What I’ve Learned About Working With Clients

One thing school doesn’t fully prepare you for?

Real people. Real opinions. Real emotions tied to their homes and the pieces that fill them. When you're in class, you’re designing for an imaginary client, someone who usually says “yes” to your ideas. In the real world, it’s not that simple—and honestly, that’s where the fun (and growth) begins.

During my internship, I quickly realized that working with clients is about so much more than picking beautiful furniture. It’s about listening closely—sometimes reading between the lines—and being able to translate vague ideas like “something cozy but modern, but not too modern” into something that actually works for them.

There have been moments when I felt totally confident in a suggestion, only for the client to shut it down immediately. And other times, they’ve described something they wanted, but the way they pictured it was totally different from what they actually needed. I’ve learned that asking the right questions can make all the difference.

The biggest lesson so far? Design isn’t about being right—it’s about being collaborative. It’s about creating a space that reflects the client’s personality, while also guiding them toward choices that work. Learning to balance those two things—your instincts and their preferences—has been one of the most challenging and rewarding parts of the job.