Do you ever struggle to explain your design ideas to clients? Do you wish you had the right words to help them understand and love your designs?
I hear you!
In this episode, I walk you through the must-know vocabulary words that every designer starting out needs to incorporate. These are the words I use almost every day, especially when I’m doing presentations or site visits with clients. You’ll learn key terms like balance, contrast, and focal point that will really make your designs more understandable and compelling to clients.
I also dive into color terminology and fabric patterns, explaining essential concepts like hue, tone, and texture. By mastering these words, you’ll be able to describe your designs more clearly, making it easier for clients to see the value and beauty in your work.
Listen now to transform how you talk about your designs and ensure your clients fall in love with your ideas. Don’t forget to leave a rating and review, and share your favorite vocabulary words with me!
Let’s make design communication easier and more effective together!
Why you’ve got to check out today’s episode
- Learn essential vocabulary that will help you explain and defend your design choices more effectively to clients.
- Master key terms and color terminology to describe your designs with clarity, making it easier for clients to understand and appreciate your work.
- Equip yourself with the right words to sound more knowledgeable and professional, increasing your clients’ confidence in your design skills.
Check out these episode highlights
02:07 – Importance of Vocabulary for Designers
- Enhances communication with clients
- Helps in explaining and defending design choices
02:48 – Interior Design-Related Vocabulary for Projects and Communications With Clients
- Balance: Distribution of visual weight in a space
- Contrast: Differences in fabrics, colors, size, and shape
- Proportion: Ensuring furnishings are the right size for a space
- Scale: Size of objects relative to the space
- Focal Point: Main attraction in a room
- Symmetry: Pleasing proportion, often achieved by mirroring elements
- Integral: Often used when talking with contractors to defend my design; to show that something is a very important part of the design
05:34 – Style Related Vocabulary to Describe Design Decisions and Sell the Design to Clients
- Eclectic: A mixture of styles and eras in a curated way
- Bespoke: Custom-made for a particular person
- Cohesive: Elements that look well together
- Correlate: Relation or connection to something else
- Intentional: Deliberate design choices
- Well-Appointed: Been designed and has a high standard of furnishings
09:13 – Color Terminology
- Hue: Another word for color (e.g., red, blue)
- Tone: Color mixed with gray
- Tint: Color mixed with white
- Shade: Color mixed with black
- Saturation: Intensity of the color
- Complementary Colors: Colors opposite each other on the color wheel
- Monochromatic: Different shades, tints, and tones of one color
11:59 – Fabrics and Patterns Terminology
- Texture: How a material feels and looks
- Finishes: Hard materials in a project
- Upholstery: Sofas, chairs, and things that have textiles (soft furnishings)
- Casegoods: Items made out of wood or metal (e.g., tables, cabinets)
- Dye Lot: Batch of fabric ensuring color consistency
- Abrasion Test: Hardness and durability of a fabric
14:33 – Project Implementation Terms
- ADA (Americans with Disability Act) Compliance: Designing for accessibility
- Lead Time: Time taken for an item to be made and arrive
- Elevation: 2D drawing showing a vertical plane
- Side Mark: Tagging items for a project. It can be the client’s name or a combination of your name and the client’s, along with the purchase order number
- Sourcing: Finding materials or furniture for a project
- Disco: Short for discontinued items
17:48 – Descriptive Words to Help Sell a Design
- Examples: Inviting, oasis, retreat, serene
Next Steps
- Curious about your design style? Take the Quiz: Find Your Perfect Interior Design Style
- Interior Designer!! Take the QUIZ and Find Out What Type of Interior Designer You Should Be!
Grab your freebies:
Join the Design Mentor to kickstart a successful career in interior design!
Check out the best books every interior designer should have here.
Enroll in Business of Design with Kimberly Seldon or DesignYou with Tobi Fairley today to scale your interior design business!
Email me at [email protected] if you have suggested topics
DM me on Instagram at @rwarddesign if you have a burning question
Leave me a rating and review! Click here.
Thanks for listening. I hope this helps you discover if interior design is the career for you. See you next week…