What Interior Designers Should Delegate First (and When)

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What Interior Designers Should Delegate First (and When)

Let’s talk about something we often overlook as designers: delegation.

When you're just starting out, it’s easy to think you need to do it all — every email, every mood board, every product order, every invoice. We often wear all the hats, believing it proves we can handle running a business. But at some point, we all realize that juggling every task isn’t sustainable. The key to growth lies in learning what to delegate and when.

If you're feeling overwhelmed, stretched thin, or simply curious about outsourcing but unsure where to start — this post is for you. We’re breaking down what to delegate first based on where you are in your business and design journey.

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Protecting Furniture Designs: Patents, Trademarks, Copyright and International Design Registrations (an ID Law Shop Article)

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Protecting Furniture Designs: Patents, Trademarks, Copyright and International Design Registrations (an ID Law Shop Article)

Furniture design is a historically and culturally rich multi-disciplinary field that blends art, engineering, marketing, and manufacturing principles to craft the objects that shape our living and working spaces.

Fortunately, the importance of protecting the intellectual property rights of the designers, inventors, artisans and engineers responsible for creating furniture designs, is largely recognized by most countries.

In this article, we'll delve into the intellectual property laws that serve as tools for protecting the unique and distinctive elements of furniture design.

From the functional aspects of patented features to the artistic expression guarded by copyright, and the brand identity encapsulated in trademarks, we'll cover the details of each approach. We'll also touch upon international design registrations, shedding light on how businesses can secure comprehensive protection for their furniture designs in the global marketplace.

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The Best Promotional Products for Interior Designers (Updated for 2025)

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The Best Promotional Products for Interior Designers (Updated for 2025)

As an interior designer, your brand is all about aesthetics, functionality, and creating a seamless experience. So why should your promotional items be any different? Whether you're gearing up for a trade show, looking for the perfect client gift, or just want to keep your brand in front of potential clients, the right promo products can make all the difference.

But let's be real—not all promotional items are created equal. You don’t want cheap throwaways that end up in the trash. You want elevated, thoughtful, and on-brand products that reflect your expertise and leave a lasting impression.

Lucky for you, we’ve rounded up the best promotional items for interior designers in 2025—and even better, Elite Design Assistants can help you source and order them hassle-free!

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Top 5 Questions Interior Designers Are Asking

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Top 5 Questions Interior Designers Are Asking

As we move deeper into 2025, interior designers are facing a whole new set of challenges and opportunities. From product and contractor shortages to staying on top of growing to-do lists, designers are always on the lookout to find innovative solutions. Whether you're balancing efficiency, maintaining your creative energy, or handling a constantly shifting market, it’s all about finding ways to work smarter—not harder. If you’re feeling this too, you're not alone!

Here are the top 5 questions we hear most often from designers—and some thoughtful answers to help you navigate today’s challenges and opportunities.

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Trademarking Your Interior Design Business

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Trademarking Your Interior Design Business

We’ve been seeing a lot of questions regarding trademarks in interior designer groups, and wanted to help by providing some information on whether you should trademark your business.

A trademark is a distinctive sign, symbol, word, or phrase that identifies and distinguishes a business or brand from others. For interior designers, trademarks help protect brand identity by securing your exclusive rights to your business name, logo, or tagline remains unique and legally safeguarded. Unlike copyrights, which protect artistic works, trademarks prevent competitors from using similar branding elements that could confuse customers.

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Lights, Camera, Conversation: How Video Marketing Can Drive Your Interior Design Business

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Lights, Camera, Conversation: How Video Marketing Can Drive Your Interior Design Business

If you've been paying attention to social media trends lately, you know that video marketing is dominating the digital space. From Instagram Reels to YouTube Shorts, people are consuming more video content than ever before. And guess what? You can absolutely leverage this trend to boost your interior design business. Video content isn’t just for big brands—it’s a powerful tool for interior designers like you to increase visibility, grow your brand, and connect with potential clients. Don’t worry if you’re not a video pro; let’s break it down and see how video marketing can be a game-changer for your design studio in 2025.

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The Skilled Trades Shortage: How Interior Designers Can Find and Retain Quality Contractors

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The Skilled Trades Shortage: How Interior Designers Can Find and Retain Quality Contractors

If you've ever struggled to find a reliable contractor or waited weeks (or months) for skilled tradespeople to be available, you're not alone. The shortage of skilled labor in the interior design and construction industries is real—and it's affecting projects at every level.

Whether you specialize in full-scale renovations, kitchen and bath remodels, or custom-built furniture, the challenge is the same: quality trades are harder to find, and keeping them on your projects takes strategy. So how do we, as interior designers, adapt to this new reality? Let’s break it down.

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Maximizing Trade Discounts: How to Get the Best Deals from Vendors

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Maximizing Trade Discounts: How to Get the Best Deals from Vendors

Trade discounts are one of the best-kept secrets in the interior design world. They can make a real difference to your bottom line, but getting those discounts isn’t always as simple as just asking for them. It’s all about strategy, timing, and relationships. Over the years, we’ve learned a thing or two about making the most out of these opportunities.

The goal here is to help you get the most value from the discounts available, so you’re not just hoping for better deals—you’re actively working for them. Let’s break it down…

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Flat Fee vs. Hourly Billing: Which Model Works Best for Interior Designers?

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Flat Fee vs. Hourly Billing: Which Model Works Best for Interior Designers?

When it comes to pricing your services, one of the most common debates in the interior design world is whether to use a flat fee or hourly billing model. Both options have their advantages and potential drawbacks, and the right choice depends on your business style, client expectations, and the nature of your projects. As an interior designer, choosing the right pricing model is a big decision—it affects how you run your business, how you interact with clients, and, of course, your bottom line. Let’s break down both models so you can make an informed decision that works best for you and your clients.

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Interior Design Client Personality Types (and How to Work With Each One)

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Interior Design Client Personality Types (and How to Work With Each One)

—A Fun and Practical Guide for Interior Designers

Every interior designer knows that working with clients is a delicate dance—each one has their own unique preferences, style, and approach to decision-making. But understanding your clients' personalities can make a world of difference when it comes to creating beautiful spaces that align with their vision.

In this fun and practical guide, we’ll break down some of the most common interior design client personality types, and how you can work with each to ensure a smooth and successful project.

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Transform Your Interior Design Business: How to Embrace the Virtual-Only Model

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Transform Your Interior Design Business: How to Embrace the Virtual-Only Model

When you first entered the world of interior design, what did you envision your day-to-day life looking like? Maybe you pictured client meetings, site visits, and endless design consultations. Fast forward to now—does your reality match that dream, or are you feeling bogged down by the never-ending demands of the interior design business?

The good news is, you don’t have to choose between your passion for design and a more balanced lifestyle. With the growing popularity of virtual communication, new technologies, and the desire for more flexibility, many interior designers are shifting to a virtual-only model to meet both their clients' needs and their own.

Instead of handling sourcing, project management, or in-person meetings, think about offering services like virtual design consultations, shoppable design boards, or personalized style guides. These types of services are not only in high demand but can help you boost your efficiency, cut overhead costs, and even expand your client base far beyond your local market.

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How to Proactively Address and Handle the Most Common Interior Design Client Complaints

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How to Proactively Address and Handle the Most Common Interior Design Client Complaints

Every interior designer has been there—you’re deep into a project, feeling good about the progress, and then BAM—a frustrated email lands in your inbox, or a not-so-pleasant phone call comes through. Maybe the client feels out of the loop, has sticker shock, or suddenly wants to change everything. These moments can be stressful, but they’re also preventable—or at the very least, manageable with grace and professionalism.

Over the years, we’ve gathered insights from working interior designers about the most common client pain points and complaints. After hearing the same frustrations repeatedly and seeing common patterns emerge, we realized that most designers—at some point—will experience these, and that’s why we wanted to share them with you to help you avoid unnecessary headaches!

So, whether you're new to the industry or a seasoned pro looking for smoother projects, here’s how to get ahead of these common complaints before they happen—or handle them better if they already have appeared.

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How to Stay Organized When Juggling Multiple Interior Design Projects

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How to Stay Organized When Juggling Multiple Interior Design Projects

Managing multiple interior design projects at once can feel like an art form—one that requires skill, strategy, and a whole lot of organization. One minute, you’re finalizing a color palette for one client, the next you’re sourcing furniture for another, all while making sure install day for a third project runs smoothly.

With so many moving pieces, staying organized isn’t just a luxury—it’s a necessity. When things start to slip through the cracks, deadlines get missed, clients get frustrated, and the entire process becomes stressful instead of exciting.

But don’t worry! With the right systems and strategies in place, you can juggle multiple projects without feeling like you’re constantly playing catch-up. Let’s dive into the best ways to stay on top of everything.

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8 Secrets to Running a Design Business That Let's You Travel More

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8 Secrets to Running a Design Business That Let's You Travel More

What if your design business could fuel your wanderlust instead of keeping you tethered to your desk? Picture sketching layouts in a Parisian café or finding inspiration for a project while wandering through the markets of Marrakesh. Of course, many of us have commitments—family, routines, the daily grind—that keep us tied down. But here’s the thing: in life, either you travel, or you don’t. And the same principles that help you carve out time for personal adventures apply to your business. We’re here to help you chart a course toward a design business that supports your love for exploration without missing a beat on client satisfaction.

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What Does It Really Mean to "Educate" Your Clients?

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What Does It Really Mean to "Educate" Your Clients?

When you hear the phrase "educate your clients," does it conjure images of standing at a chalkboard, diagramming the difference between a loveseat and a settee? Or maybe, you picture a client nodding eagerly as you cover the finer points of fabric durability? (Spoiler: it’s neither of these.) Educating your clients isn’t about lecturing; it’s about giving them the confidence to make decisions and the clarity to trust yours. 

Here’s the thing: interior design can feel overwhelming for those new to it. Most clients walk in with a Pinterest board full of dreams and a vocabulary that maxes out at “modern farmhouse.” They want the magic but aren’t always sure how it’s made. That’s where you come in—not to play professor, but to guide them through the process with a little patience, a lot of insight, and just enough humor to keep it from feeling like a chore.

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Best Practices for Delegating Social Media Management to a Virtual Design Assistant (VDA)

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Best Practices for Delegating Social Media Management to a Virtual Design Assistant (VDA)

Maybe social media has been sitting on your to-do list, perpetually bumped to the bottom in favor of more pressing design projects. Whether it’s because you feel like you’re “not creative enough” (spoiler: you are), get stuck in decision fatigue, or simply don’t have the bandwidth to think about hashtags and captions, it’s understandable. Social media management is its own beast, requiring a distinct skill set and sensibility.

But let’s face it—love it or loathe it, social media is one of the most powerful tools for getting your name out there. You’ve wisely decided to call in reinforcements and delegate this task to a Virtual Design Assistant (VDA). Great move!

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Are You Suffering From Analysis Paralysis? (And How to Break Free)

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Are You Suffering From Analysis Paralysis? (And How to Break Free)

If you’re reading this, chances are you’ve spotted some pretty telling signs that analysis paralysis might be hijacking your workflow. What exactly is analysis paralysis? It’s when you overthink every decision to the point where you’re stuck in neutral, unable to move forward. Think of it as your brain buffering indefinitely while your project deadlines loom.

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How to Ask for Testimonials and Referrals (Without It Feeling Pushy)

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How to Ask for Testimonials and Referrals (Without It Feeling Pushy)

Getting referrals from happy clients should feel as natural as them bragging about their new kitchen island. Instead, it often feels like asking someone to write a love letter for you: weird, a little vulnerable, and kind of pushy if you get the timing wrong. But don’t worry—we’ve got some tips to make the whole process feel effortless and just smoother.

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Positive New Year's Resolutions Perfect for Interior Designers

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Positive New Year's Resolutions Perfect for Interior Designers

A new year doesn’t mean you need a whole new you—but it’s the perfect occasion to fine-tune your design life. Let’s trade in overworked schedules, messy workflows, and blurred boundaries for more creativity, clarity, and also fun. With 2025 on the horizon, it’s time to design a year you’ll love working in.

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Is Your Instagram Profile Turning Clients Away? 8 Mistakes to Avoid

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Is Your Instagram Profile Turning Clients Away? 8 Mistakes to Avoid

Let's start by acknowledging that you probably didn’t set out to be a social media influencer–you’re an interior designer! It’s perfectly normal (and incredibly common) to feel a bit out of sync with today’s ever-changing social media standards. Luckily, managing your Instagram doesn’t have to become a full-time job; a social media manager can take the wheel if needed. But a little self-reflection never hurts, and you can see how your profile stacks up. If any of these cheeky descriptions hit home, read on for our pro tips to boost your Insta game!

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