A client who has paid a furniture deposit should be able to find the order, the amount, and its current status. “It’s with the vendor” leaves the order status unclear.
The studio also needs a private place for early sketches, staff notes, supplier negotiations, margins, and unfinished ideas.
Decide which project facts the client can check and which working notes stay with the studio.
Business of Home reported on transparency in interior design after an arrest involving allegations of stolen client funds. The designers in the article agree that clients need proactive records. They disagree about showing net costs. Every studio needs a clear rule for what clients can see.
Show where the money went
For every client payment, show what the amount covers: a fee, deposit, product, tax, freight charge, or another agreed cost. If the studio collects money before purchasing, show whether the order has been placed and what happens next.
Studios handle this in different ways. Hattie Collins shares detailed order costs and logistics through a client portal. Tracy Morris shows the designer’s net price beside the client’s marked-up price. Other firms protect trade pricing.
Explain the pricing method in the agreement, then use the project record to show that the studio followed it.
Give clients access to:
- invoices and payment receipts
- approved proposals or estimates
- purchase orders and vendor confirmations
- deposits, balances, and payment dates
- freight, storage, and installation charges
- credits, returns, and refunds
The client can see what she is paying for before the studio spends the money.
Keep approvals with the item
A client may approve a concept, drawing, price, or change. Months later, the studio may need to show which version she chose.
Keep the approved item, date, decision-maker, and any condition together. If the client changes it later, keep the earlier version and link the new approval.
Show the client her current approvals and the decisions waiting for her. Keep discarded options and internal debate in the studio view.
Keep the approved instruction in the client view. Use the studio view to explore and revise ideas before sharing them.
Use status words clients understand
“Procurement in progress” can hide ten different states. The sofa may be awaiting a deposit, confirmed by the vendor, in production, delayed, at the receiver, or ready for installation.
Name the item, where it is now, what happens next, and any decision the client needs to make. Staff assignments and follow-up notes stay with the team.
Use the same approach for the schedule. Show approved phases, milestone ranges, known changes, and the client’s next task. Keep workload planning and vendor follow-up in the studio view.
Show the client the project facts that affect her money and decisions.
Keep drafts and internal notes private
The team needs room to think. People may flag a slow supplier, question a fabric, check a margin, or write a blunt note about a risk. If every line is visible to the client, staff may stop writing down useful concerns.
Keep these in the studio view:
- draft thinking and critique
- staff responsibilities and workload
- margin and commercial analysis
- negotiation notes
- risk assessment and contingency planning
- unpresented alternatives
When a risk changes the budget, schedule, approval, purchase, or promised result, write a client update in plain language.
Explain the rules before kickoff
Explain the pricing method, record access, update schedule, and approval process during the sale and kickoff. Waiting until a client is worried makes every new record look defensive.
Show a sample estimate or client portal. Say which purchasing documents the client receives, how markups and fees appear, how often statuses change, and how you share urgent news.
The client can decide whether that level of access suits her. The studio can use the same process on every project rather than renegotiating access halfway through.
Keep the boundary simple
Clients hire a designer for judgment and coordination. They also need a reliable account of the money they spend and the choices they approve.
Give the client a clear record of payments, approvals, purchases, dates, and status. Keep early ideas, margins, negotiations, and staff notes with the studio.
A client can check what happened in the project record instead of asking the studio to reconstruct it from email.
