The Questions I ask Every Client Before I Make a Single Design Decision

Renovating or building is an exciting opportunity — the chance to create a home that feels completely and personally yours. The decisions that come with it don’t have to feel overwhelming.

Most people assume that the first thing an interior designer does is talk about colour palettes or furniture. The most important work happens long before any of that.  It’s in the questions asked before a single decision is made.

After years of working with discerning clients on luxury homes and renovations, I’ve learned that the quality of the outcome depends heavily on the quality of the initial conversation. I ask many questions, but here are the six I ask every client and why each one matters.

Have you collected images of rooms and things you love — even if none of them seem to relate? Can you share them with me?

I always ask this at some point in our initial conversation. Most clients apologise for the seeming randomness of their collection: a Moroccan riad, a Hamptons kitchen, a Japanese garden. But that randomness is exactly the point. What you’re instinctively drawn to, regardless of style or geography, tells me more about who you are than any brief ever could. These images are the beginning of your design story.

What is your budget?

I ask this early and I ask it directly, because a budget isn’t a limitation, it’s a framework that puts edges around the project. Knowing what we have to work with allows me to make the right decisions about where to invest and where to be clever. The homes I’m most proud of aren’t necessarily the ones with the largest budgets. They’re the ones where every dollar was spent with intention.

What is your timeline?

A timeline tells me where you are in your journey and how much time we have to do our best work. It also helps me understand the pressure points.  Are we working toward a school term, a family event, or simply a deep desire to finally be home. Understanding your timeline means I can work with you rather than against the clock.

Who will be living in the home and what do you all like to do? How do you live?

This is the question that changes everything. A home designed for a couple who entertain frequently looks very different from one designed for a family with young children, or a woman who craves quiet and calm after a busy week. I want to understand not just who lives there, but how they move through their days.  What they love to do, how they gather, where they retreat. A beautiful home is one that works beautifully for the lives lived inside it.

Is this a forever home or a home for now?

The answer to this question shapes every decision that follows. A forever home deserves a deeper level of investment, in quality, in considered detail, in the things that will still feel right in twenty years. A home for now calls for a different approach. Neither is wrong, but understanding which one we’re creating changes everything about how we design it.

Has any work on plans or building commenced yet?

This might be the most important question of all and the one most people don’t think to consider. The earlier I’m involved in a project, the better the outcome. When an interior designer is brought in before the build begins, every selection is made with the whole picture in mind. Decisions about materials, finishes, lighting and FF&E are resolved before a single trade sets foot on site.  This means a smoother build, fewer costly changes and a home delivered exactly as designed. If you’re thinking about working with an interior designer, the best time to make that call is before anything else starts.

Every project I take on begins with these six questions. Not because they’re a formula, but because the answers tell me everything I need to know about who you are, how you live and what your home should feel like. These six questions are just the beginning. In reality, my client questionnaire goes much deeper because the more I understand about you and your life, the more considered and personal the result will be. That understanding is the foundation of considered design that works.