How to Brief Your Interior Designer

Get Started With Our Design Brief

Our design brief gives great insight into what our design process looks like. And the best part? If you’re ready to get started, downloading this brief, filling it out and sending it back is a great first step.

Residential Brief Commercial Brief

About Our Design Process

Collaboration is a major ingredient at J.Fisher Interiors. We believe designers are at their best when they explore the personal experiences of their clients as well as their future goals and aspirations. Forming a strong partnership with you is key to us understanding and meeting your needs. We not only look at your personality and style, but also your past and present — where you’ve been, where you want to go. These answers guide us on our creative journey together and show us how we can improve this living with an authentic and unique home. We want to make sure your needs are fully addressed throughout the partnership, and a clear brief is the first step. So how can you get a step ahead? Below you’ll see our core interests, answers that we believe lead to a successful partnership

People and Project

As important as your project’s specific details obviously are, we believe your family comes first. Not only who lives in your house now, but also a decade or two down the line. Before anything else, we need to understand exactly who we are designing for. Then, we need to dig down into the details of the property, starting with address, current architectural style, and any other unique identifiers. This helps us understand the scale of the job, and jointly plan the route we will take. Is it a remodel or a new build? What are the crucial renovations needed, and in which areas of the home? Frankly, what do you want us to do?

Personality and Style

Next we’ll want to learn what makes you tick. Your personality and style show us the best reflection of who you are inside and out of your home. Think of it as a mirror we use to match our design to your personal preferences. Below are some questions that help us see your reflection in the mirror:

What’s your style? Is your personality big and bold or more quiet and reserved?
How do you see yourself? Give us a list of words that describe you.
What do you wear as you walk out of the house everyday? Is it your preferred choice? If not, what is your preference and why?
List some of your favorite places — start broad with countries and cities, then drill down to places within those answers, such as restaurants, hotels, and museums or art galleries. How do these places make you feel?
What’s your family’s lifestyle? Do you see it changing in the future?
What do you see when you imagine your ideal home? Not only how does it look, but what would it feel like?
Do you have any pictures to help describe the style you’re wanting?
Are there any designers that influence your answers and why?

Budget

We’re aware that you might not be ready to provide an exact answer here, and that’s not an issue. We believe several questions can give us the answers we need to establish a realistic budget for your project:

What is your available budget to spend? This could mean personal savings, potential finance amounts, or just the figure you’re comfortable with spending.
What is your viable budget? This is the amount you spend before you consider yourself over- capitalized.

Clear, honest communication regarding these numbers is key to starting our partnership on the same page. We know it can be a sensitive topic, but we believe it is better to establish common ground early to avoid potential budget balloons later in the project timeline.

Timeline

Simply put, what do you want done and when? More specifically, what are the key components you want us to achieve and when? Will we face any restrictions in getting there?

Scheduling is important. Rushing to finish before a holiday does neither of us justice. We need to honestly measure the scale of the project to predict an accurate timeline.

What are our roles?

When looking at the project as a whole, where do you see our involvement beginning and ending? Will we be partnering from early rough ideas through build completion?
How involved do you want or intend to be? Will you manage the build? How about the furniture?
What else will we assist with?

Extra Credit

Houzz has a great article listing 8 questions to ask yourself before meeting with your designer. Read on for extra credit.

8 Questions to Ask Yourself Before Meeting With Your Designer

Pencils down! But seriously, we believe the answers you provide to these five brief topics sets the foundation for our partnership. The better we understand your needs means less risk of misunderstandings further down the line and a more cohesive design process overall.

Click here to view the full Brief and further understand your role in Brief Development.

``Working with Jen was fantastic. She was extremely professional and finished on time and on budget. Very creative, efficient, accountable and I love the outcome. I was very pleased with the experience and highly recommend her to transform your home.``

"Jennifer Fisher has a true passion for interior design, and it is evident in her work ethic. She is a professional with the artistic ability to produce exceptional results. That is why I can strongly recommend J.Fisher Interiors for any decorating needs or projects you may have."

"Very professional, reasonable and creative services. Worked within my budget and was always timely on requests and suggestions while meeting the decor selections for my contractors scheduling deadlines. I would recommend J.Fisher Interiors to all of my friends."

The whole experience working with J.Fisher Interiors was excellent. My home looks amazing and there was a nice balance between brand new pieces and the vintage treasures that Jen was able to find. Unlike past experiences with designers, where my budget was ignored, she took great care in working within the budget and delivering a stunning space that I enjoy living in and get tons of compliments on…"

"Jennifer is helping us with a full remodel of our house. She has been instrumental in helping us with fixtures, colors, inside and out, our pool remodel, the entire project. She has been extremely professional, available, communicative and has really listened to our feedback and what we are looking for. She has kept our deadlines and budgets on track and really gives us a variety of options to consider. I am so thankful to have her, I do not know where we would be without her!"

"Jennifer jumped in to do a project for our office, and we couldn't be happier with the level of professionalism and skill with which she operates. She got the job done in a timely manner, her pricing was reasonable, and now, our team has been enjoying the space so much more. I'd highly recommend her expertise to other companies or individuals looking to freshen up their space."

"As a recent divorcee, I rented a condo in a rush and it was a mess -- dark with an odd mixture of colors and styles. Jennifer worked quickly to completely transform the space using cost-effective options that made sense given that I might only be in the unit for one year. In addition to designing the space, she also served as a project manager for the work. She is very dedicated, works quickly and efficiently, and has a very professional and pleasant demeanor. She has a definite style and sensibility but also adapts well to her clients' tastes. I couldn't be happier with the result."

Interior Design Consultation

J.Fisher Interiors’ studio is located in Austin. To schedule your consultation appointment, please fill out the contact form or call us at 512.954.0904. We would love to hear from you!