What do you do when the worst contractor you’ve ever worked with sends you a dream client? Take the job? Run for the hills? Here's how to protect your business, your boundaries, and your bottom line.

Join The DTS Files to read my advice. 

Ever feel like you’re leaving money on the table with window treatments?

If you’ve wondered how to turn them into a profitable (and seamless) part of your design business, this one’s for you. I’m breaking down five ways to sell them, the risks you need to watch for, and where the real revenue is hiding.

Join The DTS Files for my advice.

A designer wrote in with a tough situation: a junior team member is using her portfolio to land side work. If you’ve ever had that pit-in-your-stomach moment when you find out someone on your team has crossed the line, this one’s for you. In this article, I talk about how to protect your business and what to do if it’s already happened.

Want my advice? Join The DTS Files to unlock it inside this members-only post.

Here we are completing our series on the Design Elements. The elements of design are like the ingredients that a designer adds in just the right amounts to arrive at a delicious finished product. 

 Although the list of the design elements varies by author or theorist, I consider these to be the definitive design elements:

• LINE

• SHAPE

• PATTERN

• TEXTURE

• COLOR

• LIGHT                                                                                                      

We have covered several of these in previous editions of The Design Brief™:

• Using LINE Effectively in Interiors

• SHAPE and FORM

• Color Theory 1

• Color Theory 2

• Using Color to Alter Spatial Perceptions

• Effective Interior Design Lighting Strategies

In today’s edition of The Design Brief™, we’ll delve into using PATTERN & TEXTURE to manipulate a final design aesthetic. 

25 years in business. Confident in their client relations, design skills, and financials. Paying the team? That’s another story.

This designer asked us:

How do I know what to pay a new hire, especially if I’m weighing experience vs. education?

If hiring feels like a mystery or you’ve ever second-guessed what you’re offering, this post will walk you through, step-by-step, exactly how to set the right salary and avoid overpaying, underpaying, or boxing yourself in.

Want my advice? Join The DTS Files to unlock it inside this members-only post.

13 projects. One burned-out designer. And a question we hear all the time: “I need to clone myself. Who should I hire first?”

If you’re feeling stretched thin and wondering how to grow your team without making a costly misstep, this one's for you. The answer might not be what you think.

Want my advice? Join The DTS Files to unlock it inside this members-only post.

I was recently invited to join a group of interior designers who meet once a month to discuss their businesses. We did an “ask-me-anything” style call and it was tons of fun. One designer asked me this:

How do I know when it’s time to scale my business?

I loved this question because it’s important to think about this from the very first day you start your business. But the truth most people won’t tell you? 

Scaling too soon (or scaling the wrong thing) can actually hurt your business more than help it.

Let’s talk about what scaling your interior design business really means and how to know if you’re ready.