Event Recap: East vs. West Coast Design with Christopher Grubb & Darren Henault (Part 2)

Christopher Grubb, President of Arch-Interiors Design Group, and Darren Henault, President of Darren Henault Interiors, compared and contrasted their experiences designing homes for clients in New York and Los Angeles this week at a captivating DDB seminar.

The design seminar East Coast/West Coast Design—Is it Apples & Oranges? at the DDB covered everything from design aesthetic to personal relationships with clients.

Darren explained that New Yorkers are generally nesters whereas his clients in Los Angeles are more interested in the expansiveness of their space. Both designers agreed that regardless of where their client is and what their values are, they are all environmentally focused.

A question from the audience asked the designers for details about how to create and maintain relationships with clients.

"Beginning by not staying within one area or industry is so crucial in this business," said Darren. "Spreading yourself all over the industries is the best way to avoid devastation when a market crisis hits because certain areas aren't hit as significantly as others. If you're only in the hospitality industry and they've had an enormous hit to their business, you become the last need on their list."

"Personal relationships with clients come in all shapes and sizes. We're incredibly friendly and close with some, and with others it's purely professional and cordial. We are hired work. We're not their friends and we'll never be their friends, no matter how hard we try. My best advice is to not only befriend the wives, but meet the husbands! The women make the decisions, but generally, the husbands are paying. If you talk business, markets and numbers with the husbands so they understand that you've got absolutely everything in your business strategy under control and working smoothly, chances are you'll win them over as well. Chances are they'll trust your work and stop caring what you do with his wife or how long the project takes!"

Darren and Christopher will be at thefor this seminar at May 19, 2011. Stay tuned to GoDesignGo for more information on "East Coast/West Coast Design-Is it Apples & Oranges?" at the PDC.