Have You Hugged Your Interior Designer Today?

Well, he/she just might need one!

People often say "Oh, you are an interior designer, how fun!" And yes, it can be a lot of fun! But it can also be a lot of work. And a lot of headaches. And a lot of sleepless nights. And a lot of psychological trickery. And a lot of logistical cunningness. And a lot of....Well, you get the idea. I have also heard "Interior design, how glamorous!" I guess I can see how people would think that, especially men who think we just "play around with fabric swatches all day." But those of you that have actually done this as a career know that interior design is far from glamorous! Case in point: I once had to walk over a golf cart sized bridge that was the length of a football field carrying a rather heavy mirror (over my head, I might add) because it was the only way to get it across to this house on an island. In case you are wondering, after the delivery guy took the mirror from me I collapsed like I had just run the NY marathon, twice. My arms are still shaking and that was six years ago.

Seriously, here is the bridge...

via Charleston Magazine

(I blurred my client's children's faces that is why it looks so weird!)

Now don't get me wrong, I love, love, love what I do for a living. And if you are a design student reading this then I hope I am not discouraging you from going into this field because there are a million reasons I could give you as to why I would choose this job over and over again. In fact, let me share a few. My favorite part of design is the hour after I leave a client's house for the first time when my mind is on fire with ideas of how to decorate it. It is pure giddiness! Also, it is pretty self-satisfying when you have a client say "I love it all, let's go for it" after you show him/her your design plan. [P.S. This is rare so relish it when it happens!] I love it when you have an outside-the-box idea and it actually works. It is better than Christmas morning when you install a room and get to see all of your ideas and hard work come to life. And it is incredibly rewarding to see your client actually tear up and/or cry because they are so in love with their new space.

So with all that being said, I am opening up the floor to all you designers to either vent or share a witty anecdote from you career. Bookmark this post and feel free to come back to it whenever you have a really bad day or a really amazing day, we would love to hear it because we have probably been there (or will be there one day). And if you are not an interior designer, then please keep reading so if you have one or plan to hire one, you will know how difficult our jobs can be and hopefully appreciate us all the more! In fact, we might even need a hug after one of these bad days. Or better yet, offer us a stiff drink!

Here are some of mine to get things started...(P.S. I am not going to vent about clients because no matter how difficult they may be, they pay me to do what I love! God bless 'em!)

I hate when you drive all the way out to a client's house (who lives far away) and realize you forgot the key to their house. [That is how my day started FYI.]

I hate packing popcorn.

I hate when you find the perfect item for a client only to find out it is discontinued.

I hate when you have been waiting for the perfect item for months and it arrives broken or damaged.

I hate when companies sell you a light fixture but none of the hardware to hot wire it.

I am annoyed that the design industry is still about five years behind, technologically speaking.

Why do wallpaper companies price wallpaper out in a single roll when they only sell it in double rolls?

I hate when your subs pull a no show on a job.

I hate when your subs are late on a job and don't call.

I hate when companies tell you something will be ready just to appease you instead of telling you the truth.

I hate when you have an install and the thing you really needed arrives the day after the install.

Ok, I will stop...feel free to add a comment!