A series to get your creative juices flowing for your interior design firm’s blog.  [Click to see the introduction and first set of ideas, ideas #6-#10, ideas #11-#15, or #16-#20!]

1. A definition of trims.  Educate your readers and expand their vocabularies (tape, braid, lipcord, etc.).
2. Your latest project and an interview with the client.  This could even be a video.
3. Multiple arrangements for the same living room furniture.  Show 5 or 6 basic pieces and how they can be arranged in a basic room to show a very different look.
   

   Interesting furniture arrangements create new life in a living room. (Photo: Elle Decor)

4. Appropriate height to hang art.
5. How to choose a tile grout color.  When to use contrasting grout.  What to think about regarding maintenance.

Stay tuned for five more blog post ideas, coming next week!

Don’t you just love the sense of accomplishment after finishing a large project? It’s important to enjoy the gratification of completing a big job, but more important to make sure you and your client don’t become detached. Always leave something with your client to make them think about the next step. This could be an accessory you give them as a house warming gift or a tear sheet of that perfect console to fill the void in the hallway.

Recently I was hit with this client experience when picking up invitations from a stationary store. In the bag with my invitation boxes were cute monogrammed cups, a note pad, and match book. Naturally, the next task to check off my event to-do list was ordering favors. What a great way to hook me in as a client, encouraging me to do repeat business or refer the store to a friend.

There are many ways you can incorporate this strategy into your business.  For example, if you and a client just completed the living room and master bedroom, you could leave them with a stunning dining room centerpiece or an accessory that would look great in the study.

I will definitely use Paper on the Avenue again. It was a great finishing touch and lasting impression that I will remember for a long time.

We work with many design firms that utilize 3D photorealistic renderings to show clients their design vision.  This is a great way to communicate and sell your vision through imagery instead of words, but why not use renderings in your business for other purposes as well?

Design by Gibson Design Group | Rendering for Upcoming Charity House Show

Here are 3 ideas for using 3D renderings that you might not have thought about previously:

1. Work backwards. If you have a great project in your portfolio that you have already completed and photographed, why not render that project as well.  This will beef up your portfolio by showing potential clients what they can expect as a “before” (the rendering) and “after” (the photograph).  The similarities will be astounding to the potential client.
2. Project never built, but design done. Unfortunately, given the economy over the past two years, many large projects never got off the ground.  However, you may have done great design work for these spaces.  If you have a project that was not ever completed, or the client pulled the plug for budgetary reasons, why not render your vision and add that to your portfolio?
3. Substitute for traditional photography. While professionally photographing your best work is extremely important for your portfolio, there are some projects that might not be quite worth the thousands of dollars to photograph.  As a less expensive alternative, you can take photos of the spaces with a point and click camera and then have photorealistic renderings done to mimic them.  This is also an opportunity to add the window treatments, art, accessories, or additional pieces that were part of the design, but not purchased by the client.

Conventional or non-conventional uses aside, utilizing photorealistic 3D renderings in your portfolio is a great way to win that next client, and set yourself apart from your competitors.