EP #59 | How to Develop a Rock Solid Concept Design

Welcome to the Designers Oasis podcast. I'm your host, Kate Bendewald. If you're tired of one-size-fits-all all advice to running your interior design business, you're in the right place. Join me each week as we dive into topics to help you run a thriving interior design business. Without the hustle. We'll talk about the business of design, but also mindset and mental health because I know when you thrive, so will your life and business. It wasn't that long ago that I stepped away from my corporate interior design job to build my own design business so that I could realize my own creative dreams, have more time with the people I love, and serve my clients at the highest level, while making more money than I ever could have working for someone else. It wasn't always easy, and I made my share of mistakes along the way. Fast forward to today. And I've learned a thing or two. Since then I've built multiple six-figure interior design businesses on authentic word-of-mouth referrals with many repeat clients. And I want to share it all with you the ambitious, inspired, and I get it occasionally overwhelmed interior designer who shares this dream of transforming lives through the art of interior design, You can do this. Thank you for letting me spend part of this day with you. Let's get to it.

Well, hello there. And welcome back to the podcast, I am so thrilled to be spending part of this day with you. Thanks for joining me, I am very excited about today's topic, because we're gonna be talking about the concept design phase of your projects. And I believe the concept design phase is one of the most beautiful and fun and exciting parts of a design project of any project. It's the part where you can really let the ideas flow, your creative juices really get going. And you're not really thinking about a lot of the logistics, there's things that you have to start thinking about once you get into implementation. And of course, design development is the part where we're really dialing in the details crossing the t's dotting the eyes, which is also fun, and also very creative. But the concept design phase for me personally, is it's my love language. It's the it's the part I like to play in the most. And if I could just do concept designs for the rest of my life, I probably would. But you and I both know that is just the beginning of a project. But it's also in my opinion, one of the most underrepresented underutilized phases of the design project. And so I thought it was really important to take a minute to just put a spotlight on this part of the design phase. And so I want to talk to you today about why it's important what a lot of designers miss but wrong. We can fix that what's included and give you some examples. So we got a lot to cover.

But before we do, I want to get started with just a couple of quick announcements. So if you are listening to this podcast episode on the day that it comes out, tomorrow, September 22 is the last day to catch my masterclass the six part framework for thriving interior design business, go to designers oasis.com forward slash thrive to check that out. It is a free masterclass. And it is really just packed with information that is, I think really critical to helping you sort of see your business from this 360 degree perspective to see how it all kind of comes together. And so I've really enjoyed putting that together for you. And I want you to make sure you don't miss it. So if you do miss it still go, you can still go to that URL designer to isis.com Ford slash thrive and add yourself to the waitlist and we'll notify you as soon as it becomes available again.

Okay, let's see what else October next month we have high point is happening I will be there. If you are a listener of the podcast and you want to meet other designers who are fellow designers, Oasis either members or listeners. We were going to do a meet up. We don't have anything official planned yet. This is a very unofficial sort of Meetup group. But you can go to designers voices.com For slash high point and give us your name and your phone number and as soon as we get a little bit closer I will send you an email. And I think we're either going to do WhatsApp or discord, where we will add you to a private group chat. So that you don't have to do high point alone, you can maybe find a friend, maybe you can find somebody to room with. Or you can just find somebody that you can go browse the show rooms with high point is way more fun with a friend. So I hope you will take a minute to join us, I would love to meet you and say hi, I'll be there. And hopefully we can maybe carve out some time to maybe meet up, have a drink something like that.

Okay, next November 16, we have the annual master planning workshop for interior designers. This is free if you are a member if you are inside the interior designers business blueprint program. Otherwise, you can you can still join us. But this is our fourth year to do it. It is one of the sessions that I do that I get the most feedback on that it's just a really fun thing to come back to year after year. So what we do is we sort of take a look back at the past year, what's been working well, what what needs some work, what were your opportunities, really getting into some of those mindsets challenges that might be holding you back. And of course, we're gonna help you walk through a revenue plan how to how to map out a revenue plan for the next year, I want you to hit the ground running in 2024, I want you to have a clear vision, I want you to have support. And so the annual master planning workshop is where you can get that That's November 16. Right now, we do not have registration up I do not believe we have registration up, at least at the time of this recording. But make sure you're on our email list, you can do that anywhere on our website. And you will be sure to get that information as we get a little bit closer and we open up registration.

Okay. Well, let's see two more quick things. One, I want to highlight one of our CEO corner sessions that we just had recently, it was a designer for date training, and it was epic. So if you've ever thought about adding designer for a day, you may call it something slightly different. But to your service offerings. This is a training that is again, inside our interior designers business blueprint program, it is on demand right away. So if you decide to join, you'll get immediate access to everything, including this CEO corner session, we work through how to structure how to sell and how to run a designer for a day service designer for a day as a single day or two day intensive consultation service that you can provide to clients who want your in person expertise. But maybe they're inclined to execute their ideas on their own. Now that said, I've used designer for a day as a launching point for some really big projects, where we just needed a full day to sort of map out our plan. So in lieu of a consultation, we went ahead and jumped into a designer for a day session. So that's another way you can incorporate this into your service offerings. This is a great quick cash injection service that provides you with great income while delivering clients a lot of help in a short amount of time. And so this workshop includes everything you need to integrate the service into your business, including scripts, client agreements, questionnaires, session templates, and more. And I just want to point out one thing that Danny said she said Kate knocked it out of the park with her details, specific examples and clear step by step process. I have been waiting for this specific topic and so glad she covered it. So we got some amazing feedback on that session. And I thought it was a lot of fun.

Okay, don't forget, dear Kate is a new advice segment that is coming soon where I'll be answering answering listener submitted questions. So if you have a question that you want me to answer live on the podcast, go to designers voices.com, forward slash dear Kate, and you can submit your question there. Again, links for everything that I just mentioned are in the show notes or in your podcast player, somewhere around where you're listening to this or if you're watching on YouTube, you'll find it there.

Hey designer, I see you, you're working hard building your interior design business, and you're doing okay, but things could be better. Am I right? Maybe you're struggling to clarify what makes you different. You know, that loneliness factor that sets you apart from other designers in your area. Maybe you have leads but you're squeamish when it comes to selling and you can't seem to move them from a prospect to a happily paying client. Perhaps every project feels like you're reinventing the wheel because your design processes aren't dialed in. Maybe you're eager to take on the big projects, but you're not sure how to implement full service projects without a team. So you keep playing small. Look, I get it. Running an interior design business, especially on your own isn't for the faint of heart. But it's totally doable and the rewards creatively, personally, professionally and financially are so worth it. If you're ready for a fresh perspective on what it takes to grow without the burn out and overwhelm, I have a special invitation for you. For a limited time, you can catch my new masterclass the six part framework for a thriving interior design business, where I'm laying it all out for you, including the top three mistakes so many designers make and why they're stealing your time, your money and your joy, the secret to getting the best free marketing in your design business. And of course, I'll share my signature framework to building a profitable design business without constantly hustling for new clients. Here's the thing. When I say I don't believe in a one size fits all approach to how you run your design business. I really mean it. It doesn't matter if you want to run a business doing exclusively virtual design, or you want to build a business on a part time schedule. Or you really want to make a name for yourself working with high profile individuals with a buzzing team that supports you, whatever your end goal may look like, my framework can help you look at your business with a fresh set of eyes so you can get the clarity you need to know what to focus on right now. And here's the best part. This masterclass is free. Yeah, free, head over to designers oasis.com, forward slash thrive and register now. I'll see you there.

Okay, let's get to it. So we're talking about the concept design phase. First, I want you to just think about this, do you ever find yourself going over on hours on projects because you either go down too many rabbit holes, when you're developing either your layouts, or when you're sourcing, or maybe clients are left with too many decisions to make. So they get stuck in analysis, paralysis, and all of a sudden, the project just feels really sticking? Well, it may be that you aren't putting enough emphasis on that initial design phase, the concept design phase. And that leaves you needing to make major key decision decisions once you're already in design development. So let's talk about this. First, what is concept design? Concept Design is the initial design phase. Sometimes in design, it's referred to as the program, right, we're figuring out what it is we're going to do, okay. And at the end of concept of developing your concept design, you present it to the client, and this gives your client a sneak peek into what's happening. And that is a really affirming moment for them. Usually, here's what does not happen in concept design. We are not sourcing anything yet in concept design. Okay. Think of it like this. If design development, the part of the project, that part of the design process where you are sourcing, and doing a whole lot of other things. Design Development, is answering that question. Well, here's how we're going to do it. Think of concept design phase as answering the question, what are we going to do here?

Okay, so concept design, again, answers the question, what are we going to do? And design development answer the question, how are we going to do it? Alright, here's what many designers get wrong. Number one, they don't put enough effort or emphasis in the concept design phase, it's too light. And that means that they are number two moving into design development without having had made without having made some really key decisions. And here's why that's a problem. It leaves room for too many questions and too many rabbit holes, once you get down into the next phase into design development. Okay, there's a lot of benefits of really putting together a strong concept, design, concept design package. Number one, it lays the foundation for that prompt for your project moving forward. It gives you a chance to relay to the client that you've been listening to what they've been saying and asking for and hoping for Dream four. And number three, it affirms the direction, it says, Hey, are we all on the same page? Are we headed in the right direction, and it gives your client a chance to chime in and sort of steer the ship a little bit? Okay.

Remember, clients, we have a language we have a vocabulary around design, and a client may say one thing to you. And I've had this happen many times. And the vision that comes in your head when they say they want let's say a space that is calming and relaxing. You may have one vision of that. And yet another your client may have sort of a different view different perception of what that means or or maybe mid century modern or, or modern or traditional, you know these words we all have sort of different associations with them there. Generally, you know, we can make some generalizations, but when it when the rubber hits the road, it's really good to be able to show your client visuals alongside some narrative, some language to help affirm that you're reading into and translating their desires into what exactly what it was they imagined, okay, so it allows you to get buy in from the client. The other thing that is a really important aspect and really important benefit of this is it can give, it's your opportunity to give your clients a few layout options.

Oftentimes in design, we can come up with a couple of different scenarios that can work in terms of layouts. And it doesn't matter whether this is a brand new home, that you're you're designing from the ground up and you're working on a layout, it doesn't matter whether it's a renovation, and you're moving walls, and stairs, and doors and windows, it doesn't matter if it's a single room, and you're coming up with a layout. Developing and understanding and agreeing on a basic layout is a very critical step in the design process. And if you miss that opportunity in the concept design, and you're still figuring that out in design development, you've kind of missed, even you've missed, you're not gonna save Mr up your opportunity, but it's just going to prolong and sort of drag out the process, it's going to cause more back and forth during the design development phase. So it, it gives you the opportunity to present your best layout options, you don't need to give your client 10 options, you can give them two, maybe three really solid layout options that you think would work and the pros and cons and benefits of that. And then they need to make a decision.

Okay, this is your clients opportunity to make a decision. And it helps you to be more focused once you're in design development, so that you don't have to waffle about the layout or the program. Okay, let me give you a couple of examples. Specifically, when it comes to the idea of presenting layout options. Let's say in this first scenario, you're you're doing a furnishings project, right? It's cosmetic, maybe some light construction, but really the heavy emphasis on furnishings. And you're looking at the layout for a primary living room, primary living area. So the clients want a more relaxed and casual layout, which may include a sectional sofa paired with a pair of swivel chairs, or do they want a more formal layout, perhaps a pair of facing sofas with wingback chairs. Imagine moving into design development and not having made these key decisions. So are you sourcing a sectional or a pair of sofas, wing backs or swivels? Okay. So you can see how if you present both scenarios, it gives your client an opportunity to make a decision so that you've got clarity moving into the next phase. Here's another example a primary bathroom in this in this case, let's say that you have two layout options that could work. One is a symmetrical layout with a freestanding bath centered between two really beautiful vanities. And you've got another scenario that could also work really well. This time, you would need to do a drop in bath that could make way for a much larger shower. And both options. Both layouts have benefits. What would your client prefer? This is the moment this is the time to present these options and have your clients get give you feedback and make a decision. Okay, they need to make a decision you cannot move into design development without having some of these key decisions made. And let's talk about think about materials for a moment. What is in your client's budget? Is floor to ceiling tile that you're envisioning in your head is that in the budget, or is a wood, a wood wainscoting more in the budget for this project? So these are the things that you're going to be thinking about as you work through concept design. Okay, remember, you can get into the details of the material selections and the sourcing in design development. That's what that's for, and detailing out the drawings. But you don't want to start detailing drawings when you don't have buy in yet from your client on what what's the goal here, what are we doing right? Again, concept design answers that question, what are we going to do? And design development answers the question, how are we going to do that? How are we going to do it?

Okay, so you may be asking what do we what's included in in concept design? Really, there's there's four key elements. One is project narrative, where you're you're using language to really describe what the project is about and the look and the feel and the functionality. And you really want to mirror your clients words here and repeat back to them words that you've you've heard them say and ask for moodboard color stories Extra story, vibe, whatever you want to call it, but that, that sort of it's different from a room board, which which shows selections, your mood board is showing the vibe of the story of the space or the home or the the commercial property, whatever the case may be. Number three preliminary floor plans. And number four preliminary budget. Okay.

So before we wrap up, I know that's a lot. If you still have questions, I want to remind you that inside my program, the interior designers business blueprint, I have an entire masterclass dedicated to helping designers through the entire design process, including the concept design phase with tools, templates, checklists, and a lot more detail for pulling it all together. So if you want to learn more about that head over to designers oasis.com forward slash blueprint to learn more. All right, so I want you to ask yourself, How would it feel on your next project to move into design development phase of your project with clarity, and the direction that you're headed in and affirmation from the client that they're pleased with the initial direction, they've made some dishes decisions, they've agreed that yes, we're all headed in the right direction. Or maybe they've steered the ship and you've gotten a little bit more clarity on what they really meant, right? When you when you when they first started describing what they wanted, and now that you've been able to show them something, you guys are all on the same page, wouldn't that feel good, right? And imagine how much faster you will be able to get through the design development process, because you're not still having to figure out what you're doing. Okay, that's where you start to save time, that's where you start to really ditch the rabbit holes, okay, and you can get really focused and really hone in on on those decisions. And that's where the magic happens. And you know what the best part of all of this is, when you are a good listener to your clients needs, desires and dreams. And you reflect all of that back to them through language and through imagery in this concept design package.

Guess what, they start to get really excited. And they start to talk about what they've just seen from you with their friends and their family, and you're already creating evangelist for your work. And you've only scratched the surface. Okay, your word of mouth marketing starts to take shape. And that's what this is all about. It's delighting and wowing and surprising your clients at these really pivotal milestones. And this is one of them. And if you get it right, you have the opportunity to create natural evangelists before you've even finished a project before you've even presented the full design package to them. So that is a possibility if you get it right, and if you take the time to put in the work. At this phase, you'll have a much stronger foundation for your project moving forward. So I hope this was helpful. Don't forget tomorrow is the last day to catch my masterclass the six part framework for thriving interior design business, go to designers voices.com forward slash thrive. And if you miss it still go and get on the waitlist and we'll let you know the next time it is available. All right. Thanks for hanging out with me. Bye for now. Hey, friend, thank you so much for letting me spend a part of this day with you. I'm so passionate about helping designers like you. And I believe in a rising tide that when one of us does well, we all do better. So if you share this attitude of abundance with me, I want you to do just one little thing. Please share this episode with someone using might love it. And if you're feeling extra generous today, go ahead and take just 30 seconds to open your podcast app and leave us a five star rating and review. It's free for you to do and it helps me to be able to keep making more episodes and resources for you. However you choose to help please No, I appreciate you so very much. Thank you, my friend. Have a wonderful rest of your day. I'll see you soon.