October 16th, 2006 by GoldenAppleCorp
After only three prematurely aborted forays into the seedy world of residential interior design, I have come to the conclusion that it just ain’t for me.
The first job I had was with an overly permissive client who appeared at the outset to have virtually unlimited cash to put into a renovation. As time went on and we pushed him to secure the money, the more difficult it became to contact him. After we had picked out furniture and hired a general contractor, he changed all his contact numbers and email addresses and moved. To Maryland.
The second job I had was really a commercial endeavor, not residential, but it was with a small business owner. We were to turn her recently purchased meat-packing plant into a corporate HQ and bottling facility. After some miscommunication, I was squeezed out by a fellow designer. She and I have since patched up our relationship.
This last ex-job though… whew. An elderly home-owner contacted one of my teachers asking for a student designer. I called dibs and got the lady’s phone number. After consulting with my teacher, I settled on an hourly wage for myself. To say my client balked would be doing it an injustice. She actually laughed when I told her. She suggested a price that was half what I was asking. Since she was elderly, I acquiesced. I went to her home (in hoity-toity Farragut) once to “interview” and look around at what I’d be dealing with. The room she wanted to redo was really quite nice, and I told her that I’d like to leave most of it alone, and just rearrange furniture and purchase some new pieces.
I went out to her home a second time to take pictures, measurements and to match colors. After I was done, she casually told me that she has been in contact with a professional designer and that, if the designer’s prices are right (twice over what I initially asked for, easily), she’ll be giving the other woman the job.
“But don’t worry, we’ll save something for you to do.”
Excuse me?
I was hired. I was given a job, an hourly wage was agreed upon, I’ve begun considering changes and have put time into planning, worrying and consulting with my teacher. And you call to tell me, “Don’t do anything between now and the next time I call you, because I’ll be consulting with the professional designer next week”?
So I’ve decided to be pro-active and call her and turn down the left-overs that she’s saving for me.
Edit: She just called me to tell me she’s going with the experienced designer. She did say that she’d give me a call when she needed another room done, but I politely told her not to bother.
Being civil very well might be the hardest part of my line of work.
October 16th, 2006 at 3:12 pm
Geez. That’s ridiculous. If she wanted to pay out the ass for an “experienced” designer, why did she bother contacting the school for a student designer in the first place?
October 16th, 2006 at 3:15 pm
Never negotiate with
terroristssenior citizens.October 16th, 2006 at 3:24 pm
Why indeed, Eaves? I chauk it up to being stupid. What GAC doesn’t mention is that she (GAC) was being as gracious as hell. When the client balked at the price, and then started talking about extra stuff that GAC could do, I, Daco, and somebody else advised GAC to cut and run.
GAC is loyal, however, and stuck it out, only to get swatted with this “experienced designer” bullcrap. GAC is like two months away from being as certified as everybody else in that dumb business.
Sigh.
October 16th, 2006 at 3:55 pm
My only experience with the design world is trading spaces. You don’t staple grass mats to the wall or paint rooms black do you?
October 16th, 2006 at 4:53 pm
I so relate to this. I think I can apply this story to every client I have worked with in the past decade!
I was literally at the end of a project once and the client locked the server down, stole my code, handed it to another developer and had that developer finish. Fortunately I had required 50% up front but I still lost a lot of money on that deal.
People fail to recognize that your life goes into your art. That the 30 minutes of juggling I do on a stage is from decades of honing a skill. That your interior design comes from studies and training and honing a natural talent. Service providers in all walks are so under appreciated at times.
October 16th, 2006 at 5:14 pm
Mrs, the more I think about your theory of her thinking she’d get a free job from a student, the more I think it might be legit.
And djuggler, you’re so right. I’ve spent four years in school, training for this line of work. I’ve spent hundreds of dollars on supplies, and thousands on tuition. There’s no way in hell I’m going to do a free job for some lady, I don’t care how old she is.
And she’s 79, by the way.
October 16th, 2006 at 5:19 pm
79?! You’d think she’d be more interested in setting up a purdy pine box.
October 16th, 2006 at 5:31 pm
No room for shelves and curtains and stuff in a pine box there meice.
October 16th, 2006 at 5:46 pm
Egyptions had ‘em. Time for some funky retro stylin’
October 16th, 2006 at 5:47 pm
Egyptians, too!
October 16th, 2006 at 5:50 pm
Evidently the old bitch wasn’t willing to pay for the extras Meice.
Get it?
October 16th, 2006 at 6:08 pm
Lol at purdy pine box…
October 16th, 2006 at 7:29 pm
It will get better; you’ve invested too much effort to give up. Next time, go in like you’re one of the leisure moms who only works for the joy of artistic expression, and don’t budge a cent on your hourly rate.
She’ll be chasing you down the street, thinking she’s found the designer no one else can afford.