CM: How important is a perfect chemistry between you and your
clients to achieve the best results?
DM: I would say it is the most important thing. As an interior
designer, you are somewhat a therapist to your clients. You have
to level with them to understand their vision and dreams for a
project. It is important to build that trust with your client to be
able to communicate the good as well as the bad.
A lot of architects have a very specific style and oftentimes they’ll
want to impose it. Even though I might have developed somewhat
of a style, I like to differentiate. My portfolio is very diverse, as I
really try to listen to my clients, really try to understand what they
want. And sometimes I have to challenge the client’s vision, but
when you have built that trust, they will usually follow our lead.
CM: Do you think working with teams in interior design is better
or worse than working alone? Why?
DM: Working with a team is always better. DMDesign has
team members from all over the world: France, Texas, The
Philippines, Poland and Belgium. A mix of cultures is crucial: it is
extremely enriching; we find inspiration in each other and in our
contradictions.
Next to the actual design work, we also have to manage clients,
contracts, planning and research. As we manage these parts of this
job, it is important to have our team to fall back on.
We spend a lot of time together and work in an open space, so
there is a lot of cross-project input from everyone, which is a key
component to enrich our work.
CM: Keep up to date on all the trends is essential for anyone who
wants to conquer this market. In what ways do you keep updated
with new trends?
DM: Travel is the best way to keep up with trends and to get
inspired. You need to see what’s happening outside your own
space. Our office is in Manhattan and as much as New York City is
the heart of many things, you also encounter a lot of similarities. To
break this pattern, it is important to travel outside. I recently went
to Mexico City where I was blown away by the level of design. On
a trip to Marrakesh I not only found great design inspiration, but
I also connected with a furniture manufacturer who could create
interesting designs, generating a new opportunity to collaborate.
Closer to home, in Connecticut I found many antique stores that
sparked my inspiration. A lot of my friends, clients and colleagues
share images of places they’ve visited and found inspirational
because they know how much it inspires me.
When not travelling, I would say Pinterest and design blogs are a
great place to discover on-going trends. The yearly design and art
shows, such as the Architectural Digest Show in New York or the
Milan Expo always offer a sound overview of on-going industry
trends. Art shows are a very important source of inspiration to
me. Interestingly, part of being recognized professional, your ex
clients, friends, ex colleagues… send you images of places they’ve
been around the world, because they know I’m an avid taker of
inspiration.
But most of all I learn from other people. Meeting new people or
talking to people who are active in different fields provides great
knowledge on what is going on in the world right now.
