At Your Service: Online Interior Design and Virtual Consultations
As designers, we know that once January hits, so does the desire to finally finish that room, or get started on one! Today, I interviewed Sadie Harper, who has been like my right hand as a Senior Designer since the January 2024. If you’ve worked with us this year, she’s definitely touched your project! Today we’re talking about virtual consultations, e-design, her philosophy on design, and how she can make the dreams you have about your space a reality!
1. How long have you been a designer; tell us about your education, how you discovered design and why you wanted to be a designer.
I’ve been a designer for about 15 years now, started because I wanted something creative – it’s always been my personality to envision a space in my head, then transforming concept into reality. Initially, I fabricated custom bedding, window treatments, and pillows but knew I needed more education to take it further. After completing a Master of Science in Interior Design, I’ve spent the past 12+ years running full-scale projects with remodels, furnishings, and styling.
2. Your design philosophy
I take a realistic approach, wanting to show clients something that’s achievable and brings out their best self-expression, through design. A cohesive look is preferable to matching everything, and I look through trade sources to find pieces that work together. It’s kind of an intuitive process because typically I know when I find just the right piece.
3. Where you find inspiration?
I think super-creative people don’t even consciously think about where to find inspiration because we attract it to ourselves and find it all around. It could be a color or a feeling, or one of the first pieces sourced, and then that becomes the foundation for the rest of the design.
4. What are your favorite project types to design?
I think my strengths are in finding underutilized functionality while also bringing in a polished, timeless-yet-modern look by mixing high- moderate- and low-cost materials. Increasing the comfort and usability of spaces that a homeowner found lackluster or dissatisfying before.
5. Moving into designing remotely, we’ve all gotten very familiar with this idea over the past few years, so how would you say virtual consultations differ from a client hiring you for a full-service engagement?
We can get right to the problem you’re having and discussing solutions in the moment. Then, you’ll have a professional to ask questions throughout the project – and there will be lots of questions! Use our experience to get a better result, with fewer problems along the way – we often can predict things (and head them off) before they happen because we’ve done it. If you’re needing to find items, we know where to go and who to purchase from (or not).
6. How can you capture a client’s style and vision with virtual consultation engagements?
I think over many years of talking to numerous clients – from in-person to phone to video – I’ve gotten very skilled with asking the right questions. It’s an informal interview, and I start by getting them to open up – which isn’t hard! People talk very freely about the space that frustrates them. And, after decades of looking at spaces (we moved a lot growing up – I went to many open houses and flipped through builder floorplans as a child, for fun), I can typically identify some areas where problems exist. This makes the client feel heard, even before they verbalize things and creates a good connection from the start.
7. What types of clients or projects are well-suited for virtual consultation services?
This can be great for single rooms that just aren’t coming together. Or maybe you want to take on a small bathroom renovation and need guidance. You’re capable of doing the project yourself, but don’t know what to buy, whom to hire, or how to effectively project manage a renovation (this is a big one).
This is not ideal for large-scale remodels like kitchens or a full, unfinished basement – talk to us about our full-service design for those. But repurposing an office or guestroom into a nursery (or the reverse), refurnishing your family or dining room, upfitting a small powder room or guest bathroom – those are great projects for this service!
Here is a link to a previous post on virtual consultations.
8. Lush Interior Design offers both brief (25-minute), regular (55-minutes), a package of five regular length live, on-screen meetings; and a full-scale online design add-on. What are the advantages to hiring a designer for a series of virtual meetings?
We can do a few things, depending on what level you want to be – we can quickly solve the most pressing issues in one or two meetings. You can take this further and select a series of designer meetings. This will give you consistent guidance across the project, to implement your design with a pro at your side. Or we can source the items for you, create a full presentation, then hand you the design to your room. You can implement it, or we can give you our expert tips and pointers on how to hire installers, what order things need to happen, that sort of thing.
No need to wait until the new year to get your project started! Go ahead and schedule your virtual consultation now. These also make a great gift for or one session or several for your wife, best friend, or for your adult child in their new home. Book here! Need more intensive design guidance? Become a client.
Lush Interior Design LLC is a Hospitality, High-end Residential, and Commercial interior design firm located in the Washington, DC area. Lush specializes in elevating brands through beautiful and functional interior design to make the most impact on guests and users of each space. If you are a restauranteur, hotelier, creative brand, or association and want the Lush team to manage your interior design project, book a complimentary call to discuss how we can help!
Interviewed by Emilie Kyle
Edited by Sadie Harper
