Episode 1855
Renovation Realities: Hiring the Right Interior Designer with Wendy Glaister
Hiring the right interior designer can be a daunting task for homeowners, but it doesn't have to be. Eric G sits down with award-winning designer Wendy Glaister the talented mind behind Wendy Glaister Interiors. Join us as Wendy shares her expertise on how to hire an interior designer, from understanding your vision to finding the right fit for your project and to explore the essential steps to finding a designer who truly understands your needs and vision. They discuss the importance of conducting thorough research, including reviewing a designer's portfolio and online presence, to ensure alignment in style and values. Wendy emphasizes that the designer-client relationship should be built on trust and open communication, as this can ultimately save time and money throughout the renovation process. The conversation also highlights the significance of managing expectations and the emotional aspects of a home project, ensuring that clients feel confident in their decisions and supported every step of the way.
Eric G hosts a vibrant conversation with award-winning interior designer Wendy Glaister, delving into the intricacies of hiring the right interior designer for homeowners. Glaister shares her insights into the common apprehensions faced by those new to the design process, emphasizing that many clients have never engaged with designers before. This lack of experience often leads to uncertainty about expectations, costs, and the overall design journey. Glaister articulates the importance of clear communication and understanding between clients and designers, noting that a good designer serves as an advocate, guiding clients through their renovation projects while ensuring their needs and desires are met.
The discussion further explores the significance of researching potential designers online, assessing their portfolios, and aligning personal values with those of the designer. Glaister advises listeners to look for designers who work with “normal people” rather than high-profile clients, emphasizing the importance of relatability in the design process. As the conversation unfolds, Eric and Wendy touch on the emotional aspects of home renovations, acknowledging that the process can be stressful and filled with challenges. They highlight the necessity of hiring professionals who respect one another, work collaboratively, and communicate effectively to create a harmonious working environment.
Glaister also highlights the financial implications of hiring an interior designer, arguing that a well-chosen designer can ultimately save clients money by preventing costly mistakes during renovations. The episode wraps up with practical tips on how to navigate the hiring process, including the importance of feeling comfortable with your designer and ensuring that all decision-makers are involved in the design discussions. With a wealth of experience and expertise, Glaister's insights provide valuable guidance for anyone looking to embark on a home renovation journey, making the daunting task of hiring the right designer feel more manageable and approachable.
Takeaways:
- Finding the right interior designer involves research and understanding their communication style and values.
- Homeowners should trust their instincts and ask questions during the hiring process.
- It's essential to include all decision-makers in design discussions to avoid miscommunication.
- Working with a designer can save money in the long run by preventing costly mistakes.
- Consider reviewing a designer's portfolio and social media to gauge their style and engagement.
- The relationship between the designer and contractor impacts the success of a renovation project.
Links referenced in this episode:
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Transcript
It's around the house.
Wendy Glaser:It's not that one is better than the other.
Wendy Glaser:It's just that as a designer, if you need somebody who, like you mentioned, wants to advocate for you and what you need and want in your life and in your home, not is not just trying to sell whatever to get another level of commission, that's where some of your integrity comes into question.
Eric:Around the house show is brought to you by pyramid heating and cooling serving in Oregon, the Portland metro area and Bend, Oregon.
Eric:They are your one stop shop for heating and cooling and indoor air quality.
Eric: pyramidheating.com oregon CCB: Eric:When it comes to remodeling and renovating your home, there is a lot to know.
Eric:But we've got you covered.
Wendy Glaser:This is around the house.
Eric:Welcome to the round the house show, the next generation of home improvement.
Eric:Thanks for joining me today.
Eric:This episode is brought to you by our friends overdose at Monument Grills.
Eric:If you're looking for a brand new barbecue but don't want to spend a lot of money, check them out@monumentgrills.com.
Eric:dot and today I have one of my favorite designers out there, award winning designer Wendy Glaser from Wendy Glaser Interiors.
Eric:Welcome back to around the house.
Wendy Glaser:Thank you, Eric.
Wendy Glaser:I really appreciate the invitation to join you again.
Wendy Glaser:It's a lot of fun, these conversations.
Eric:This is always a blast.
Eric:And you have so much great information for people out there.
Eric:And I think we can tackle today one of the biggest fears of homeowners out there.
Eric:And that's really how to find an interior designer that's right for you.
Wendy Glaser:I think it really is intimidating.
Wendy Glaser:I would say 90% of the people that I work with have never worked with an interior designer before.
Wendy Glaser:And I've heard so many times just on the intro call.
Wendy Glaser:I don't know.
Wendy Glaser:I've never worked with a designer before.
Wendy Glaser:I'm not sure how it works.
Wendy Glaser:Can you explain?
Wendy Glaser:So there's a lot of education involved and then, but there's a lot, there's a lot to think about.
Wendy Glaser:It's a, it's a big investment and there's sure to be challenges along the way in any renovation.
Wendy Glaser:So you have to think about a lot of different things.
Eric:But I also say that interior designer is your number one advocate to save you money in the long run, because doing things two or three times, because you didn't think it through and you didn't know any better, but your designer could walk you through the process is something that's going to elevate that project and make it a lot less stressful for you as well, because, well, you've got a professional on your side.
Wendy Glaser:Yeah, it's cute.
Wendy Glaser:I work for a lot of people who have really great skill sets and things that I don't.
Wendy Glaser:So, like accountants or farming or an entrepreneur in a totally different area, scientists.
Wendy Glaser:And they say, Wendy, how do you do it?
Wendy Glaser:And I say, if you put me in your chair at your place of employment, I would just cry.
Wendy Glaser:I would just cry.
Wendy Glaser:I'd want to give up and walk away.
Wendy Glaser:Like, I'm in this every day in my life.
Wendy Glaser:And so I see what's out there, and I've learned a lot of things the hard way.
Wendy Glaser:If not, like when early in my career, then I continue to make errors because I am human and also in my own home.
Wendy Glaser:And so it's just, we just need each other.
Wendy Glaser:Right.
Wendy Glaser:Like, I am never going to be a CPA.
Wendy Glaser:Thank God my neighbor is.
Wendy Glaser:I love her.
Wendy Glaser:I helped her with her kitchen.
Wendy Glaser:She helps me with my books.
Eric:So, yeah, we hire professionals for everything else.
Eric:And that's an important part of it, is just getting somebody in there to help guide you down the way, because you might see this brand new product out there or a brand new way of doing things, and it doesn't, because it's new doesn't mean that it's going to be the right way for your application or it's something that's just untested.
Eric:So sometimes it's better to use something a little more reliable.
Eric:Because you want it to last.
Wendy Glaser:Well, yes, because it's a huge, like I mentioned, it's a big investment for almost anyone who's doing a renovation or a home from blueprint.
Wendy Glaser:It's an investment, and you want to make sure that the things that you choose will last, that they fit your lifestyle and the way your family lives.
Wendy Glaser:If you have pets, if you have children, if you have a pool, or if you like a very, very quiet environment, if you like fitness, if media is your big thing, it's just you need an advocate, just like what you mentioned, you need an advocate who can help you accomplish those things and choose the right material things like that.
Eric:Yeah.
Eric:And they're also there to help you visualize the next thing.
Eric:I want to talk about, what are the first steps?
Eric:Like, where should you start if you're going, okay, I need to hire somebody because I'm over my head already, or you're thinking you are.
Eric:What's the first step in your mind?
Wendy Glaser:I think, oh, in my.
Wendy Glaser:Well, I think if you're a consumer and you're starting to look for an interior designer, everybody goes to Google first, right?
Wendy Glaser:Yep.
Wendy Glaser:So I would say you need to look at that website and see how does that designer communicate who he or she or the firm is?
Wendy Glaser:What do they value?
Wendy Glaser:Do they have a very tight aesthetic?
Wendy Glaser:Do they have a wide variety of projects and styles in their portfolio?
Wendy Glaser:Do they communicate some of the same values that you have?
Wendy Glaser:Do they do projects for normal people?
Wendy Glaser:I have my mind.
Wendy Glaser:Wendy, do you still work for normal people?
Wendy Glaser:Like, what do you mean?
Wendy Glaser:What's not a normal person?
Wendy Glaser:Is it only celebrities or is it like the rest of us who are doing a great job in life but aren't in the limelight?
Wendy Glaser:So I think that's the first place where you get a sense of who the designer is and whether or not you might gel with them.
Wendy Glaser:I'd also say their Instagram account's pretty important because that's a little more, that's a little easier to share on a daily basis.
Wendy Glaser:Maybe not on their feed, but certainly in stories.
Wendy Glaser:Who are they?
Wendy Glaser:What are they doing?
Wendy Glaser:How involved are they in their projects?
Wendy Glaser:Do you see them on job sites or are they only posing for lunch with champagne?
Wendy Glaser:That's important.
Wendy Glaser:And then I think two reviews are critical because that will give you a sense of what were other clients experiences.
Wendy Glaser:Do they mention that the designer listened?
Wendy Glaser:Do they mention that the designer made it look like their home?
Wendy Glaser:Or is that not important to you?
Wendy Glaser:Are you after a very specific aesthetic and you just want to achieve that?
Wendy Glaser:Because not everybody wants, like, their best friend designer coming in to do things.
Wendy Glaser:They just, they'd like a little more distance but get it done.
Wendy Glaser:So I think you can do a lot of research up front, just online, and know who you're going to be calling.
Wendy Glaser:And I think that might give people a sense of calm a little bit, too.
Wendy Glaser:Like, they're not just calling someone out of the blue.
Wendy Glaser:They have some context for the conversation.
Wendy Glaser:I don't know if that helps.
Eric:But, yeah, I.
Eric:There's such a mix of designers out there.
Eric:Out there, right?
Eric:There's so many different people out there.
Eric:It's just like the people out there that are doing the projects themselves.
Eric:As far as a homeowner tackling, there's just this wide mix.
Eric:There's some designers out there that are really good at one or two styles, and you go on their website, and as long as it's that they are in their zone, but if you get them outside of their comfort level, you know, they're not so good with it.
Eric:And there's others out there that you jump on, and it's such a wide range from, you know, almost guardrail to guardrail on style that they can handle it.
Eric:So you really start to get a feel of at least what project they're comfortable taking on.
Eric:And once they've completed, because that's the ones that are on the website.
Wendy Glaser:Yeah.
Wendy Glaser:And there's a designer for everyone.
Wendy Glaser:It's just a matter of finding your fit.
Wendy Glaser:And what are your priorities and how do they align with those priorities?
Eric:Exactly.
Eric:Exactly.
Eric:You brought up a question that we were talking about earlier, that where do they, where do they make their income and how do they make their income?
Eric:Because there's a lot of different things that you see designers do.
Eric:Myself as a designer, I've been a brand ambassador.
Eric:I've done stuff like that.
Eric:It's depending on how they charge.
Eric:What are your recommendations with that?
Wendy Glaser:Well, I think especially in the last few years, there's a difference.
Wendy Glaser:Well, when we look at the things that you're a brand ambassador for specifically, Eric, those are things that you use in your everyday life.
Wendy Glaser:You're not just saying, you're not saying, see this skin cream?
Eric:Yes, absolutely.
Wendy Glaser:Like, it is very specific.
Wendy Glaser:And you use them, test them, try them, believe in them before you say something.
Wendy Glaser:And it's in the context of your work and everyday life and projects.
Wendy Glaser:But there is something that sort of developed recently where more than designers, they're like influencers in the space of design, and they're not doing client work like multiple projects and jobs and clients and contractors and subs and vendors.
Wendy Glaser:They're more about, they're making money on their brand ambassadorship types.
Eric:Yeah, very true.
Eric:Very true.
Wendy Glaser:It's not that that's bad because that's valuable and it's, it's fun.
Wendy Glaser:Especially, like, if you're the DIY person and you want to try a cool new peel and stick wallpaper or you want to try a neat tile thing and it's cool.
Wendy Glaser:But if you're taking on a really serious project, you want to know that your designer is only a brand ambassador for things that they use in their home, in the homes of their clients around the house.
Eric:We'll be right back with Wendy Glaister, and we'll talk more about interior design right after these important messages.
Eric:Don't go anywhere.
Eric:Welcome back to the around the house show, the next generation of home improvement.
Eric:Thanks for joining me today.
Eric:To find out more about us, head over to aroundthehouse online.com and you can send us a message there.
Eric:Now let's get back to our conversation with Wendy Glaster from Wendy Glaster interiors about how to hire the right interior designer.
Wendy Glaser:But if you're taking on a really serious project, you want to know that your designer is only a brand ambassador for things that they use in their home, in the homes of their clients.
Wendy Glaser:In full disclosure, I've only done one brand ambassadorship so far, and I'm in the middle of that now.
Wendy Glaser:And it's for zip water.
Wendy Glaser:And it's because I studied them for three years before we did this partnership, and then they put it in my home so I could use it all the time and be able to speak about it confidently.
Wendy Glaser:But also because I, I'm sitting for my kitchen, so I'm looking at my kitchen well, I know what it does for me in my everyday life, so I think there's a distinction there.
Wendy Glaser:And it's not that one is better than the other.
Wendy Glaser:It's just that as a designer, if you need somebody who, like you mentioned, wants to advocate for you and what you need and want in your life and in your home, not, is not just trying to sell whatever to get another level of commission, that's where some of the, your integrity comes into question a little bit.
Eric:Contractors out there, there are so many gate contractors out there that are licensed, spawned, insured.
Eric:They're trained.
Eric:They do so well.
Eric:There's also contractors out there that aren't licensed, spawned, insured, and don't know what they're doing.
Eric:And there's the same thing with designers, too.
Eric:There's people on tv that call themselves designers that can't draw a stick figure on a piece of paper, let alone do any kind of a draft on anything.
Eric:And they call themselves a designer so they can be an influencer.
Eric:That's the part of working through this part.
Eric:First part of the process is making sure you're finding the person that has the skills and the ability to help you and get your project across the finish line.
Wendy Glaser:Yeah.
Wendy Glaser: ust mentioned to you, like in: Wendy Glaser:I hadn't gone to school yet for it.
Wendy Glaser:But now, 18 years later, I know a lot more than I did then.
Wendy Glaser: audience, what things cost in: Wendy Glaser:And the rate accelerated so fast, 40% or more, that it's just where maybe before you could say, oh, well, it doesn't really work, and I don't really love it.
Wendy Glaser:You can't really do that now because you're talking thousands and thousands of dollars at this point.
Wendy Glaser:So it's just, it's industry knowledge.
Wendy Glaser:I also think it's really important that your designer respect and appreciate your contractor and the contractor respect and appreciate the client or the designer, because when that relationship is great, it is life changing.
Wendy Glaser:The job goes so much more smooth.
Wendy Glaser:You problem solve way in advance together.
Wendy Glaser:You actually do the plans together.
Wendy Glaser:Each party runs things by each other.
Wendy Glaser:It's a team.
Wendy Glaser:It's a real team.
Wendy Glaser:Everybody stands together arm in arm to make sure that it works out great.
Wendy Glaser:If you have a designer who does not respect the contractor or their subs, because these guys go to work every day together.
Wendy Glaser:The contractor feeds skilled subcontractors every month to do the right thing, and those subcontractors feed their families on that.
Wendy Glaser:So it's a live and die kind of thing.
Wendy Glaser:But if you have a designer who walks on that job site and they speak in an inappropriate or disrespectful way to anyone, I would run far, far, far, far away because it's going to cost you a ton of money.
Wendy Glaser:Errors will be made.
Wendy Glaser:People won't communicate because they don't like to be talked to.
Wendy Glaser:Like they're nothing.
Wendy Glaser:No one likes that.
Wendy Glaser:And yeah, you can tell I feel very strongly about.
Eric:I do, too.
Eric:I have a name for them, too, sometimes.
Eric:There's the superhero designer, there's the superhero contractor.
Eric:And what I mean is that they're the ones that come into the meeting, and it could be the designer or the contractor, could be either one.
Eric:And they come in and have a meeting ANd they catch an error and they go back to the homeowner misses SMith.
Eric:You should be happy I was there.
Eric:I caught designer X trying to do this that would have cost you $10,000.
Eric:And they throw the other person under the bus playing superhero, trying to build their, their relationship up with the client to get that relationship more solid than it was.
Eric:And everyone loses when you have that superhero in the room.
Wendy Glaser:Well, isn't that like elementary school?
Wendy Glaser:Like, being a tattletale?
Eric:It is, dude.
Wendy Glaser:What happened to adulting?
Eric:Right?
Eric:But it happens.
Eric:You know, it happens.
Eric:And you're just like, are we doing this?
Eric:Yeah.
Wendy Glaser:Yes.
Wendy Glaser:And it's just so sad.
Wendy Glaser:I had.
Wendy Glaser:When I.
Wendy Glaser:When I first graduated Modesto junior college.
Wendy Glaser:It's community college.
Wendy Glaser:I had a ba, and I went back for design.
Wendy Glaser:And my very first big job out of there, I had the opportunity to work with a contractor.
Wendy Glaser:He was like a wild west guy, way out in the middle of farmland, and he.
Wendy Glaser:This is.
Wendy Glaser:It was wild west, okay.
Wendy Glaser:He put, like, a shipping container in front of the house and design as he built just to.
Wendy Glaser:And so I was a threat.
Wendy Glaser:I wasn't a threat, but he thought I was a threat.
Wendy Glaser:Yeah.
Wendy Glaser:It was really hard because I had no confidence.
Wendy Glaser:And finally I just said, I would never talk to you like that.
Wendy Glaser:I wonder why you think you can talk to me like that.
Wendy Glaser:I think we need a sidebar.
Wendy Glaser:And he's like, sidebar?
Wendy Glaser:I said, yeah, from now on, if I'm doing something and you don't like it, obviously, I don't want to frustrate you or any of your team.
Wendy Glaser:Just say, hey, wendy, can I talk to you about this thing?
Wendy Glaser:And go like this?
Wendy Glaser:And I'll follow you over there, and you can tell me what you think or what you need or if I'm doing it wrong or whatever, but have some compassion.
Wendy Glaser:And it was really neat, actually, because we ended up being really good friends.
Wendy Glaser:And I've gotten to do some really incredible work with him.
Wendy Glaser:But I.
Wendy Glaser:It was very tough going in the beginning, very struggle.
Eric:I had a contractor that I absolutely loved.
Eric:I would do a project tomorrow with him.
Eric:We still keep in contact, even though I'm not doing projects like that anymore, but, like, something would be damaged or something would get messed up, like a cabinet door.
Eric:And he would.
Eric:He would send me a text and go, hey.
Eric:I slid the cabinet door in the back of my truck when the homeowner wasn't looking.
Eric:It's damaged.
Eric:Can you get me another one?
Eric:And he was the guy that was protecting the homeowner from any issues that we already had handled but didn't need to drag them through the mud because it wasn't a decision.
Eric:It wasn't something that was going to change the eta of the job site, but he had it managed, and his job was to just keep it quiet.
Eric:Going up.
Eric:That door's missing.
Eric:We have another one coming.
Eric:So they wouldn't be looking at a damaged door that had a break or a crack, wondering, am I going to do this?
Eric:He would just go in and make it so smooth of a process.
Eric:His guys would always go, oops, lets get that outside real quick so we dont get anybody upset.
Eric:And then we could handle it as professionals.
Eric:And nobody was getting all worked up over a lot of wasted energy.
Wendy Glaser:Yeah.
Wendy Glaser:Again, its a lot of money.
Wendy Glaser:And so if a client sees an error on the job, they just hone in on that instead of realizing, oh, wait, this is a great team and theyve got me.
Wendy Glaser:And when they leave, it will be perfect because it will.
Wendy Glaser:But in the moment, it just degrades the feeling of trust in the team.
Wendy Glaser:And that isn't good because it's not a real thing either.
Wendy Glaser:It's just a construct of that moment in time when you see an error or a flaw.
Eric:You're listening to around the house and we're talking with interior designer Wendy Glaister.
Eric:Now let's get back to the conversation.
Eric:Welcome back to the around the house show, the next generation of home improvement.
Eric:Thanks for joining me today.
Eric:We are brought to you by our friends over at Monument Grills to find out more about them.
Eric:And for great grills under $900, who doesn't like quality and savings, head to monumentgrills.com.
Eric:now let's get back to our conversation here with Wendy Glaser from Wendy Glaser interiors.
Eric:And we're talking how to hire the right interior designer.
Wendy Glaser:Yeah, it's, again, it's a lot of money.
Wendy Glaser:And so if a client sees an error on the job, that's, they just hone in on that instead of realizing, oh, wait, this is a great team and they've got me.
Wendy Glaser:And when they leave, it will be perfect because it will.
Wendy Glaser:But in the moment, it just degrades the feeling of trust in the team.
Wendy Glaser:And that isn't good because it's not a real thing either.
Wendy Glaser:It's just a construct of that moment in time when you see an error or a flaw that will absolutely be corrected.
Wendy Glaser:So it's nice to have a friend looking out for you, for sure.
Eric:But I think part of being a great designer is also the manage of emotions of the job site as much as the design.
Eric:Right.
Eric:Because you're trying to make sure that the client and everybody's working together, there's a lot going on and managing expectations as well as the entire project.
Wendy Glaser:Yes.
Wendy Glaser:My big joke is when I'm done with this profession, and I don't know when that will be because I love doing it and I want to keep working.
Wendy Glaser:But I could be the ambassador for the United States to the UN because you have, you have to be so careful, right?
Wendy Glaser:I mean, I know you know this.
Wendy Glaser:And the way you come off and the way you present yourself and the way you.
Wendy Glaser:Your face looks when you receive news that you may or may not love.
Wendy Glaser:And I always joke with clients, like, there's not enough Botox in the world to handle this one, because it matters.
Wendy Glaser:It matters.
Wendy Glaser:And people believe 90% of communication is nonverbal.
Wendy Glaser:That's the data, and you have to really be composed.
Wendy Glaser:I'm a.
Wendy Glaser:I'm very bad at poker, but I'm much better on the job site.
Wendy Glaser:It's just.
Wendy Glaser:Yeah, and then if a client gets upset and you need to figure out how to calm them down or.
Wendy Glaser:Because when you're.
Wendy Glaser:When you're doing someone's home in particular, we're talking residential.
Wendy Glaser:There's upheaval if they're in the space while you're doing the work.
Wendy Glaser:But life is very difficult.
Wendy Glaser:There are highlights, and it can be fun, and there's joyous things to appreciate about it.
Wendy Glaser:But on balance, you're going to have challenges almost every day of your life, greater or lesser.
Wendy Glaser:And when that kind of life pressure comes into a home that's being renovated, emotions can be very high and sometimes volatile, and especially depending on the client personality.
Wendy Glaser:Some are more combative.
Wendy Glaser:Some feel like, I had this one client, and something must have happened when she was little, because anytime she feels like a choice, either hasn't been offered to her that should have been, or a decision is being made without her complete involvement.
Wendy Glaser:She.
Wendy Glaser:You can see her, like, fast.
Wendy Glaser:The smoke and the anger, and just like this, and you just.
Wendy Glaser:And again, it's gonna be perfect when we're gone.
Wendy Glaser:I am not gonna let someone fail you in the moment.
Wendy Glaser:It's just.
Wendy Glaser:Oh, very hard.
Wendy Glaser:Very, very hard.
Eric:I had one that was so bad, and I'm gonna make sure not even say the city and state or anything on this where it was, because this is how bad this one was.
Eric:I was literally doing the walk through.
Eric:Cabinets were being installed.
Eric:Walls were being painted.
Eric:Husband and wife.
Eric:And we walk into the laundry room.
Eric:The husband had just made changes right before the cabinet order was placed and had worked with the contractor to make some changes in there.
Eric:And she comes in, hadn't seen it, is instantly mad, and he goes, isn't it beautiful?
Eric:I made some changes, and I watched her give him a right hook and a left jab at the.
Eric:At the meeting.
Eric:And I'm like, guys, I got to go, because I'm going to have to testify in court or call the police.
Eric:And I'm at.
Eric:And I called the meeting, and it's like, I rarely have I ever had that happen.
Eric:But I was like, I'm gonna have to call the authorities here in a minute because I'm not sticking around to watch felonies, guys.
Eric:I'm out of here.
Eric:But that was one of those, and that's one thing I learned in my years of design, that I learned, at least, is whatever personal trauma they're going through at that point of their life is going to be two x five x ten x of whatever that is because of the stress of a yemenite remodel, new build, or whatever they're doing, it's going to get amplified.
Wendy Glaser:Yeah.
Wendy Glaser:People really don't like change, and they don't like upheaval, and they don't like.
Wendy Glaser:And I don't like it either.
Wendy Glaser:I had all new floor put in two years ago.
Wendy Glaser:Oh, my gosh.
Wendy Glaser:It was miserable.
Wendy Glaser:And it was great reminder, you know, what my clients are going through.
Wendy Glaser:So now I'm trying every year, every other year to just do something so that it stays fresh and I stay respectful of what people go through because it's a so hard.
Wendy Glaser:Even if you're not living in it, you still see it and the job site one day and there's nobody working there, and you fall apart because there's a lot involved.
Wendy Glaser:There is, for sure.
Eric:I wanted to ask you, what's your take on how designers bill, and how the project goes?
Eric:Do you have any favorite ways of doing that, or is there anything that people should watch out for, at least ask questions about?
Wendy Glaser:If so, in the design community, I've noticed there are two camps and how you should build, and all the coaches telling people how to be good designers and how to run good businesses and how to do this and that.
Wendy Glaser:They are very judgmental.
Wendy Glaser:There wasn't a good un word for that one, Eric.
Eric:No, there's not.
Eric:Not that we can use on the radio.
Wendy Glaser:So some.
Wendy Glaser:Some designers will bill by the hour, and some designers will bill by the project.
Wendy Glaser:The designers who bill by the hour, if they're seasoned, they know approximately what it will cost in terms of their fees to design a kitchen, to design a master bath, to do a whole house, get job renovation based on square footage and the level of finishes, they'll know.
Wendy Glaser:But that's one way.
Wendy Glaser:Another way is by the project, and it's like the hourly way because they've done it long enough, or they've been coached with a very aggressive opinion about what you should be making for this or that or the other.
Wendy Glaser:I bill by the hour because every client is different and their decision making processes are different and their communication styles are different.
Wendy Glaser:It's just true.
Wendy Glaser:Everybody's different.
Eric:That's my favorite way as well.
Eric:And that's where I jump on the camp, because I always look at it and say, the person that's really good as a homeowner making decisions shouldn't have to pay the price for the other person.
Eric:That went through twelve renovation, twelve revisions of the plan and went back to revision one at the end.
Eric:They shouldn't pay the penalty of them in the average price.
Wendy Glaser:No, it just seems more fair.
Wendy Glaser:And the way I do my billing, too, it's almost probably feels excessive to some clients, but it's almost like getting a statement from your attorney every single.
Wendy Glaser:And it's like in 15 minutes increments, everything is accounted for and then you get an invoice every 30 days.
Wendy Glaser:And we use house pro and it goes straight to their email inbox.
Wendy Glaser:And if they want, they can pay online or they can send a check, whatever's easier for them.
Wendy Glaser:But it's just more consistent that way for me.
Wendy Glaser:I just.
Wendy Glaser:I was never really comfortable with by the project.
Wendy Glaser:And a lot of designers also make money by purchasing everything themselves with their designer discount, putting the markup in and selling it to the client to be installed in the home.
Wendy Glaser:I do not do that.
Eric:I don't either.
Eric:You and I are the same page here.
Wendy Glaser:When I was just.
Wendy Glaser:And I didn't know anything, this wonderful lady, Mary Hale at Pedrosian's Modesto, was so nice to me.
Wendy Glaser:And she spent a lot of time with me, helping me figure things out, because I didn't even know what I didn't know.
Wendy Glaser:But one thing she said was really important.
Wendy Glaser:Wendy, do not buy the tile in the slabs.
Wendy Glaser:Let the tile sitter by the tile.
Wendy Glaser:Let the slab fabricator buy the slabs.
Wendy Glaser:You don't want to be taking food out of their kids mouths.
Wendy Glaser:That's how you form relationships.
Wendy Glaser:So I took the advice and that's what I've done.
Wendy Glaser:Clients buy plumbing direct from our local plumbing expert, Sean, that we just love.
Wendy Glaser:At Abe's, it's his little family business.
Wendy Glaser:He answers the phone.
Wendy Glaser:If I need help, it's great.
Wendy Glaser:They buy their lighting from our local store at Phillips lighting home.
Wendy Glaser:And Carrie and her expert staff know all about it.
Wendy Glaser:So if something doesn't come the right way, they send it back and they handle it.
Wendy Glaser:They warehouse it for us till it has to go in.
Wendy Glaser:Same with flooring, same with tile.
Wendy Glaser:Pacific shores bar slabs.
Wendy Glaser:It's just we have a team.
Wendy Glaser:A rising tide lifts all boats.
Wendy Glaser:Being greedy gets you nothing round the house.
Eric:We'll be right back with Wendy Glaister, and we'll talk more about interior design right after these important messages.
Eric:Don't go anywhere.
Eric:Welcome back to the around the house show, the next generation of home improvement.
Eric:Thanks for joining me today.
Eric:To find out more about us, head over to aroundthehouseonline.com and you can send us a message.
Eric:Now let's get back to our conversation with wendy Glaister from wendy glaister interiors about how to hire the right interior designer.
Wendy Glaser:Sometimes people don't have any grace at all, for whatever reason, and no job is going to be perfect.
Wendy Glaser:It will never happen.
Wendy Glaser:There will always be something that happens on a project.
Wendy Glaser:And some people are gracious, and some people just want to.
Wendy Glaser:It's satisfying to them to do that.
Wendy Glaser:And I think that's sad.
Wendy Glaser:And I'm sorry for whatever happened in their life that they thought that would be a great way to approach everyday living.
Wendy Glaser:But there are those people, and so you can't.
Wendy Glaser:I totally agree with you.
Wendy Glaser:You can't base your total understanding of a human being by one bad review.
Wendy Glaser:If there are many that say, oh, she's the most arrogant, entitled little, mm mm.
Wendy Glaser:And I don't like her, don't ever work with her, and she wastes your money.
Wendy Glaser:She's never heard of stewardship, and she treats people like crap.
Wendy Glaser:Okay, don't hire her.
Eric:Exactly.
Eric:And I saw one the other day that I was looking through in another city I was going through, and I'd heard they were back designing again.
Eric:I looked at the reviews, and I was like, ouch.
Eric:There were no punches pulled on those.
Eric:And it was 70% were that way.
Eric:And I'm like, ouch.
Eric:There's your warning sign.
Wendy Glaser:Yeah, well, it takes all kinds to make.
Wendy Glaser:It does.
Eric:And one thing I wanted to talk about before we wrap up here in a little bit was a homeowner that's starting a project needs to take ownership of their decision making process, because many times, you're the one as the homeowner that's dictating the cost of the design fees of the project.
Eric:Right.
Eric:If they're increasingly indecisive or after every design meeting, they go to their friends and redesign it by committee.
Eric:And maybe it's the sister, it's the aunt, it's the best friend who maybe might not have the best ideas.
Eric:They can cost you a lot of money in this process.
Wendy Glaser:Well, yes, I think there are a lot of people who everybody does a remodel for a different reason.
Wendy Glaser:Right, Eric?
Wendy Glaser:Some people do it because they need a zero threshold shower now in their bathroom.
Wendy Glaser:Some people do it because their kitchen is sad and all the appliances are breaking.
Wendy Glaser:Some people do it because it's a flex.
Eric:Right.
Wendy Glaser:And so all those different motivations come into play.
Wendy Glaser:And if you're confident in yourself and you know who you are, you're a certain kind of client.
Wendy Glaser:If you are insecure and a little bit fearful, you're another kind of client.
Wendy Glaser:So that's why I think the relationship with your designer and being able to trust and believe in your designer is so important.
Wendy Glaser:Because if you can do that, it will save you a lot of time and money.
Wendy Glaser:The most expensive thing that you and I are aware of on job sites is change orders.
Wendy Glaser:So if you've designed the whole thing, you've worked with your architect, your contractor and your designer upfront, that's how you save the most money.
Wendy Glaser:All that mega value engineering comes into play from the beginning to like windows or to the kind of foundation you want to put on, the kind of roof you want to use.
Wendy Glaser:Is it smart home or not?
Wendy Glaser:But if you allow the voices of other people to color your perception of how things are going, it's the little weed in the wind.
Wendy Glaser:A little.
Wendy Glaser:And it's hard because I don't think it comes from a bad place.
Wendy Glaser:I think it's because people are insecure.
Wendy Glaser:But it is very challenging.
Wendy Glaser:And I think sometimes designers take it very personally.
Wendy Glaser:Oh, so and so doesn't like what I do.
Wendy Glaser:So I'm going to go forget her or him or.
Wendy Glaser:But it's really about insecurity and it's really about other things are at play.
Wendy Glaser:So if, as designers, we can distance ourselves from that.
Wendy Glaser:I have families I've designed for, and it's designed by committee, designed by family.
Wendy Glaser:We couldn't even, and yes, it was much more expensive, but it's what they needed to feel good.
Wendy Glaser:And, and that's fine, whatever.
Wendy Glaser:They was their prerogative, but, yeah, and.
Eric:The other thing is, too, is that all the decision makers need to be there.
Eric:Right.
Eric:As part of the process.
Eric:If it's a household that has multiple generations in it and people have their own thoughts or things are in it that are, that are part of the process, but you need to make sure that as a homeowner, you're bringing all the people that are part of that process into the process, and so they feel like they're getting hurt as well.
Eric:It makes for a smoother project.
Wendy Glaser:Yeah, I agree.
Wendy Glaser:I agree.
Wendy Glaser:I've seen it where it's like one in a team of the two spouses, the one is always the one who shows up at the meeting, and then every time we leave, we go totally the opposite way and backtrack and do something new.
Wendy Glaser:But if we'd all been there together, it would have been a lot faster, probably.
Eric:Exactly.
Eric:Exactly.
Wendy Glaser:Yeah.
Eric:You and I are on the same page on a lot of this stuff.
Eric:It's funny.
Eric:What other tips do you have?
Eric:When we're starting to run a little short on time, but we got a little bit more to go here to, to wrap a bow around this.
Eric:But there's so many.
Eric:I don't want to make this sound at all negative.
Eric:Hiring that designer is a positive thing, but it's such a, for homeowners, it should be as much of an emotional hire as a financial hire, right?
Wendy Glaser:Yes.
Wendy Glaser:So to protect against someone just jumping on the bandwagon for me, I do the initial consultation.
Wendy Glaser:I follow it up with a design summary that I email within five business days.
Wendy Glaser:They need to read through that whole thing, and then they need, I ask them, think about how you felt when we were together.
Wendy Glaser:Does my design summary reflect the things that you want to accomplish?
Wendy Glaser:Does it make you feel like I really heard you?
Wendy Glaser:Because if there's a disconnect, you don't want to work with me.
Wendy Glaser:You need to feel really good about whoever you're bringing into your home, because you need to have conversations that you might not even have with some of your closest friends.
Wendy Glaser:If you really want this house to work for you the way you need it to work for you, you're listening.
Eric:To around the house, and we're talking with interior designer Wendy Glaister.
Eric:Now let's get back to the conversation.
Wendy Glaser:So, and I think some people are intimidated to have that kind of, like, to explore how comfortable they really are with this person before they invite them into their home to spend hundreds of thousands of dollars.
Wendy Glaser:Don't feel like you have any dumb questions.
Wendy Glaser:There's no dumb questions.
Wendy Glaser:There's no.
Wendy Glaser:There should be no judgment at all.
Wendy Glaser:There should be education and explanation provided with grace and patience and just very conversational and matter of fact.
Wendy Glaser:There should be no condescension coming from any designer.
Wendy Glaser:If you do have a question, that's your.
Wendy Glaser:And they say a lot in, well, my frame of reference is, like, domestic violence recovery, but they.
Wendy Glaser:They'll tell you things like, people tell you who they are, and they do.
Wendy Glaser:Like, you need to listen because you don't want to go down the road, blow up your house, and then realize, oh, my gosh, this person doesn't care about me.
Wendy Glaser:My family, they're, they're bad stewards.
Wendy Glaser:They don't manage their business well.
Wendy Glaser:So I, it's an interview.
Wendy Glaser:It's a job interview for a designer.
Wendy Glaser:And if they don't treat it like that and they have no humility and they're not kind for me, I would say, no.
Wendy Glaser:This is the last part.
Wendy Glaser:When I first started, there was this lady who did window coverings, and she said, wendy, you are never going to be successful in this business.
Wendy Glaser:You're just too nice.
Wendy Glaser:People want to be told what to think.
Wendy Glaser:Okay?
Wendy Glaser:And there are people who want that.
Wendy Glaser:There are people who want an affect, who want glamour, who want to be able to say, so and so did my house.
Wendy Glaser:And if that's valuable to you, that's not wrong.
Wendy Glaser:It's just so.
Wendy Glaser:I wouldn't be your girl, but it's just what you really want in the, in the long run.
Eric:And it seems if you're not getting along through that first part of the process, that's your warning sign, right?
Eric:That maybe there's a disconnect there for one reason or another, that if that's a honeymoon period out of all of it, if you're starting out through the initial design process and we've got oil and water bouncing heads, maybe that's just not going to work.
Wendy Glaser:Just make sure that when you sign the contract, you read it really carefully because some designers contracts are pretty open ended.
Wendy Glaser:If it's not working for you and it's not working for me, that's fine.
Wendy Glaser:Some are pretty.
Wendy Glaser:Yeah, there's a lot of Lee.
Wendy Glaser:Lee's in there and you got to watch out.
Eric:That's actually a good, good, that's actually a really good point to maybe grab that contract with the contractor, the designer and that stuff and bring it over to the family attorney to give it a quick once over to make sure that everybody's covered.
Wendy Glaser:Absolutely.
Eric:It's a few hundred bucks.
Eric:She's pay is probably going to be the cheapest hundred.
Eric:Few hundred bucks you spend on a project.
Wendy Glaser:Agreed.
Eric:There we go.
Wendy Glaser:Nobody likes to be trapped, and nor.
Eric:Should they be, unless there's really not.
Eric:It's, it's, if it's not working, figure out a way to either fix it or part ways.
Eric:Right?
Wendy Glaser:Exactly.
Wendy Glaser:Agreed.
Eric:All right, Wendy, so how, thanks for coming on today.
Eric:How do people find out more about you if they're listening right now going, I gotta have Wendy on my project.
Eric:Where do they find you at.
Wendy Glaser:It's wendyndyglasterinteriors.com is my email address.
Wendy Glaser:And the website is Wendy Glaster.
Wendy Glaser:It's g l a I s t e r, interiors, plural.
Wendy Glaser:Because I, if I only did one interior, I'd have no website.com.
Wendy Glaser:and you can also find me on Instagram.
Wendy Glaser:But it's just, it's always so much fun to spend time with you.
Wendy Glaser:Eric, I really appreciate you inviting me back and talking about this because it is, it's tricky, but you just be confident, ask the questions you want to, and listen to yourself and how you're feeling as you respond to that person standing in front of you.
Wendy Glaser:And if you don't feel good about it, don't go forward.
Eric:Exactly.
Eric:And they're going to be your guide, your tour guide through a beautiful remodel or new construction project.
Eric:And it'll be gorgeous when it's all said, done because you've hired the right people.
Wendy Glaser:That's right.
Wendy Glaser:Listen to your gut.
Eric:Exactly.
Eric:Thanks, Wendy.
Eric:Appreciate it.
Eric:Eric G.
Eric:And you've been listening to around the house.
