Why Your Interior Design Projects Feel Incomplete (And How to Fix It for Good)
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You’ve finally made it to the end of a project, the furniture is installed, everything is in place… and yet, something feels unfinished. The excitement you expected from your client? Yes, they love it, but there’s still something left to be desired.
And, maybe they don’t fully realize it, but you do. Because YOU know the power of styling.
When styling and accessorizing aren’t part of your interior design process, the project never truly feels complete.
I’ve seen this play out so many times. Interior designers who go all in—sourcing, stockpiling, and borrowing accessories, spending the entire day at a client’s home styling every space—only for the client to come home, love how it looks, and then say…
"Wow, this is beautiful! But we can’t afford the accessories after everything else was so expensive, so you can take them back? But, let me just take some pictures really quick so I can recreate it later on my own when we can focus on this."
EEEEK.
And if styling doesn’t even happen in the first place? That creates a whole different problem.
What, you say?
A project that isn’t styled doesn’t look like the ones in your portfolio that are styled.
So when a client walks into their installed space but it’s not styled, they probably think, “Wait… why doesn’t my room feel as polished as the ones on your website?”
It’s like a bait-and-switch—not because you intended it that way or because you’re dishonest (no way!), but because styling is what ties all the pieces in a room together and adds that layered, curated, high-end look. Without it, the magic just isn’t there.
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And let’s not forget the real nightmare scenario…
You leave styling up to your clients, assuming they’ll “get around to it” on their own. And then they do—by adding in their old, mismatched décor, teeny tiny tchotchkes, or (please, no) their Live, Laugh, Love sign.
Then their friends come over, admire the space, and assume that’s your work.
Not great for referrals.
Not great for your brand.
And definitely not great for your portfolio—because it doesn’t make sense to invest in photography for an unstyled space. And without those portfolio-worthy images, how are you attracting the next dream client?
“But styling takes time. It’s expensive. Clients run out of money at the end.”
I hear this all the time from interior designers who feel stuck between wanting to deliver a fully finished project and the reality of budgets, timelines, costs, and client decisions.
But, I also know, after working with hundreds of interior designers, if styling isn’t happening, the way you structure your projects and pricing needs to shift.
I get it: it costs you money to do the styling. But you know what else? It’s costing you even MORE money to NOT do the styling.
And it doesn’t mean adding more work to your plate. And I’m definitely not saying styling should happen on every project. Nope.
I’m saying you can make this a profitable and efficient part of your process. A non-negotiable, while removing all that risk for you/your team.
Inside The Designed to Scale® Method, I walk designers through exactly how to make this happen and advise them how to make it work for THEIR business. This way, their projects feel complete, their clients are over-the-moon excited, and they have more magazine-worthy work to add to their portfolio to attract more clients who want that level of service.
If you need help structuring and pricing your styling services so they become a non-negotiable part of your process, check out our signature program, The Designed to Scale® Method. We’re currently enrolling our sixth (and only) cohort for the year. Learn more here.
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