Designers are often focused and intent on bringing our vision to life for our clients. Many designers may not take a moment to consider how much waste each project brings along. Over 9,000,000 tons of furniture are estimated to go to landfills each year in the US alone. On average, remodel projects in the United States send 60 lbs. per square foot of waste to the landfill. If sustainability is important to you and your clients, you must consider upcycling as a professional interior designer at all stages of your project’s development.
What is upcycling?
How can we apply this to our work as professional interior designers?
Upcycling is a mindset and requires some process shifts, so I will outline the ways you can begin to incorporate this in your messaging, what you can implement in your intake process to ensure your clients are on board, and how to successfully re-source in the sourcing phase regardless of whether you are starting a project from scratch or you have a base to work with.
Attracting Interior Design Clients Interested in Upcycling
All business starts with marketing. Messaging is a big part of your marketing. Messaging is in the copy on your website, the buzzwords you include in your LinkedIn, Instagram, and Pinterest posts, all the way down to the way you sign your emails. When you have proper messaging in place, you attract sustainable-focused clients. If you want clients interested in upcycling with a professional interior designer, you must include this as part of your brand messaging. Work with a copywriter or a brand strategist to get this down, and the rest will fall into place seamlessly.
Often, designers come to me with the fear that marketing sustainability too hard may deter clients from working with them. My response is to look within and ask yourself: do you want to work with clients who are likely to reject your re-use or sustainability mission, or do you want to work with clients who are just as excited to repurpose their grandmother’s chest of drawers as a statement piece in the entryway?
There are clients out there who are specifically looking for professional interior designers utilizing upcycling strategies. If you are passionate about reducing waste as a professional interior designer, start talking to your dream client in all your messaging. Both you and your client will have a much more enjoyable experience in the long run.
Onboarding Interior Design Clients with Upcycling in Mind
Once you have that dream client lined up, ready to re-upholster and repurpose, you’ve got to get them onboarded and make them aware of your processes. They may not be aware that they want to ask a professional interior designer if they know how to upcycle strategically. If you don’t already have a programming or preliminary project questionnaire, now is a good time to start thinking about making this a standard operating practice. If you have a questionnaire in place, sprinkle in some questions about whether there are any pieces they are open to keep as is, if refinished or re-upholstered, or if they are open to you sourcing from vintage or designer consignment shops on this project. Leave them room to tell you how they feel about it rather than making it a yes/no checkbox on your forms.
Leaving your clients room to tell their stories can open doors for you to upcycle your design. Often, the pieces that have been in the family for generations have special meaning, and our clients may think they are too worn for a second life. It is our job to bring that piece back to life so they can continue to tell the story. Never underestimate how connected people are to telling that story, and you could be the design hero who saved it from the landfill.
If you are working on construction or remodel-related projects, ask your interior design clients if there are any fixtures they don’t mind keeping or finishes they are open to reusing and make a note to keep them in the design from the get-go. I’ll give you some examples later on, but start thinking about how you can incorporate some questions on the front end of your process so that it feels expected when you decide to implement in this way later in the design process.
Take Inventory & Start Upclying Like a Professional Interior Designer
If your client is open to upcycling on their next interior design project, your first measuring and data collection appointment is the best opportunity to squeeze even more re-use into the plan. They may not be able to see the beauty in the plaid loveseat that has been collecting dust in the game room, but you have a designer’s eye. You can see the shape of the arm, the seat height, and the depth. You have the creative ability to envision this piece with a cushion refresh and a new fabric applied.
This is where your talents are needed. If you think there is design potential, you will need to point out the items that your client did not mention. Take photos and log measurements for each piece as if they are inventoried items you will be installing at the end of the project. (Because they are!) Then, create a spec sheet for them in your design software so you can include them on the room schedules.
- Professional Interior Designer Tip: Take quality photos worthy of inclusion in your final presentation. These photos should give you enough information to create a good rendering with them in the model. On presentation day, you likely would prefer to present a photo of the piece against a neutral background without any other furniture or décor cluttering the piece’s beauty. The visual story is what is going to sell your final design, so take that extra time.
Upcycling Strategies for New Construction Interior Design
If you are reading and thinking, “This sounds great, but I do more new construction work than remodel work. Where does that leave me?” I’ve got you covered. Interior design for new construction is also a great opportunity to look to salvage!
You can call your favorite fabricator and start a conversation about using remnants on your smaller vanity tops and shower ledges or check in with your appliance vendor to see if there is anything in their discount warehouse that needs a home. You’d be surprised how often large national builders have an “oops order,” and a perfectly good appliance is sitting in a warehouse because it wasn’t ordered in the correct color.
Another resource might be in deconstruction or construction recycling vendors. Yes, deconstruction professionals across this nation carefully take homes apart and divert perfectly useable clean lumber, copper wire, HVAC, flooring, and more. Make it a goal to build a new relationship and find someone in your area who specializes in this practice.
Starting From Scratch with Upcycled Furniture
The same goes for that client who has built a new home and has almost no furniture to repurpose. Rather than assuming we are shopping new, build a relationship with your local designer furniture consignment shops. There are fabulous, trade-name pieces in a boutique waiting for someone to take them to their new home. You may not love the fabric, but you can solve that problem with some reupholstering. If it sits well, and the frame is of the quality you’d expect when sourcing new, all signs might be pointing to “yes.”
As for small case goods, accessory lighting, artwork, or accent pieces, this is a place where durability might not be as important. If the bench at the end of the corridor is never used, perhaps you can source something from a non-profit furniture thrift and have it cleaned and retouched. Thrift stores often also have fantastic décor objects and frames, believe it or not. Not only are you upcycling as a professional interior designer, but in many cases, your purchases support a non-profit mission that can change lives.
Creating Upcycling Habits Takes Time
Practicing these techniques and strategies together will not only decrease your waste impact, but you’ll also attract the right clients from the get-go and have fun challenging yourself to new ways of upcycling in your interior design work.
Start with one small goal if it feels overwhelming like many new things do. Rome wasn’t built in a day, and it takes 21 repetitions to make a habit. Once you are comfortable with that new vendor or intake question, add another step to your process and build one piece at a time. Soon, you will be upcycling as a professional interior designer on each project you produce without thinking about it!
I am here to help Professional Interior Designers Thrive at Upcycling and more!
I started Interior Design greenList to meet designers where they are today. I help designers like you learn about sustainability and provide the tools and resources you need to win more jobs and grow your business. If you want to join our community, book a 15-minute Q&A call with me today!
