This industry is separated into 2 segments:
The Pro vs Non-Pro. You are almost likely to pay the non-pros the pro price and that's how pathetic it is.
The Pro segment comprises firms that hire real qualified designers; full-timers and charge a premium for design work; fixed rate, hourly, and percentage of project cost, depending on the project's complexity and charging varies across different companies. Design candidates must possess design qualifications to fill design positions, no two ways about it. In no way can a lawyer be called to the bar without the required qualification, right? Hypothetically if the law field is as screwed as the renovation one, there will be no justice to even talk about.
Interior designers in the pro field earn a hybrid of compensation from both fixed salaries to profit-sharing. The non-pro circle simply replicates the profit-sharing compensation, less off the fixed component, to enjoy the zero-overhead sales team and exploits the pay-per-sale approach, because the hungrier the salespeople are, the more drive in them, to close deals.
A typical interior design process (the pro way) applies scientific principles and techniques to enhance interior spaces' functionality, comfort, and efficiency.
Ergonomics, environmental psychology, biophilic, lighting, acoustics, sustainability, user research and analysis, and airflow, are some of the scientific aspects of interior design that go into each project. These are time-consuming tasks, and expect the price won't be anywhere near low. Now let's look at a typical job posting to hire a pro interior designer.
The Non-Pro segment is a much larger chunk of this industry where you are most likely to be in contact. Serve around the web, and you soon be flooded with advertisements from portals, weblinks to videos, it's the digital era now, and they flock in like of birds migrating. Before we talk about it, let's check on 4 of the non-pro segment's job posts.
The Non-pro circle is not entirely non-pro, there are still qualified designers, just that they are rare. What we experienced in our previous employment tenures was that most qualified newcomers would eventually resign due to culture shocks in the sales environment.
Let's face it, we didn't learn the sales aspect in school, and having to sell packages or introduce promotion deals are something we don't enjoy as designers. We literally hate it.
All profit-generating businesses go through a sales process and so do interior design, no doubt about it, but going through this process and handing the designing work to a render artist by virtue, is mere salesmanship, that's something the pro hates.
A pro designer aims to gain recognition through their work, finds satisfaction in the admiration of their work by clients and the public, and seeks opportunities to compete and further establish themselves. The qualitative aspect of interior design is a stark contrast to the quantitative sales designer's interest.
If a sales designer spends too much time in designing work (if he is a qualified designer), he will have less time prospecting, and when his salary has no fixed component, the conflicting interest is clear here.
We all know from our respective experiences in this non-pro circle that sparing too much time with confirmed customers deprives us of following up and closing new customers. Our former bosses always reminded us not to do that, and let the render artists do the designing part, and when the queue gets overloaded, waiting for weeks to view the first round of 3D is quite normal, eventually adds up to months of design consultation that could be completed in 1 to 2 weeks.
Render artists deal with the software part of interior design, converting concepts into perspective drawings. Render artists receive your requirement through your ID, and the outcome is highly dependent on how he communicates these requirements. Render artists in our experience, won't look into your profile and preferences, mostly following the instructions given by the ID.
Copy and paste is common. How the "free design" was supposed to work? If your aim is to get the best price out of your renovation and thought that "free design" is attractive, sure it does, but don't expect anything more than copy and paste. Don't even expect to get the best price out of packages that use "free design" to bait you. See below package example.
The pro firms charge high premiums based on their level of work, the complexity and scale of the project. It is equivalent to hiring a top lawyer versus a junior lawyer to represent you, but what if you are paying the "pro" rate to the non pro, yet not knowing it? You bet.
Behind all the showrooms, digital marketing, and advertising effort, do you think it will ever be inexpensive? The lucrative part of this industry is where sales techniques can be applied based on customers' profiles, and quote accordingly, especially on additional V.O. (variation orders). Sales designers can be easily hired with no overhead burden, and the hungriest salesperson will benefit greatly from the network of merchants band up to assist each other in the journey of your renovation.
A Sales Designers reward programme (network) created by various merchants working closely with ID firms giving out attractive commissions. The above picture is dated around 29 July 2023 of a recent overseas trip likely sponsored by this programme to Sales Designers of various ID firms of the non-pro segment.
Their success cannot come about without homeowners like you. Why are we not working with some of these merchants? Because we cannot agree to their super-premium price tag for subpar products that are neither attractive, exclusive, nor high quality. Pushing our customers to make such purchases go against our ethical framework. Below is an illustration of a past bill made in 2017 for you to see if such a purchase makes sense.
Point to note: this lighting shop is so prominent in the non-pro segment that we can safely say that we have no knowledge of any ID firms who DO NOT WORK WITH THEM.
The total revenue received for this single bill in 2017 is $1,270.58, for context, let's add in the GST of 7%, amounting to $1,359.52, again, that's year 2017. The same or similar products in today's regular, average retail price tags, will add up to $831.38 inclusive of 8% GST today, and let's round up to $900.00 for any estimation discrepancies.
Comparing 2 price points in 2 separate periods, after all the discounts, this particular lighting shop made a whopping 50% more than any regular lighting shop based on above comparison.
If we discount 10% off $831.38 to consider the cost of goods that were cheaper in 2017, rightly so, this 50% would now be 80%. It is, therefore, safe to say that this model is super lucrative and customers who were ushered in by their Sales Designers, literally become the "meat on their board".
How are we different then?
First of all, we don't hire salespersons knowing nuts about design and renovation. All of our representatives are qualified Interior Designers. That said, they do their respective project's design and our rendering team may occasionally supplement their work with clear communication between the two desks.
Not every project requires a full-blown design capability. Most new developments won't call for full remodeling and no trained designers would make irrational proposals. For new developments, our rendering service caters best. Like other ID firms, render artists are folks who possess stronger proficiency in the software part of interior design.
But unlike the others, who solely rely on the render artists (often 1 to 5 of them) to churn out 3Ds for multiple folks, we don't overload our render artists since we have a clear categorisation of responsibilities.
It is very common to see a ratio of 5ID:1RA. When each sales ID has 2 projects, 1 render artist will be tasked with 10 projects at any one time, so logically, time is of the essence - to churn as quickly as possible, and again logically in this fashion, their rendering work lacks precision and is meant to draw attention aesthetically. Perception of spaces and dimensions will lack precision and often differs from the actual output, especially in the proportion aspect. The following image will illustrate the erroneous 3D done in this respect that was uncovered when we took on a recovery project for a young couple who went through 9 stressful months before being introduced to us.
Read more about their unpleasant journey at https://stackedhomes.com/interior/a-singapore-couples-9-month-renovation-nightmare-and-what-you-can-learn-from-it/#gs.3rlkav
The set of 3Ds shared with us was full of errors. We scrapped the original design and worked with what was already done on-site at the time we took over. Miss L and her husband had to readjust their expectations to re-explore the new design concepts that made use of the excess materials ordered by the previous ID firm.
The proper design process will factor in important built-up elements like horizontal RC beams, set-ins, columns, etc. 3 key points of the corrections were as follows:
1. Beams are shown in the 3D accurately using precise measurements and highlighted with raw concrete finish (if you can't conceal the look, you highlight it appropriately)
2. Previously redundant box-up was dismantled after discussing with the customers and converted into a practical storage unit at the same time concealing the home shelter door.
3. Home shelter ventilation previously closed up by the box-up is now open up but hidden within the cabinet to keep it out of sight but functioning.
Have you recently come across friends or family members going through a troubled renovation? Point them to us.
*Exception to personal-use items including but not limited to mattresses, water closets, and upholstery where choices of firmness, height, etc. are personal.
Well, versus the vast majority out there, who take these shopping opportunities to earn extra commissions from you by narrowing choices to the so-called "carefully selected merchants" (or more so which merchants give the largest commission payout)? We let you have the freedom to go ANYWHERE, of your choice, or we can recommend at your request. In fact, some of our customers chose to do their own selections and turn out not as bad, if not better than if we were to choose for them.
Some would prefer to free up their time for more important things and let us do what we do best and quicker. Don't worry, it's LIGHT and FLEXIBLE.
10% of the shopping bill is all you pay, for our physical shopping trip with you to either places we pick, or places of your choice, either way. Our role is to advise you if prices are reasonable for the pick and negotiate* your bill as your representative, rather than breaking your wallet in cahoots with the merchant. Do you see it already?
*Not applicable to fixed-price merchants, i.e. Ikea
Speak to us if you haven't already!
Again, we don't hire salespersons to speak to you, so rest assured about this. If for the weirdest reason, you are still hesitant to make this first call after reading through our site, too bad, we have to leave you to your denial and potential fate. As long as you are able to splurge in the most silly manner, the entire industry is your playground!