344. The Marble vs. Porcelain Problem in Your Design Fee

When your client looks at marble and porcelain, they see two tiles. As the designer, you see sourcing, samples, maintenance, installation, trades, lead times, revisions, coordination, risk… and hours of work they may never see. Years ago, I charged the same design fee for two bathrooms in the same home. One involved a straightforward porcelain selection. The other involved marble, multiple suppliers, stone-yard visits, samples, revised drawings, fabricator conversations, installation issues, and a client who changed her mind after approval. Same approximate square footage. One took roughly three times the work. In this episode, I'm breaking down the invisible work that needs to be considered when you're pricing an interior design project, including: Six questions to ask when assessing the scope of a selection How client preferences can impact your design fee Why changes after approval need clear boundaries How customization and complicated materials affect profitability Why two projects with the same square footage shouldn't necessarily have the same fee The importance of tracking your hours, even with flat-fee projects Your client isn't just paying you to know the difference between marble and porcelain. They're paying for everything you know, anticipate, and coordinate because of that decision. If your pricing isn't capturing that work, it might be time to take another look at your design fee. Episode Resources: Learn more about Pricing With Confidence: rebeccahay.com/pricing Watch the Original Video: What's the Difference: Marble vs Porcelain -- This episode is sponsored by Programa. Programa is project management software built specifically for interior designers. It's designed to save you hours every week and reduce the errors that come from managing projects across scattered documents and systems. Use code RBD25 for 25% off annual Programa plans. Click to learn more.