Sometimes minor tweaks to a design can mean the difference between a client loving or hating a design. For example, my Calvert Court client recently signed up to have me help update their guest room on a tight schedule and an even tighter budget (like Kim Kardashian in her Spanx tight…). I literally showed the client about five different furniture pairings and each got rejected for some version of what I call the “Goldilocks Design Syndrome” – a client becomes fixated on one aspect of the design and therefore vetoes the whole concept.
So I used this to my advantage and created three concepts using the same paint and art scheme….dark charcoal walls offset patterned drapes, a sleeper sofa and quirky lighting. Vintage paint by numbers hung gallery style provide a fun backdrop for guests and incorporates the client’s unique sense of humor….
Typically, I don’t like setting this many options in front of a client at once, but I literally had nothing to lose at this point since the clock was ticking. The client initially started to nitpick but then became distracted by elements of the second design and by the third design, she was pretty much onboard with the overall concept. Maybe it was “design muscle confusion” (totally stole that from the P-90X commercials…) but the trick worked and we went shopping yesterday to make selections.
So which design concept do you think the client chose? Or even better, which do you like? Today, I am working on a challenging design for a client in the morning, sourcing rugs in the afternoon and drinking heavily in the evening. Why you ask? Because it’s Wednesday….do I need another excuse?
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