As I build this new website, I am looking through decades of pictures of projects that I have designed for clients. Although my goal is to simplify the website showing the variety of scope of styles and project sizes, it is truly difficult to say that one project was more successful than another. My simple evaluation of a successful project is when the client first walks into the finished space. They take a deep breath and then they break out into a smile and thank me for the the work that we accomplished.
How can this happen with everyone? Doesn’t everyone have their own preferences? Yes, of course they do. I talk the clients through a comprehensive evaluation of their desires, ambitions, hobbies. We look at pictures showing different styles, colors, lifestyle images. And we do not forget the necessities, the NEEDS for the space, the challenges of the space and the limitations of the space. All of this information actually inspires me - it is like solving a puzzle - or like taking the NCIDQ test (National Council of Interior Design Qualifications) without a time limit!
I know - Interior Designers are a little weird. Earlier in my career I was on the National Board of ASID (American Society of Interior Designers) and every year we were required to take the Meyers Briggs Personality Test prior to the first Board meeting and then tell everyone what category we were and what our personality was. My symbol was INTJ which meant socially I was an introvert and that I always felt isloated in a group of people, feeling that I never fit in. (I’m the wallflower)
I was, of course, apprehensive about sharing my evaluation with the group. The REVELATION was that everyone was either an INTJ or an ENTJ with the ‘I’ meaning Introvert and the ‘E’ meaning Extravert. We all had the same qualities - and we all had to admit that although we all felt like misfits in society, we had found our ‘group!’
By the way, I discovered a way to showcase past projects without piling up pictures in the gallary - feature them in a Blog post! Each Client and Project has a story to tell and I would like to tell their story. :)
Chiao!