Why I Chose Residential Interior Design Over Commercial: The Pros and Cons

Interior Design Podcast, Interior Design Career, Interior Design School, Interior Design Business, Interior Design Mentor, Interior Designer, Residential Design, Commercial Design

Ever wonder why interior designers pick between residential and commercial design?

In today’s episode, I give you the inside scoop on what it’s like to be a residential interior designer. Based on my experience, I outline the pros and cons of working with clients one-on-one.

The concept of home and nurturing connects with me deeply and personally, which helps me be passionate about residential interior design and want to help other people have homes they love.

If you need help deciding between residential and commercial interior design, listen to this episode to help you decide which interior design career suits you best.

Why you’ve got to check out today’s episode
  • Understand the pros and cons of residential interior design

  • Learn the 3 reasons why a residential interior design resonates with me so much

  • Discover the essential parts of working with residential design clients

    Check out these episode highlights

    01:12 – 3 reasons why a residential interior design resonates with me so much

    1. There is nothing more intimate and meaningful than home. It nurtures and takes care of you. It restores you before you go out into the world.
    2. I help fulfill a need when there is something wrong with your home, so you can function at your full capacity.
    3. I can bring joy to people and help them live their best lives with a home base that restores and renews.

    02:32 – The pros of working as a residential interior designer

    • Creativity. There’s a lot of freedom to express creatively. Customization allows for uniqueness based on the client’s style and taste.
    • Variety. There’s always something new to explore about every project, like materials, sources, finishes, textures, and even needs.
    • Autonomy. There’s typically only one decision-maker involved. With the commercial design, you often need to meet and get approval from the board, (5, 10, or 20 people). It’s also highly challenging to get them all to agree on something.
    • Evaluation and Appreciation. There’s direct feedback and responses on your design, and you can also witness your client’s satisfaction.
    • Personalization. There’s the inclusion of the client’s details.

    7:04 – The cons of working as a residential interior designer

    • There’s handholding that you need to do with your residential clients.
    • Things can get personal. It’s difficult to receive rejection and redirection from your client. It’s disappointing when you’ve become attached to a certain aspect of a design and the client decides not to go forward with it.
    • There’s a conflict of personalities.
    • The subjective opinions of your clients.

    11:42 – The essential parts of working with residential design clients

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        Thanks for listening. If you love this episode, please leave a rating and a review. This helps me reach other curious creatives like you. If you have a topic request or would like to contact me, email me at [email protected]