Featured on this episode:

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What you will learn in this episode:

• How catching problems early helps ensuring seamless collaboration with trades and architects.
• How to confidently request systems and processes that keep projects on track
• What happens when trades and architects trust a designer’s expertise, and how that elevates the entire project outcome

Mentioned in this episode:
* Upcoming Designer-Only Lunch & Learn on appliance specification – Wilmington, DE area

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2 Wins, 1 Message: Why Interior Designers Are Invaluable on the Job Site

If you’ve ever been asked, “What do interior designers actually do on a job site?” — you’re not alone. It’s a question that comes up often, and in Episode 241 of my podcast, I shared exactly how to define your role with confidence.

But sometimes, the best proof of our value comes not from explaining, but from experiences. Recently, I had two wins on two separate projects that drove home one message loud and clear: interior designers are invaluable to the construction team.

Win #1: Building Trust with the Trades

In Ep241, I talked about this greenhouse project, and we have a weekly job site meeting. In fact, I requested them because that is the best way to stay on top of any construction project. 

Don’t ever be afraid to ask for systems and processes that you know work, even if they’re not being proactively suggested by the other team members. 

This project has been moving at a good clip and that’s why. We catch problems before they snowball, we get answers in a timely fashion. It’s doing what it’s supposed to do. 

I was there for our weekly meeting and while there, I reconnected with a top electrician I had worked with on the main house.

This guy is a TOP electrician. He is an expert at what he does. I learned so much from him when we were doing work on the main house.

I was thrilled, needless to say, that he was coming back to do the greenhouse and the she shed. 

So off we went to discuss the electric plans. I don’t think the other three guys that were there spoke a whole lot. We went into the greenhouse, we laid it all out, and he is looking directly at me for the direction he needed. 

The electrician and I ended up redesigning the entire electrical plan in 15 minutes.

The electrician’s boss basically stood on the sidelines. I think he was shocked. And I think he learned a lot in that one meeting – about the value that I could add, and that I also understood what they were asking me. 

On a project like this, details are at a whole other level of importance, and I knew I had the right electrician to meet me where I needed to be, and he knew he had a designer where we could have a simple conversation. And frankly, I think we wrapped up the whole thing in about 15 minutes. And it was awesome.

When you get to a place where one of your trades trusts you that deeply and respects your thoughts and ideas, and he matches that energy, man these clients are lucky.

Had that electrician not been there, had I been talking to his boss, who is a nice guy, I’m not sure it would have gone as smoothly. 

When those meetings happen, and trust me, they don’t happen all the time to me, but when they do, when you are on the same level with respect, knowledge, and expertise, it really does feel good. 

Win #2: Collaborating with an Architect as Equals

I had just started working with a new architect whom I needed to bring on a project that would require structural changes to an old home. 

We had a big meeting coming up, and it had been a few weeks since we’ve met due to schedule conflicts, and our client had been out of town, etc. So I said to the architect, they’re going to expect to see a lot, and I mean a lot. 

So I suggested we go to his office, let’s have a strategy session together. 

Let me tell you what, it was the shortest 2-hour meeting I’ve ever had. We pored over the drawings. He would make a suggestion, and I would add in some notes; it was this back and forth flow. The two other architects there were standing around listening and adding in. We had the most amazing, professional, equal, colleague-level discussions. 

This also further solidified my beliefs of how important our two industries are and how critical it is for us to work harmoniously together. 

The architect was bringing up structural changes and flow. I was bringing in practicality and how humans live, and the habits humans typically have. 

When we married those together, the solutions were incredible.

The Message: Interior Designers Are Invaluable

These two stories—one with a trade, one with an architect—prove the same point: our expertise matters.

• We prevent costly mistakes before they snowball.
• We translate between clients, trades, and architects.
• We bring a perspective no one else on the team has.

When we show up with confidence and collaboration, not only do clients see our value—but so do the professionals we work alongside. And that’s when projects truly thrive.

✨ So the next time someone asks what you do on a job site, remember: it’s not just about explaining your role. It’s about embodying it—and letting moments like these speak for themselves.

Like this Episode?

• Be sure to check out Episode #214: LuAnn Nigara on Leadership, Profitability, and Owning Your Role
• Be sure to check out Episode #179: Teachable Moments From The Jobsite
• Be sure to check out Episode #164: The Crucial Role of Interior Designers in Construction Projects