Interior Decorators / terms and pricing

[kodydog]

but if the decorator is unwilling to give me an exclusive then why should I give them one?  I am interested in building my business not theirs. 

I think it is sad that they have so little faith in their ability as a decorator that a skilled upholster threatens them so much, I admit that I am no decorator.

One designer I work for told me her painter "protects" her. She stopped short of saying I should do the same. I think she knew what my answer would be. She had a falling out with one of her clients and the client called me directly. Was I supposed to turn down the job?

I love the designers who charge $50 to $100 per hour and charge $150 per yard. Talk about confidence.

[lc]

whooooe thats a hot topic in itself ..their mark up is  where they make a lot of moolah I'de say.
People look at designers like the name brands ...the customers like to brag and chatter on how much they paid .

I wish I was able to pick out colour schemes and point to the mover where to put the sofa and direct us to what their customers want with upholstering...they make a good buck for directing while we get sore backs ha ha

[lruthb]

It is so funny how Dec's have effected all of us in one way or another.
I have two dec's I've worked for over the years. I used to get screwed ( without a kiss ) by the feeling that I needed the work, so I wouldn't make up for supplies and fabric sales. They always supply the fabric. This fabric isn't always the best stuff to work with. I learned to add 10 to 20 percent to make up for everything depending on the style furniture or cornice boards. I don't lose out any more. Both these dec's have no problem making their money after I charge for mine. Yes they have the customer go thru them. The dec's pickup and deliever.

[lc]

arrgh !!  some of the fabric they give us we could make skimpy curtains with !
it ends up  turning into a big headache and more work than we bargained for .

[kodydog]

Some of the fabric they give is you could make underwear with. We had one designer get mad at us because you could see the seam allowance through the fabric. What are they thinking? ???

[Mojo]

Pouring Piss From a Boot is a Texas term used to describe someone who is stupid. :)

The full statement is " he is so stupid he wouldn't know how to pour piss from a boot if the instructions were written on the heel ". Gotta love those Texans. ;D

Here is another Southern expression:

"He is so lazy he wouldn't hit a lick at a snake." The phrase means he is too lazy to hit a snake about to attack.

Which reminds me.......I need to get to work. :)

Chris

[gene]

That's funny, Mojo. What a great visual. I can see someone reading the instructions on the bottom of a boot and then still complaining that they don't know how to pour the piss out. ROFLMAO.

gene

[bobbin]

Good interior designers and decorators (they are not the same thing!) are worth their weight in gold to people who don't have a sense of how to work with color, pattern, furniture design and placement to achieve an attractive room.  They are in the service business and putting together a thoughtful and cohesive plan for a room that meets a client's needs/wants/tastes requires a lot of planning, a lot of professional resources, and a lot of patience.  I am always impressed when I see the "story board" for a room, complete with paint color options, fabric options, rug options, and the layers of design detail clearly spelled out.  That sort of plan indicates time and consideration. 

Like Sofa. and Kody I know what I have to make for my own attention to the detail of my craft to be worth the effort personally!  My price is my price and I wouldn't offer exclusivity.  Realistically, I can't afford to.  Nor have I ever had a designer/decorator ask me for that. 

[sofadoc]

QUESTION:
Who's best interest is a decorator acting on behalf of?

ANSWER: (ranked in order of importance)

#1 Themself
#2 Their customer

Did you notice that the upholsterer didn't make it into the top 2?

BTW I refer to all decorators/designers as simply "decorators". I know there's a difference, but it's the term I grew up with. I still call 'em "used cars" instead of "pre-owned". ;D

I recently delivered a job to a decorator's customer. She was there when I arrived. The customer had a large portrait of her son on the wall. The decorator told her that she coordinated all the colors of the new decore with the golden blonde hair the boy had in the portrait. The customer was moved to tears. She said that the decorator had truly seen into her heart.
As I heard this, I was thinking "I wonder. Did she really see into the woman's heart, or could it be the 100 yards of gold chennille she has stored at my shop" (that she's been trying to unload for 2 years now).

[kodydog]

As I heard this, I was thinking "I wonder. Did she really see into the woman's heart, or could it be the 100 yards of gold chennille she has stored at my shop" (that she's been trying to unload for 2 years now).

Defiantly 100% heart. How could you even question it. :D

[lamx]

I guess I'm in the minority in this discussion. I used to work for two different decorators. Our arrangement was that the decorator would provide the fabric and I would charge the customer directly for my supplies and labor and remit a commission of 20% to the decorators. I increased.my labor charge by 25% and mailed a check for 20% to the decorator when I got paid. I didn't have a problem with that arrangement
Because I got the same labor I would have if I had done any other job using COM and the decorator provided a service by performing all the interface with the customer. I didn't have to go to their home to make an estimate or answer questions and the decorators fended off any complaints that involved schedule, cost, or fabric. I also estimated fabric high to make save the decorator the embarrassment of telling the customer thay had to order more to complete the job and had enough left over to do a chair for another customer later. I really didn't have a problem working with them, it was a win-win situation.

Ed

[sofadoc]

I really didn't have a problem working with them, it was a win-win situation.

I had a few of those situations back in the day. But somewhere in the early 90's, fabric (seconds) outlet stores started popping up everywhere. Suddenly, EVERYBODY was a decorator. Most  of them had no formal training, and were just looking for a "trade discount" on stuff for themselves and their friends.

I realize that I just want it BOTH ways. On one hand, I want to make a retail profit for selling material. On the other hand, I don't want to spend a lot of time holding the customer's hand helping them pick out fabric. And I don't even consider myself qualified to coordinate colors anymore. With all the different patterns I put on furniture everyday, I've lost my ability to be objective.  I think these are some of the reasons why many upholsterers are leaning toward an "all COM" business.

I'm still clinging to the old way. Obviously, COM is a huge part of my business. But I still manage to sell 50-100 yards a month at 15% off MSRP.

It was always my experience that the decorators that I've dealt with needed me a lot more than I needed them.