The Interior Designers Guide To Styling With Accessories on Installation Day

Mar 22

The thing I love most about my work is helping interior designers run better businesses. The conversations I have with design business owners who are out there making their clients’ homes look and function better FEED MY SOUL. It’s a privilege to be able to ask my community to share their experiences and tips with other designers - these insights are what make each business owner smarter and stronger.

One challenge many interior designers face is managing styling with accessories on install day. To some, styling is a dream; to others, it’s a not-so-profitable soul-sucking part of their job. Of course, there is no one right answer, but since I know most consumers hire an interior designer to help them make their rooms look “cohesive,” it’s a critical topic to discuss.

So, we surveyed The Weekly Install® designers to find out how they handle styling and accessorizing on installation day and received 31 responses (not a huge data pool, BUT, I’m also adding my comments and insights based on 100+ 1:1 clients and the 90+ designers we’ve helped in the Designed to Scale® Method.)

Let’s dive into the different ways interior designers manage their styling and accessories process.

DO INTERIOR DESIGNERS INCLUDE STYLING IN EVERY FULL-SERVICE PROJECT?

The first thing we asked was if interior designers included styling in their fee or added it as a separate fee for full-service projects. A majority 68% (that’s 2 out of 3!) include it if clients purchase furnishings through them (and, of course, only if it’s a service that’s listed in the scope of work). 23% of respondents shared that styling is not included and is added as a separate fee. The remaining respondents were split among i) styling being the main focus of the job, ii) styling for a particular event like a photo shoot, then offering the accessories for sale afterward, and iii) not offering interior styling services at all.

DO INTERIOR DESIGNERS COLLECT ACCESSORY FEES IN ADVANCE OR BILL AFTER INSTALL DAY?

How interior designers collect fees for the accessories used to style a client’s home is a bit of a sticky subject. Our responses show it was evenly split, with 36% invoicing separately for all accessories and 36% working within a specific defined retainer amount to cover it all. We know this has definitely been a pain point in the process that isn’t really covered in-depth in interior design business courses and definitely not in design school (luckily, we cover it in the Designed to Scale® Method - woop woop).

DO INTERIOR DESIGNERS MARK UP ACCESSORIES?

How do interior designers charge for accessories? 75% of respondents shared they add a markup to accessories, with 25% passing the direct costs to their clients.

No matter if you break it out or include it in the overall cost, a great business practice is to make sure the accessory costs or accessory estimates are clearly shared with the client before you start planning for their styling service. There are two things you want to avoid when it comes to styling on installation day:

Surprise charges after the job is finished that the client thought were already paid for or
The client not being able to afford accessories at all, so all the work you did was for nothing, leaving you with TONS of returns (or a larger inventory than you’d like to carry).

Many designers we’ve worked with either collect a retainer for accessories or invoice a flat fee for accessories packages on a room-by-room basis, so everything is collected in advance BEFORE anyone spends hours/days/weeks sourcing accessories and prepping for styling.

ARE INTERIOR DESIGNERS NATURAL-BORN STYLISTS?

We wanted to know how interior designers feel about styling as part of the design process. The majority (75%) of respondents shared they like styling and view it as a strong suit of their business. These lucky interior designers have styling in their blood, which comes naturally to them. A smaller group of those who consider styling one of their strong suits have education in it, with backgrounds in styling, retail, and merchandising.

The remaining 25% of respondents have a love/hate relationship with styling. They shared that it can be too time-consuming, overwhelming, and not particularly profitable. For these designers, styling becomes an afterthought instead of what it really is: the finishing touch of a full-service project.

If you look at it from that mindset, it takes some of the tediousness out of it.

WHO DO INTERIOR DESIGNERS HAVE WITH THEM ON INSTALL DAY?

Once install day has come and it’s time to get to work, we wanted to know who handles the styling on install day. A majority (96%) of the interior designers shared they handle it as a team, keeping everything in-house!

If you aren’t particularly strong or efficient at styling, you may consider outsourcing this part of your service and hiring a stylist or a junior designer to handle your styling for you.

WHERE DO INTERIORS SHOP FOR ACCESSORIES?

Most interior designers shop for accessories for each specific project while also carrying an inventory of favorite tried-and-true pieces to pull from. Some even accessorize using the client’s existing pieces. (In this case, you’ll want to scout their accessories in advance to make sure you know what you’re working with and what needs to be purchased).

If buying new accessories for a project, most interior designers shop retail (faves include HomeGoods, Target, Crate and Barrel, and PotteryBarn - shout out for the easy return policies!) and mix in some vintage and to-the-trade pieces. Online dealers like Etsy offer unique options but beware of the final product quality and, of course, the return policies.

Using the mix-and-match approach can really add depth and originality to your designs.

HOW LONG DOES INTERIOR DESIGN STYLING TAKE?

The respondents shared that styling usually takes about 2 hours per room, and one shared a tip to prepare in advance by unboxing and categorizing the styling pieces and then adding them to each room.

My recommendation is to create style sheets for each room listing out the surfaces you’re styling, what you need for each surface, and then whether you i) have any pieces that will work in your inventory, ii) need to order it in advance via trade, iii) need to purchase from a local retailer or iv) need to buy day of (like flowers/food/drinks/etc.) Then, label everything by room and put it into a container (like a large Tupperware, box, or tote) so you/your team can place that entire accessories bag/bin/box in the correct room on install day. This means YOU don’t need to be the one doing this task on install day because everything is clearly labeled.

This also creates less running around your client’s house like a chicken with your head cut off and fewer trips to the local retailer on install day when you realize you don’t have what you need. #goals

If your install days are a bit disorganized, be sure to grab our complimentary Install Day SOP and Install Bag Packing List here.

HOW MUCH DO INTERIOR DESIGNERS BUDGET FOR ACCESSORIES PER ROOM?

We recommend ALWAYS establishing expectations with your clients about what they should expect for accessories when styling is included or added as a service. Designers shared they use $1,000+ for accessories per room as a good estimate to start with when providing ranges to customers. Of course, rooms with open bookshelves will be higher and where you source will impact that number.

Again, by thinking ahead, the styling becomes the final stage of the design project, not an afterthought. Sensing a theme here? Yup! We’re all about creating an elevated client process with only good surprises!!

WHAT HAPPENS IF THE CLIENT DOESN’T LIKE THE ACCESSORIES?

You’ve completed the design and added the finishing touch to the space. What do interior designers do if (EEEEK) the client doesn't like the accessories they’ve chosen?

First, remain calm!

Design is subjective, so don’t take it personally.

The majority of interior designers who responded to our poll have a return policy, with 7 days being the standard time limit. To avoid any awkward conversations, make sure your policy is spelled out in your contract (and then communicated again before styling day). And, if you’ve collected a retainer or flat fee for accessories, be sure your contract includes language around what the minimum is and if returns are allowed. And no matter what, if you’re leaving accessories in a client’s house, your contract should cover who is responsible for damages while those items are in the client’s possession.

DO INTERIOR DESIGNERS PHOTOGRAPH ON INSTALL DAY OR LATER?

Once you’ve done all that work to complete and style a place, make sure to schedule a photoshoot, hopefully soon after install day (otherwise, that photo shoot will become VERY expensive with cleaning fees and time for you to come back and “fix” anything they’ve done to it while enjoying it). Most designers have professional photos taken the day of installation or shortly after, but a surprising 25% say they are bad at getting shots right away.

Some of this could be due to the hectic pace of the install day itself, and some of it is that taking pictures isn’t part of their scope of work or service offerings, or it’s not in budget. If you are planning to photograph a project because it’s a project type you would love to book more of, then be sure to discuss including styling with accessories with your client in advance so there is budget for the critical finishing touch.

I’ve worked with designers who don’t offer styling but still have their projects professionally photographed. My thoughts on this are that if you are investing in your portfolio with pro photos but don’t offer styling, invest in hiring a stylist to style the shoot before photos. Many photographers work closely with stylists and producers, so this may even be something they can manage for you.

Now, let’s recap: there are different ways to manage the styling of an interior design project, but one thing is for sure: interior designers shouldn’t skip or gloss over the styling piece on install day, especially if they’re photographing. It’s the icing on the cake, the bow on the gift, the cherry on top. Styling makes the space feel complete and cohesive (which, again, is what MOST clients say they want when they hire a designer). So, no matter how you incorporate it into your client experience process, don’t leave it out!

Need help structuring your install day?