Do the right thing!

You don't have to break the bank to have a great looking room. Of course, you can't do it for the miracle of HGTV and do a total transformation for $1000 either. What you don't get to see behind the scenes on these types of shows is that there is a whole team that the homeowner doesn't seem to have to pay; the fees for the carpenters, the seamstresses, the designers time and mark-up (because I swear we don't just do this for fun!), the electricians, the plumbers, the cabinetmaker, etc., etc. (More on this later!)



However, in this economy, I like so many other professionals have had to re-think the way we do business. I just presented to a client who has a second home in the Bahamas. Originally, I had selected beautiful, higher end furniture etc. The more I thought about it and the closer I got to presentation, I felt like I was doing the client an injustice. I scrapped the entire design, and changed everything to more affordable lines, cutting the cost in half. Now, a lucrative business person may say, "Why would you do that, waste all that time and higher margins?" To be honest with you, I sometimes ask myself the same thing! But at the end of the day, I know I did the right thing for this client. She loved everything and was so appreciative that I saved her this money, that she is flying my husband and I down and will soon give me the green light to do her personal living room, where I do get to use my higher end lines!



So listen to that little voice inside that speaks to you. do the right thing, and be creative. It always pays off!