Featured on the Show:

• Renovation Management for Interior Designers – Expanding your business with a lucrative service

What you will learn in this episode: 

• Kitchens and baths

• Commercial interior design

• Historic preservation & more!

You can niche down even further in our industry to become an expert in what brings you the most joy!

Kitchens and baths

There are a lot of designers who choose to specialize in kitchens and baths. 

That could be because they really enjoy the components that go into that. It is a specific niche in our industry that gets a lot of traction. A lot of the project’s scope of work is just kitchens and baths. So if you are an expert in those spaces, you will be more sought after, perhaps even a general construction management designer like myself. 

I do love doing kitchens and baths, but I also love doing the rest of the house. And so I don’t promote myself as just a kitchen and bath expert. But there are so many designers that hone in on that specific niche and become that expert that sets them apart in the clients’ eyes. 

In the past, I have also done commercial interior design that wasn’t just decorating. 

We were taking office buildings down to the studs, or they were new build office buildings. And learning all of those additional aspects of a build and thinking about it from a different dynamic of dozens of people using a space rather than a single family. 

You may say to yourself that you’re not interested in commercial work, but I learned a lot from those experiences that I actually apply to my residential projects. I still do one or two projects a year, and I actually look forward to them now!

Another specialty is historic preservation. 

I live in an area that is filled with historic homes and have a lot of knowledge of this. However, I wouldn’t consider myself a historic preservationist. This is something you have to be highly detail-oriented and mindful of so many different components. There are some designers in my area who do specialize in this, and their projects are super cool. I really admire their work and the fact that they learn into those skill sets and bring out a design that is perfect for the project they’re working on. 

Usually, a committee is a part of whatever historical society owns the homes. There are going to be budgets and specific needs. You will have to work within a specific design style and time period. 

I have been able to span quite a variety of niches in my career, from law and financial offices to hospitality and restaurants to healthcare as well as retail. Each and every one of those is a very different and unique beast that can be very exciting to work in. 

There are so many opportunities for designers to figure out what makes them happy and then market themselves, lean into those skills, and become the expert in that specialty. I hope after listening today, this episode encourages you to go explore, try new things, and grow your construction management business!

Like this Episode?

• Be sure to check out Episode #100: How Interior Designers Can Stand Out and Declare Their Specialty with Rachael Bozsik

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