When it comes to building a successful design career, experience is often the most powerful teacher. In our new series ‘From the ground up: Advice for designers (from designers),’ we ask accomplished interior designers — from boutique studio founders to seasoned industry veterans — 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 they were launching their careers today.
Build out your backend business systems sooner
Establishing efficient systems, workflows and processes as early as possible was a piece of advice that many designers we spoke to offered up. Sarah Magness, Principal & Founder of Studio Magness says, “[My] biggest lesson [is] that I should have hired a veteran bookkeeper and accounting firm. It’s a lot of work to do this element of the profession and would have been a better use of my clients’ time to have managed this more efficiently.”
Britany Simon of Britany Simon Design House, also speaks about the strong designer urge to do everything themselves. “I would’ve built my backend systems and processes earlier, and I definitely would’ve outsourced sooner,” she says, “In the beginning, I tried to wear all the hats: designer, bookkeeper, project manager, social media. It was exhausting and not sustainable. Today, I’d focus more on building a support team and honing in on the parts of the business I love most and outsourcing the rest. But honestly, every misstep helped shape how I run things now.”
The process is the point
Simon was not the only designer who caveated their advice by saying that the only way is through. Many seasoned designers share a philosophical acceptance of errors as a natural part of the learning curve.
When asked what she would do differently if starting her career today, Kelly Zerbini, Principal Dunnam Zerbini Design says, “It’s cliché, but I wouldn’t change a thing. I started with a commercial interior design education, then moved through event planning, graphic design, and finally residential interiors. I was a jack of all trades, master of none, and that gave me a strong, flexible foundation. Mastery takes time, but exploring all areas of design helps you grow faster, think more creatively, and become a better problem solver.”
Coco Greenblum of Studio Coco Greenblum emphasized that mistakes are part of the design process, in fact that solutions-oriented thinking is precisely the point. “Interior design is honestly more about problem solving and creating a beautiful solution,” she says, “there will naturally be challenges and hurdles in every design phase of a project.”
Measure a million times
Measure, measure and measure again. This is perhaps the most simple and frequently repeated piece of advice shared. Diana Wagenbach of Studio W Interiors says, “Double check all measurements and drawings! Even if you sent the right thing to a vendor, double check the PO because mistakes happen and things get lost in translation.”
Coco Greenblum of Studio Coco Greenblum shared an anecdote, a measurement mishap made early on that has stuck with her ever since: “In my first year out of college working for a high end residential firm, a client rep called me to relay Dining Room area rug dimensions to order a replacement for our client. Instead of going to the site myself to field measure, I went forward with the order with the given size. When it came to install, the rug was 4′ too short. I learned two important lessons: 1. Always triple check sizing yourself 2. If information is given to you, follow up in an email to have all records in writing.”
Growth comes not just from inspiration, but from iteration. From building strong business foundations early to embracing mistakes as stepping stones, the journey of becoming a successful interior designer is as much about resilience and adaptability as it is about creativity. Whether it’s triple-checking dimensions or learning to delegate, each lesson learned helps refine not only the work, but also the designer behind it. | Stay tuned for our next edition of “From the ground up: Advice from designers (for designers)” for more field notes from today’s top working designers.
