Business of Home | What do you do with clients obsessed with retail brands?
/There’s a learning curve when it comes to working with an interior designer for the first time, and many new clients have a fondness for retail brands they’ve known (and perhaps loved) for years before bringing on a professional decorator. We asked eight designers—Brianne Bishop, Regina Correa, Karen Ferguson, Kate Lester, Rebecca Plumb, Sarah Stacey, Missy Stewart and Maria Viola—how they get clients to see past retail and get on board with trade brands.
A LESSON IN VALUE: “I let my clients know that the value of trade brands is there. I explain that I go to the furniture market twice a year. I sit on any piece that I am interested in representing. I open drawers. I educate myself about the brands I carry. The clients love to hear about companies and their stories, as well. I want them to value my opinion on the furniture and know I am selling quality. I educate my clients on things like hand-tied cushions versus down-wrapped cushions and how they wear versus foam cushions. I educate them about the performance fabrics that my vendors carry and how great it is to live with these performance fabrics. Ultimately, I help them understand the value of the products I am representing.” —Missy Stewart, Missy Stewart Designs, Houston
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