jackie dici

When I first entered into the world of interior design it was through journalism. That’s right I just loved the glossy pages of Architecture Digest and Elle Decor. I didn’t want to be the designer that created the spaces I wanted to be the eye that talked about them. Maybe that’s why I am here typing to you like a designer diary. That’s actually what this post is going to be about, my diary. While I am not going to tell you about the boy I like, I am going to tell you how my love- for design- went into an even better, unplanned path.

I studied interior design because I loved it, I wanted to know about it. All about it and right of college my first job landed me in a small office working as a junior designer for a residential interior design firm. Small office translates to many hats. I quickly understood if you want to be an interior designer you have to learn how to be a good project manager. This hat takes on the role of accountant, scheduler, quality inspector, package tracker, client communicator, sub contractor begger, etc. It is your job to take the dreamy skethced vision into the reality of those shiny publications. But someone needs to live there, someone needs to pay for it, and there is a timeline associated with all that too. Balancing the pretty with the ugly is what project managers do.

Today, after talking to a client who is moving forward in the building and execution of their home I learned that it’s about the details and the process that is important to him and it didn’t matter the cost. While a few short weeks ago another client with another home wanted it as fast as possible for as cheap as possible. So there is no formula for the client expectations except knowing what they want.