February 25, 2025 • 9 mins
This episode of iDesign Lab focuses on the necessity and benefits of discussing budgets in the interior design process. By fostering transparent conversations about financial limits, clients empower designers to create tailored, satisfying solutions that align with their vision and resources.
• Importance of discussing budgets openly
• Clients need to gauge their spending capabilities
• The designer's role in tailoring projects based on budget
• Transparency fosters better collaboration and results
• Real-world scenarios highlight budgeting dynamics
• The “2-Out-of-3 Rule” for quality, speed, and cost
• Encouragement for clients to communicate their financial boundaries
-For more infomation: https://twinteriors.com/
Learn more at:
https://twinteriors.com/podcast/
https://scottwoolley.com
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Voice Over (00:00):
The following podcast iDesign Lab is an SW
Group production in associationwith Five Star and TW Interiors.
This is iDesign Lab, a podcastwhere creativity and curiosity
meet style and design.
Curator of interiors,furnishings and lifestyles.
Hosted by Tiffany Woolley, aninterior designer and a style
(00:22):
enthusiast, along with herserial entrepreneur husband
Scott, idesign Lab is yourultimate design podcast where we
explore the rich and vibrantworld of design and its constant
evolution in style and trends,everything in between, to better
help you style your life,through advice from trendsetters
, designers, influencers,innovators, fabricators and
(00:51):
manufacturers, as well aspersonal stories that inspire,
motivate and excite.
So, whether you're listening toiDesign Lab during your commute
or in a cozy nook in your homeor office, grab a coffee or a
chardonnay and join us on thiselevated, informative and lively
journey into the world of allthings design.
Tiffany Woolley (01:07):
Welcome to today's iDesign Lab tidbit.
We are talking budget, budgets,budgets, making peace with your
budget and prioritizing howmoney is spent and having a game
plan for that.
Scott Woolley (01:24):
Or having a budget period.
Tiffany Woolley (01:26):
Yeah.
Well having a budget and tryingto stay in budget.
Scott Woolley (01:30):
The biggest thing that I see in the interior
design world is people areopposed or seem shy or don't
want to expose or tell us whattheir budget is.
Tiffany Woolley (01:42):
It's true and I was told at one point whoever
says numbers first loses.
So, I try to never give thenumbers first.
I want information from myclients.
Scott Woolley (01:54):
But when it comes to interior design, you can't
really give a client budget.
How do you do that, right, you?
Tiffany Woolley (02:00):
need a gauge, and you need a gauge for a
budget because that kind ofdictates what vendors you work
within.
So I like to often tell myclients that I need a parameter
to stay in and then I want themto be comfortable with that
number and then somewhat let go,and those tend to be the
(02:21):
happiest clients in the end.
Scott Woolley (02:23):
Correct.
Tiffany Woolley (02:23):
Those are the people who are the most
satisfied, because every I getsdotted and every T gets crossed,
because we're able to have thisgauge and then you can
determine where you want tosplurge and then you'll save.
So when you're doing a budget,like I said, it's great to have
that number and again, have theclient make peace with that
(02:45):
number, and it's great to havethat number per project.
Scott Woolley (02:51):
Well, it's really a client.
They're not going to know whattheir budget is to, let's say,
do the house or redo the houseor redo a living room but
they're going to have anunderstanding of how much they
want to spend.
Right, they're going to have agauge of $300 a square foot to
$3,000 a square foot, but itmight not be based on square
foot, it might just be I have$50,000 to do my living room.
(03:13):
Well, that's all I want tospend.
And most people, like you justsaid, are opposed to saying
$50,000 because they feel likethey're negotiating against
themselves that, okay, I have$50,000 to spend and they think,
well, now they're going tospend every single penny of that
$50,000.
What they're not realizing is,by explaining that that's my
(03:35):
budget, the interior decoratoris then able to, like you just
said, pick the propermanufacturers and suppliers to
put together a design that willcomplete the room.
Tiffany Woolley (03:49):
Right.
The goal is final completionand to make sure you get all the
components that are needed.
Whether it be a bathroomremodel or whether it be a
complete new home.
Soup to nuts, there needs to bea number that you're
comfortable with and again makepeace with, so that we can do
(04:09):
what we do best.
Scott Woolley (04:10):
Well, it's like pretty much almost everything
that people buy.
You're going to go buy a newhome.
They got a price number thatthey have in mind of what they
want to spend for the house.
You go buy a new car, or evenhave a new car customized and
designed for you.
You know what you're going towant to spend.
You go buy a new car, or youeven have a new car customized
and designed for you.
You know what you're going towant to spend.
You go get a new suit made.
The person knows that I'm notgoing to spend more than $1,500
(04:32):
for a new suit.
So what we're trying to talkabout in this episode is that
people, really, if you want toget the most out of your
interior designer, you reallyneed to focus on in that initial
meeting what you're willing tospend.
You're comfortable.
Tiffany Woolley (04:53):
And I say that too because the more information
, knowledge is power.
You know, I had a project atone point where I had no idea
what they wanted to spend.
But I kind of start to gauge on.
You know what's the cost of thehouse, what's resale in the
area, you know how do they lookand dress and try to, you know,
visualize from the information Ido have at my disposal, which
(05:18):
is obviously what I see and andI try to gauge from there.
And sometimes clients don't knowreally what they want to spend
or how much things are going tocost.
But at the same time you don'twant to short change yourself.
So if you want to push theenvelope and you say okay, I
(05:38):
mean I'm giving me a number froma room you know, go to a high
end number if you arecomfortable spending more,
because you're going to open upa whole new can of worms as far
as what vendors you know wewould be looking into for your
project.
So you really need to make yourdecision.
(05:58):
You know, are you in that coachbracket or are you in the
Chanel bracket?
You got to really determinewhere you are and be comfortable
communicating that.
Scott Woolley (06:11):
And I think we're talking about the vast majority
of clients or consumers thatare out there, because there is
that small percentage I'll saythat doesn't have a budget,
because they don't even want tothink about what the budget is.
They just want it done rightbecause they have the money and
whatever it's going to cost.
I mean, I think back of doingtelevision commercials with, you
(06:34):
know, with clients that arecorporations and companies in
most cases, and or an ad agency,and talking to them about
budget.
And then I've had clients wherethey don't want to hear about
the budget, present something tome that's going to be the best
thing for my brand and they'rewilling to spend whatever is
presented to them.
Tiffany Woolley (06:54):
But they need to be comfortable communicating.
That, and I guess that would bethe best tidbit of today is
really to be comfortable withsome form of number, whether it
be the lack of a number or theneed of staying tight to a
number Correct.
The information should betransparent and the client, the
(07:15):
end user, should be completelyconfident and comfortable giving
you that information for themost successful end game.
Scott Woolley (07:23):
Correct.
Tiffany Woolley (07:25):
So that's the day.
Scott Woolley (07:27):
It's a good conversation about budget that
people you know it's probablythe biggest thing to talk to
clients, customers about.
It's the biggest thing I thinkthat people have a hard time
wanting to talk about, on howmuch they want to spend, because
I think that the, like I said,the average person you know
(07:48):
needs to be on a budget or needsto somewhat control what they
are going to spend, and thoseare the individuals that really
need to think about that.
You know anyone who's thinkingabout using an interior
decorator, because your interiordecorator or interior designer
will be able to do a lot moreand accomplish a lot more and
actually a quicker amount oftime with those numbers.
(08:12):
And then there are the clientsthat don't really want to hear
about what a budget is, becausethey just want it done
absolutely beautiful, andbudget's not really the concern.
Tiffany Woolley (08:23):
And with that comes you know the expectation
of timing and everything.
There's like a funny quotearound that you can have it
really well made.
Or let's say, you can havequality, you can have a good
price point and you can have agood time frame, but you don't
get all three, you only can picktwo.
(08:44):
So if you want it really wellmade and you want a good price,
you're going to wait.
Scott Woolley (08:51):
Correct.
Tiffany Woolley (08:52):
And if you want to not wait and you want good
quality, you're going to pay.
So you get to pick two.
Scott Woolley (09:02):
So that's our little banter for today, and
we'd love to hear back fromanyone whose thoughts on our
conversation today arepertaining to budget.
Voice Over (09:12):
Feel free, drop us a note iDesign Labs podcast is an
SW Group production inassociation with the Five Star
and TW Interiors.
To learn more about iDesign Labor TW Interiors, please visit
twinteriorscom.
The following podcast iDesign Lab is an SW
Group production in associationwith Five Star and TW Interiors.
This is iDesign Lab, a podcastwhere creativity and curiosity
meet style and design.
Curator of interiors,furnishings and lifestyles.
Hosted by Tiffany Woolley, aninterior designer and a style
(00:22):
enthusiast, along with herserial entrepreneur husband
Scott, idesign Lab is yourultimate design podcast where we
explore the rich and vibrantworld of design and its constant
evolution in style and trends,everything in between, to better
help you style your life,through advice from trendsetters
, designers, influencers,innovators, fabricators and
(00:51):
manufacturers, as well aspersonal stories that inspire,
motivate and excite.
So, whether you're listening toiDesign Lab during your commute
or in a cozy nook in your homeor office, grab a coffee or a
chardonnay and join us on thiselevated, informative and lively
journey into the world of allthings design.
Tiffany Woolley (01:07):
Welcome to today's iDesign Lab tidbit.
We are talking budget, budgets,budgets, making peace with your
budget and prioritizing howmoney is spent and having a game
plan for that.
Scott Woolley (01:24):
Or having a budget period.
Tiffany Woolley (01:26):
Yeah.
Well having a budget and tryingto stay in budget.
Scott Woolley (01:30):
The biggest thing that I see in the interior
design world is people areopposed or seem shy or don't
want to expose or tell us whattheir budget is.
Tiffany Woolley (01:42):
It's true and I was told at one point whoever
says numbers first loses.
So, I try to never give thenumbers first.
I want information from myclients.
Scott Woolley (01:54):
But when it comes to interior design, you can't
really give a client budget.
How do you do that, right, you?
Tiffany Woolley (02:00):
need a gauge, and you need a gauge for a
budget because that kind ofdictates what vendors you work
within.
So I like to often tell myclients that I need a parameter
to stay in and then I want themto be comfortable with that
number and then somewhat let go,and those tend to be the
(02:21):
happiest clients in the end.
Scott Woolley (02:23):
Correct.
Tiffany Woolley (02:23):
Those are the people who are the most
satisfied, because every I getsdotted and every T gets crossed,
because we're able to have thisgauge and then you can
determine where you want tosplurge and then you'll save.
So when you're doing a budget,like I said, it's great to have
that number and again, have theclient make peace with that
(02:45):
number, and it's great to havethat number per project.
Scott Woolley (02:51):
Well, it's really a client.
They're not going to know whattheir budget is to, let's say,
do the house or redo the houseor redo a living room but
they're going to have anunderstanding of how much they
want to spend.
Right, they're going to have agauge of $300 a square foot to
$3,000 a square foot, but itmight not be based on square
foot, it might just be I have$50,000 to do my living room.
(03:13):
Well, that's all I want tospend.
And most people, like you justsaid, are opposed to saying
$50,000 because they feel likethey're negotiating against
themselves that, okay, I have$50,000 to spend and they think,
well, now they're going tospend every single penny of that
$50,000.
What they're not realizing is,by explaining that that's my
(03:35):
budget, the interior decoratoris then able to, like you just
said, pick the propermanufacturers and suppliers to
put together a design that willcomplete the room.
Tiffany Woolley (03:49):
Right.
The goal is final completionand to make sure you get all the
components that are needed.
Whether it be a bathroomremodel or whether it be a
complete new home.
Soup to nuts, there needs to bea number that you're
comfortable with and again makepeace with, so that we can do
(04:09):
what we do best.
Scott Woolley (04:10):
Well, it's like pretty much almost everything
that people buy.
You're going to go buy a newhome.
They got a price number thatthey have in mind of what they
want to spend for the house.
You go buy a new car, or evenhave a new car customized and
designed for you.
You know what you're going towant to spend.
You go buy a new car, or youeven have a new car customized
and designed for you.
You know what you're going towant to spend.
You go get a new suit made.
The person knows that I'm notgoing to spend more than $1,500
(04:32):
for a new suit.
So what we're trying to talkabout in this episode is that
people, really, if you want toget the most out of your
interior designer, you reallyneed to focus on in that initial
meeting what you're willing tospend.
You're comfortable.
Tiffany Woolley (04:53):
And I say that too because the more information
, knowledge is power.
You know, I had a project atone point where I had no idea
what they wanted to spend.
But I kind of start to gauge on.
You know what's the cost of thehouse, what's resale in the
area, you know how do they lookand dress and try to, you know,
visualize from the information Ido have at my disposal, which
(05:18):
is obviously what I see and andI try to gauge from there.
And sometimes clients don't knowreally what they want to spend
or how much things are going tocost.
But at the same time you don'twant to short change yourself.
So if you want to push theenvelope and you say okay, I
(05:38):
mean I'm giving me a number froma room you know, go to a high
end number if you arecomfortable spending more,
because you're going to open upa whole new can of worms as far
as what vendors you know wewould be looking into for your
project.
So you really need to make yourdecision.
(05:58):
You know, are you in that coachbracket or are you in the
Chanel bracket?
You got to really determinewhere you are and be comfortable
communicating that.
Scott Woolley (06:11):
And I think we're talking about the vast majority
of clients or consumers thatare out there, because there is
that small percentage I'll saythat doesn't have a budget,
because they don't even want tothink about what the budget is.
They just want it done rightbecause they have the money and
whatever it's going to cost.
I mean, I think back of doingtelevision commercials with, you
(06:34):
know, with clients that arecorporations and companies in
most cases, and or an ad agency,and talking to them about
budget.
And then I've had clients wherethey don't want to hear about
the budget, present something tome that's going to be the best
thing for my brand and they'rewilling to spend whatever is
presented to them.
Tiffany Woolley (06:54):
But they need to be comfortable communicating.
That, and I guess that would bethe best tidbit of today is
really to be comfortable withsome form of number, whether it
be the lack of a number or theneed of staying tight to a
number Correct.
The information should betransparent and the client, the
(07:15):
end user, should be completelyconfident and comfortable giving
you that information for themost successful end game.
Scott Woolley (07:23):
Correct.
Tiffany Woolley (07:25):
So that's the day.
Scott Woolley (07:27):
It's a good conversation about budget that
people you know it's probablythe biggest thing to talk to
clients, customers about.
It's the biggest thing I thinkthat people have a hard time
wanting to talk about, on howmuch they want to spend, because
I think that the, like I said,the average person you know
(07:48):
needs to be on a budget or needsto somewhat control what they
are going to spend, and thoseare the individuals that really
need to think about that.
You know anyone who's thinkingabout using an interior
decorator, because your interiordecorator or interior designer
will be able to do a lot moreand accomplish a lot more and
actually a quicker amount oftime with those numbers.
(08:12):
And then there are the clientsthat don't really want to hear
about what a budget is, becausethey just want it done
absolutely beautiful, andbudget's not really the concern.
Tiffany Woolley (08:23):
And with that comes you know the expectation
of timing and everything.
There's like a funny quotearound that you can have it
really well made.
Or let's say, you can havequality, you can have a good
price point and you can have agood time frame, but you don't
get all three, you only can picktwo.
(08:44):
So if you want it really wellmade and you want a good price,
you're going to wait.
Scott Woolley (08:51):
Correct.
Tiffany Woolley (08:52):
And if you want to not wait and you want good
quality, you're going to pay.
So you get to pick two.
Scott Woolley (09:02):
So that's our little banter for today, and
we'd love to hear back fromanyone whose thoughts on our
conversation today arepertaining to budget.
Voice Over (09:12):
Feel free, drop us a note iDesign Labs podcast is an
SW Group production inassociation with the Five Star
and TW Interiors.
To learn more about iDesign Labor TW Interiors, please visit
twinteriorscom.
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