When it comes to building a successful design career, experience is often the most powerful teacher. In our series ‘Advice for Designers from Designers,’ we ask accomplished interior designers — from boutique studio founders to seasoned industry veterans running large international firms — to share the pivotal lessons they learned early on, what they wish they’d known when starting out and what they would do differently if launching their careers today.
This month, features the insights of designers Kerry O’Dubhir of New Wave Design, Diana Wagenback of Studio W Interiors, Lauren Lerner of Living with Lolo, Emily Rand of Emily Rand Interiors, Christine Markos-Lowe of Christine Markatos Design, Lindsay Olson of Lulu Designs, and Mindy Kelson O’Connor of Melinda Kelson O’Connor Architecture and Interiors. We discussed mistakes they’ve made, the best use of technology, and why interior design is a business for the emotionally intelligent above all else.
Read between the lines
Reading clients’ emotional cues is imperative, because as Kerry O’Dubhir, Chief Executive Officer at New Wave Design points out, they don’t always lay it out easily for you:
“Design school teaches aesthetics and real life teaches emotional cues. The most important lesson? Clients often say “I love it” when they mean “I’m unsure.” Tone, timing, and body language reveal more than words. Listening between the lines builds trust faster than any mood board.”
This came up in multiple conversations with designers. Diana Wagenbach of Studio W Interiors echoed this sentiment, “Clients rarely describe what they actually want in design language. Learning to read between the lines in terms of how they live, what they gravitate toward emotionally, and everything in between has been just as important as any rendering or floor plan.”
When working with a client paralyzed by decision fatigue, Lindsay Olson of Lulu Designs realized her “true role wasn’t just about aesthetics but about guiding and empowering clients through uncertainty.” She says, “That project taught me to become a collaborator and advocate, not just a designer, and to focus on authentic connection as the foundation of every design.”
Olson also keeps a rigorous project diary which documents “not just technical details but also reflections on each client’s journey,” a habit that keeps her “grounded, inspired, and continuously learning,” and reinforces how important it is to pick up on the clients’ subtle emotional cues.
What designers are using tech for
When it comes to selling your vision to clients and communicating it to other trades, nothing beats visual representation – this, we found, was the area of their businesses designers are most interesting in infusing with emerging technologies.
Lauren Lerner of Living with Lolo says she is, “watching AI and virtual design visualization closely, not because it replaces the magic, but because it can enhance the client experience when used wisely. We stay rooted in process but embrace the tools that move us forward.”
Emily Rand of Emily Rand Interiors says if she was starting her business fromm scratch today she would take the time to learn photoshop and CAD fluently. “It would make relationships with architects and vendors so much easier!” she says, “Clients are extremely visible and 3D renderings and drawings help clients make decisions faster.”
Christine Markos – Lowe of Christine Markatos Design seconds this: “If I were starting a design career today, I would learn auto-cad as a first step. It is what we require of all interns, even if they don’t have any other experience. Having the ability to draw is key to helping a team, and when I was starting out, designers drafted by hand.”
Outside of the design process, designers generally steer clear of tech in the home (such as smart home devices and gadgets) and see it more as something to be dealt with rather than something exciting. This story from Mindy Kelson O’Connor, Principal of Melinda Kelson O’Connor Architecture and Interiors illustrates why:
“One of the most complicated elements in designing a kitchen is the appliance selection. I’ve learned over the years to be more cognizant of creating a bespoke design around unusual appliance sizes that are dimensionally one-offs and specific to a niche brand or another country’s standards. In an effort to create spaces that are sustainable and lasting, I want to be able to replace appliances that break down, or when technology is outdated, without destroying the careful design work.
As an example, a symmetrically organized and beautifully detailed wall that holds a refrigerator and two pantries behind equally sized panel doors with custom wood trim is not a mistake in terms of design choices, but it will become a huge problem when the the refrigerator dies and cannot be replaced with the one of the shorter European height that made this work. Having learned from this, when working with an off-sized or unusually dimensioned appliance in my designs, I look for ways to create space and flexibility around it, so that it can be replaced either in kind, or with planned for alterations to adjust the design to a more standard sized appliance in the future. Similarly, I’ve learned to avoid built-in wall coffee machines because no matter how high-end and appealing, tastes and technology often change. I’ve learned to lean towards placing a coffee station within cabinetry and freestanding machines.”
