Away Luxury Clients? Here’s Why
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Just about every interior designer I work with says the same thing:
They want bigger and better projects.
Why? Because bigger and better projects mean they can take on fewer clients while charging more for each one.
Win-win. The designer isn’t spread so thin, and they can focus on delivering a high-touch, elevated experience for the projects in their pipeline. Plus, larger projects often yield more opportunities for professional photography—and when you have more rooms to showcase, editors are more likely to feature your work in a home tour.
This kind of exposure creates a snowball effect: more traffic, more inquiries, more press, and ultimately, more opportunities.
So, I get it—landing bigger and better projects is the ultimate flex.
But for many designers, it’s just not happening. Instead, they’re stuck attracting bad-fit clients and projects that don’t align with their goals.
So, what gives?
After working with interior designers for over eight years (from those just starting out to those generating multiple millions in revenue annually) and running my own luxury wedding and event planning company, I’ve learned a lot about what attracts luxury clients—and what sends them running the other way.
Before we dive in, keep this in mind:
I’m talking about attracting luxury clients, NOT booking them.
If you can’t seem to get luxury clients to even reach out to you, chances are, one or more of these reasons is to blame:
1. Your Photography Doesn’t Look Professional
High-quality imagery is the #1 thing you should prioritize as an interior designer to attract all clients, not just luxury ones. It’s often the first impression they get of your work, and if your photography is dark, blurry, poorly framed, or shows not-the-greatest details, they’ll swipe left immediately.
Your portfolio is an area where potential clients CAN compare apples to apples (and that’s not something we business owners want potential clients to be able to do). Even if your client process is 100 times better than your competitors (obvi, you’re here!), if your photos look bad in comparison, people will make an assumption about the quality of your work.
PS: this applies to your headshots, too! Invest in a professional branding shoot!
2. Your Branding Doesn’t Speak to Luxury Clients
Luxury clients want to work with businesses and people who understand their expectations—and can exceed them.
How do you communicate that this is you? Through elevated, cohesive branding and marketing.
3. You Are the “Designer for Everyone”
Luxury clients love feeling like they’re part of an exclusive experience. Choosing you as their designer says something about them.
If your service list on your website and your portfolio and your marketing make it seem like you do everything for everyone, anywhere, at any time … well, that doesn’t exactly scream exclusivity.
4. Your Marketing Doesn’t SPEAK to Them
Luxury clients who invest in interior design services and custom furnishings and improving their homes want to work with someone who speaks their language. If your marketing feels generic or doesn’t communicate an understanding of luxury standards, they won’t connect.
Just like you wouldn’t serve two buck chuck (Trader Joe’s $2 bottle of wine) to a sommelier, luxury clients expect to see a particular level of sophistication in your messaging. Your marketing and messaging should reflect their high standards and show that you understand quality AND can help further elevate their lifestyle, too.
This ties into the next one:
5. You Sound Like a ROBOT. 🤖
Luxury clients expect a high touch experience and personalized communication, especially if they are putting down a big chunk of change to work with a designer.
If I pay $100 for someone to design a landing page for my website vs. $10,000 I’m going to have some different expectations about the experience and communication I receive from the $10,000 designer.
So, yes, go ahead and use automations and workflows and AI tools (with integrity)—just be sure to tailor the communication so it is specific to each service you offer.
6. Your Client Experience Leaves MUCH to be Desired
Luxury clients often expect impeccable customer service and consistent communication. In fact, many spend LOTS OF MONEY on experiences alone. If your process is a hot mess or you're not responsive, attentive, and proactive, they’ll find someone who is.
7. You Don’t Provide Discretion (OR the opposite)
This is a funny one to me. Some interior design homeowner clients DO NOT WANT anyone to know they hired a designer. They don’t want images of their home on the internet (definitely not the before pictures!). And they DEF don’t want to give their designer’s name out because then everyone will try to hire them so they can have a house as beautiful as theirs. (This goes back to that exclusivity thing!).
But on the flip side, some clients want everyone—their friends, family, neighbors, strangers on IG—to know they worked with a particular designer. They would especially LOOOOVE if their house got published too!!.
→ So this is a case by case basis and depends on individual clients and your area. Your marketing and messaging (the words you share when you talk about your business) will indicate to potential clients the level of discretion you provide and the types of clients you typically work with.
8. Your Prices are TOO LOW!
Common thinking: lower your prices, and you’ll book more clients. But reality? Lower your price, and luxury clients will think something is wrong.
Example:
If there are two hotels in the same area with the same features, and one charges $1,000 a night while the other charges $250 a night …
Which do you think is nicer? Cleaner? Better staffed? Has better food? Gives better service? Has more on-site amenities?
You get it. I get it. Luxury clients get it. If your pricing isn’t aligned with your luxury market rates, it could scare clients off.
9. Like Attracts Like
Did your mom say this to you, too? “Like attracts like.”
If you’re not booking luxury clients, is it because you’re not asking your existing clients to refer you to their friends, family, and colleagues?
Generally, like attracts like. Your existing clients likely have a network of potential clients with similar values and expectations for quality and experience.
This segues into this next one nicely:
10. There’s No Social Proof
If you’re not asking for referrals, you’re probably also not asking for testimonials. Which means you don’t have any social proof to share on your website or in features or in social media or in your marketing collateral.
And, if it doesn’t seem like you have clients, then …
11. People Might Think You’re Too GREEN!
Luxury clients don’t want to be someone’s test project. And they certainly don’t want to trust their largest asset to someone who doesn’t seem experienced.
So, be sure to showcase projects you’ve done, connections you’ve made in the community, your education, your experience, challenges you’ve solved for clients, press features you’ve received, etc. And then, be sure to prioritize your client experience so you know exactly how to proactively guide your clients and set their projects up for success like a pro.
If you feel like breaking into the luxury market is out of reach, step back and see where you might be missing the mark. This list certainly isn’t exhaustive, and a big piece of attracting luxury clients is understanding what they value and what their pain points are.
If you need help elevating your interior design business so you can book bigger and better projects, check out these resources:
Looking for more? Keep reading:
