​Finding our way through new and unfamiliar circumstances has all of us rethinking old assumptions, and considering how to revamp.  This new situation demands that we go back to the drawing board.  We may not yet know exactly how extensively we will have to modify our Interior space use, traffic patterns and procedures, but we definitely know it’s a must-do that will test our flexibility.
 
Interior design projects have very clear-cut situations that mandate or inspire change.  There’s the “wanna” factor and then there’s the must do circumstance!
 
Today’s new happenings are pretty much a combo of those two rationales – with a few more thrown in!  To begin with, we often surprise ourselves when forced to make sudden changes to our entrenched “norms!”   Often we discover – by default – better or more efficient ways to handle some things.

​Remember when you were a kid watching your Mom making your favorite cake or cookies?   Remember how sometimes you could hardly stand still until it came out of the oven smelling wonderful – and you STILL had to wait until they cooled off?
 
If you are thinking about an Interior Design project, are getting close to selecting your team, are impatient to get all the “ingredients” lined up and want the finished product NOW ... Well it is not greatly unlike watching your Mom plan, shop, assemble the ingredients, find the time, get started and then deal with your impatience for the delectable finished product!
 
If you wonder (even for a minute) what kinds of things could drive your design team off the rails and stark-raving-crazy, your impatience with “the time it takes” would be at the top of the list!
 
However, the close second, the next choice for driving your team over the edge?   You, making snap judgments before the whole plan and all elements are pulled together in final form and coordinated into appropriate harmony and balance!  
 
(Don’t know about you, but if my brother or I tried to get a finger-full of cookie dough before Mom was done mixing, we took the chance of getting our knuckles rapped!   But, if we were patient, we would get the spoon and bowl to lick when she was done! ) 

It’s an art.  Some say a skill; some, a talent.   Nevertheless, your Interior designer or team needs to be able to show you when less is more and when enough is enough in Interior design decision-making!  Nothing can splash cold water on a hot Interior design concept faster than not knowing that critical point where going further can be a spoiler.
 
In a past article, “When Enough Is Enough And Less Is More!” I discussed critical points concerning the quantification factor when making choices for an Interior design.  We considered “how much” and “how many” of a good thing was appropriate for a given situation, location and environment.  We looked at all factors such as the over-use of a favorite color or accessory components.  For instance, a very small area can be made into a cozy, inviting place; however, taken too far, it can become just a crowded, uninviting area.  Quantity matters!

​You’ve hired your Interior Design team, you have signed all the paper work, paid your retainer and are ready to embark on the project – at last!  After a lot of careful consideration, you made the decision to stay put and not vacate your home or business site while the design project gets underway, then all the way to completion.  You have planned to accommodate the various crews, area by area, by “moving over, exercising patience, trying to stay out of the way – and offering your help wherever it might save time or money.”
 
Oh, boy...   Sometimes what looks like a white flag of truce and peace can turn into a big red flag signaling confusion and trouble ahead!  So, let’s take a look at options.
 
In some cases, it’s not a matter of moving out when a project begins, but delaying moving in.  Circumstances, funds, and timing do not always play out in harmony; often there may not be a choice.   The project may have to go forward with everyone present and accounted for.
 
Assuming that best case is not possible, and the less desirable choice must be tolerated, it’s good to remember it can be managed!   While not the most desirable of circumstances, it is possible to successfully conduct an interior design project while the business or family remains on site.

The client is always “in charge!”  That’s why the game sometimes changes without warning from their side of the table. 
 
Your design team manages a large pool of resources – all of which have operational scenarios of their own.  That’s why the game sometimes changes without warning from their side of the table!
 
Your professional design team is familiar with these negative possibilities.   It can be disruptive, but circumstances do sometimes unexpectedly alter cases.
 
There is, of course, the very human menu of reasons:  illness, unexpected financial reversals, a rift among principals, legal and compliance changes and similar situations.  But, sometimes the reason seems to turn on a whim or a communication glitch.  Suddenly there is a significant change in the project’s complex; it can shake the project’s foundation as well as the relationships.
 
Management of a game change requires a commitment to solutions from all concerned.   Clear communication, revised documentation and sincere efforts toward understanding cause and effects are vital for re-stabilizing the project.   
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​Sometimes it’s a hard sell, because putting the whole team together at the front end of your project may seem premature and cumbersome.  Some professionals may agree with that caution.  However, bringing all aspects into focus in the initial planning process has many advantages that outweigh the resistance to do so. 
 
Envisioning the full scope of a design project as early as possible can eliminate both misconceptions and serious conflicts further down the line.
 
Organizing your team leadership participators in brainstorming and troubleshooting eliminates unrealistic perceptions that may exist concerning factors of cost, feasibility and possibility!
 
If you are an old hand at design projects involving all modes from completely new build-outs to remodeling and refreshing, you will probably see the wisdom in addressing as much as possible, up front.  On the other hand, if you are new at the game, it is worth your while to take a breath and slow down a bit.   Jumping right in with a chosen first priority, then winging it as you move along -- continually searching for the next-needed expert – is a recipe for trouble.

​When your design project vision is clear and you have selected the professional team that you will be working with, the last thing you want is for third parties to throw a wrench in the works.
 
The next-to-last thing you want is to be paying your design team for damage control, after the fact, because of trouble directly caused by neither you nor your team.
 
But, it does happen.  Because there are myriad details and many participants, sometimes trouble can develop in aspects of the project path where you or your team cannot have seen it coming.
 
The small stuff (it can feel big in the moment!) may be annoying, but can usually be resolved quickly.  Larger “wrenches’ that shut down the whole machine are quite a different matter.

There is no lack of examples – some that could curl your hair – and most of them could have been prevented.  Many of the mistakes, oversights, miscommunications or accidents can be traced directly back to poor quality controls.

​It would be difficult to overemphasize the importance of timing and the many ways in which other patterns and problems can compromise essential timing rhythms.
 
When a prospective client first speculates about really doing the project they have long been considering, they then want to accomplish it as soon as possible.  Although it may have been months or even years since they first thought seriously about it, once a decision has been made to move ahead, it seems from that point on impatience sets in!

Some impatience is just the very real and congenial excitement and anticipation of actually seeing their vision take substance. On the other hand, some impatience is about not quite understanding the inter-locking, carefully timed moves and actions it takes to bring the project along smoothly to satisfactory completion.

​Sometimes it seems as though the easiest and most economical way to approach your design project would be to purchase some consultation time from an expert, then move right into action on your own; no problem!
 
Well...  It would be great if it were that simple, and if steaming ahead on consultation input alone would cover the bases.  But, “consultation alone” has some pitfalls – and some disciplines.
 
Most of us have either observed or experienced the difference between knowing how and actually knowing how!   The former is intellectual; the latter is about implementation.

​When English is the client’s second language, communication can run into snags, and misunderstandings can innocently develop.
 
Many of us speak more than one language.  As our developing world has expanded and transportation has shortened the distances among differing cultures, our communities have become more diverse – and more interesting.
 
While there are many advantages in being able to speak more than one language, and understand translation of its words, we think in our original and first language.  Literal translation, unfortunately, does not deliver all the goods! 
 
There are simple expressions typical of each language, there is “slang,” there are variations in the usage of the same word and many other subtleties that provide the perfect set of circumstances for misunderstanding.  Add in the factor of accents and pronunciation, and the odds increase for simple comprehension problems.

​For those familiar with flow charts and critical path planning in their everyday work, the meaning will jump right out! 
 
However, not everyone is involved with very close and precisely timed junctures in their ordinary work patterns.
 
Achieving your desired project completion date hinges on a series of activities, availabilities, choices, decisions and actions that must converge appropriately.   They are the functional elements that exist within each phase and aspect of your project, and are strategized by your design team at the front end of the project.  Also built into the plan are allowances for flexibility in situations not entirely predictable at the start.

​They come up in both perspectives of your design project:  Client and Contractor.  Large or small (real or imagined!) all are important because they have an effect on your project path.
 
Again, good communication tools and comfortable, open, comfortable relationships are the key to managing your concerns.  There is no concern too small to bring to the attention of your professional design team.  And, likewise, your designer will not hesitate to bring clarifications, questions and “mysteries” to your attention.
 
Large concerns are usually obvious to all the players and probably will quickly bring cooperative attention to bear for solutions.  Very small concerns (questions or momentary mysteries) might just be handled as they arise, where they occur, and not even cause a blip.
 
While the terminology “concerns” may seem vague or obtuse, most of us could quickly come up with examples!  In the course of a project there is often sudden concern for something all assumed was handled – usually by someone else!  And assumption is a concern in itself!

​It can be a real challenge to meet the holiday seasons with good taste that enhances – not harms --your year-round environment.   Whether you are planning for residential or business celebrations, take the time to think it through-- for good presentation and good use of funds.
 
Regarding Holiday Decorations, you will want to put enthusiasm and holiday spirit into all your efforts, but not compromise your basic decor, color scheming or furnishings.   Many of the things available for holiday ambiance come with some risk.  Some even present subtle forms of wear and tear to existing finishes and flooring.

​ Some can drive your design team stark raving nutz!
 
The serious side of this problem is no laughing matter, and nutz or not, time is money and that invoice in the mail is the bottom line clincher.  It is vital to know all the facts about how it got to that number.
 
We all like to think we are efficient – and prudent.  But, too often, little stuff adds up and disputes that assumption.
 
How efficient is it, for instance, to take four five- minute phone calls with your designer waiting each time (on the clock) to continue your meeting?  Do you think your professional should “give you” that quarter hour?   Or, when your designer arrives on time for your appointment and you keep them waiting thirty minutes – do you think they should clock off?  (You would not want your designer taking phone calls or texting while you were paying them to be focused on you!)

​It happens.   Sometimes a client will essentially decide to switch horses in the middle of the stream, and want to take their Interior Design project in an entirely different direction!   That could mean anything from a thematic shift, all the way to a change to an entirely different business venue or residence style!
 
As long as everyone involved understands the financial and timeline criticality of radically changing course, well, it can be worked through!   But many other basic factors come into play!  If you have hired an Interior design team that is limited to a very specialized design focus, you may be facing radical changes in the team composition.