Dear Dakota,

What do you do when your client goes to your supplier and gets access to your trade pricing by pretending to work at your design company? I landed my dream job working on a penthouse with a fantastic client. I used all the Dakota Design Co. templates to set up the process, including contract terms and conditions. The client was great to work with, she always paid on time, and we got to know each other quite well. She's paid me in full for the initial contract but has been waiting on bespoke furniture orders that have been delayed in customs. I've been communicating with her about these pieces and was working with her on some additional work for wall paneling and custom desks. She emailed me yesterday to say she followed up on her two furniture pieces with the two different suppliers because she “didn't want to bother me” and got invoices from both. Now she's asking me why there is a difference between what she paid and what I paid to the supplier!

Needless to say, I am furious with the suppliers for providing this information to my client and for putting me in this awkward position. They are not my standard vendors, but the client requested I use them. To resolve this problem, I spoke with both suppliers who were extremely apologetic, one even sent an email to the client explaining the price discrepancy as an order fee. I've explained to my client that my design fees are set at a competitive rate and I do not offer my trade pricing to clients. As a gesture of goodwill, I offered her credit for the delivery fee on the other piece of furniture which is about to be delivered, but now she wants to cancel this order even though I do not accept refunds on bespoke orders, as stated in the contract that she signed. 

She then returned some of the ordered furniture that she slightly damaged along with some accessories purchased from my showroom. To maintain what was initially a great relationship, I accepted these returns and offered her credit minus admin fees and a reduced rate for the damaged pieces. I applied these credits to the bill for my additional work and communicated with my client kindly and respectfully throughout the whole project process as I would like to keep her happy because I wanted to photograph her home since the final products came out so beautifully. What should I do to prevent this from happening in the future?

Join The DTS Files to get my advice and insights.

Dear Dakota, 

How do you locate talent for an operations/purchasing type role, someone who doesn’t want to be a designer? I need to find someone who would like to work at a design firm managing budgets, invoices, procurement, and design operations? Everyone who applies for my open position wants to be a designer. HELP!!

Join The DTS Files for my advice to this interior designer.

Dear Dakota, 

Do you have tips for managing the not-quite-end of a renovation project? This is when things start to unravel. Clients get anxious and start to micromanage because they're exhausted and overwhelmed. It's not a pleasant experience for anyone involved

Join The DTS Files for my advice and insights.

Dear Dakota, 

We charge a flat fee for Phase I and Phase II of our interior design services, and don't charge a service fee for the purchasing phase. Our flat fee pricing is contingent upon the client agreeing to purchase furniture through our vendors. We offer this arrangement to secure the entire project and ensure that clients buy all the required items from us.

Recently, we encountered a new challenge with a client. Although she loves the design and we are within budget, she expressed intentions to sell the custom home and not purchase furnishings at all. 

It’s been two months since we presented the design, and she hasn't signed the contract yet. I've contacted her multiple times, but she has only responded regarding ongoing contract work, not the furniture purchase. 

In my current contract, I have a provision that allows me to charge the client a fee of a specific % if the client removes items from the scope that were originally presented with a cost and within budget. I'm curious to know if your contract includes anything similar or if it has provisions to make it ironclad in such cases.

While this particular project is already underway, I'm concerned about handling similar situations in the future. Do you have any advice?

Join The DTS Files for my advice and insights.

Dear Dakota,

What should I do when a client doesn’t provide timely feedback on their interior design presentation?

Join The DTS Files for my advice and insights.

Dear Dakota,

How do we protect ourselves from a contractor's mistake or hold a contractor accountable for a portion of the cost?

Join The DTS Files to see the advice and insights I shared with this designer.

Dear Dakota,

How can I encourage clients to be fully present and free from distractions for our check-in sessions and review meetings?

For example, I have one client who brings their young children to our meetings and another who continues to take work calls and answer emails and text messages during meetings. The clients are pulled in several directions in trying to review their designs and tend to their children / answer emails, etc., and meetings inevitably run longer than scheduled, causing additional frustration. It also results in a fair amount of "I don't remember seeing that" from the client because they are not fully present when drawings and materials are being presented the first time.

I try to be as patient as possible because I know we all have significant demands on our time, but my time isn't infinite and it is incredibly difficult to move the needle in any direction during these meetings. I've gone so far as to offer meeting times after work hours and on weekends to ensure someone else can be home to watch the kids or the endless phone calls can stop. How do I get my clients to prioritize our time together? 

Join The DTS Files for my advice and insights.

Dear Dakota,

I am ordering decor right now for a client's interior design project, and it's all being delivered to me so I can check through it all and make sure i) I like items sourced online and ii) everything is in perfect condition. But my house is starting to fill up with boxes!!

What is the best process for ordering and holding decor, furnishings, etc. for a client? Larger items, I would have delivered directly to the client, and I would check on-site for the condition. But I'm specifically talking about the smaller items like mirrors, hardware, fixtures, etc. 

I am not large enough to pay for a storage facility yet. Is that what I should aspire to retain at some point?

Join The DTS Files for my advice and insights.