In response to yesterday’s post about the New York Times article fileting a fancy designer and his $10,000 charity project-slash-publicity stunt, a Gentle Reader called Ohslowburn posed an excellent question.
So excellent, in fact, that I’m responding with a fresh post. Here’s Ohslowburn’s question/comment in full:
Oh wow. The designer doesn’t come across well at all, does he? That said, and this is a question from Jane Q Public who knows nothing about working with designers….is it realistic to do what the client did?
Perhaps I don’t live in the world where it’s normal to give someone so much of your money and not be there on a daily/weekly basis to see if the person’s actually doing something other than declaring that it’s five o’clock somewhere. The other person may be a professional (although in this case, um…..) but caveat emptor. If it were me, I’d ahve had someone talk with/check with the designer on some sort of regular basis while I was away. Yes? No? What say ye?
Believe it or not, it is not unusual for a client to give an interior designer a LOT of latitude once an initial concept is agreed upon. It really depends on the personalities and work styles of the people involved. Ironically, sometimes the more $ a client is spending, the less that client is involved. Crazy, isn’t it?
In defense of the designer (Richard Mishaan)…
If this had been a “real” project in which part of the client’s $10,000 budget were being spent on the designer’s time, as is usually the case, Mr. Logozzo (the client) would have seen that the more he insists on approving every object/step/idea, the less $ he has to spend on furniture. So giving the designer total control maximizes the client’s budget.
But to hang the designer…
Mr. Mishaan read this particular client completely wrong. Mr. Logozzo said in their first meeting:
“One thing you have to know, I’m completely a clean freak.”
BINGBINGBING. RED FLAG! RED FLAG!
Second, (I’m quoting from the article now), Mr. Logozzo “said he shared a belief Mr. Mishaan expressed in the book: that first impressions are important.”
BIG CLUE! BIG CLUE!
First impressions. As in, what you might see when you return from Afghanistan expecting to see a pristine, redecorated apartment. The first impression Mr. Mishaan permitted was this: holes in the walls, carpet fuzz, and carpenter droppings.
Here’s a shovel, Mr. Mishaan. Keep digging that hole.
All signs pointed to Mr. Logozzo as a person who would not take kindly to a missed deadline and a mess when he stops by the apartment. Mr. Logozzo has not worked with a designer before. He does not know that deadlines can be fluid, that good fabric usually costs upwards of $100/yard, and that even good carpenters can leave a mess at the end of a day.
It was Mr. Mishaan’s job to educate Mr. Logozzo by keeping him informed as the job progressed. Nothing time-consuming. just a quick e-mail every other week.
So, Ohslowburn, there’s no denying that the client could have – and I agree should have – sent an occasional check-in e-mail and/or asked a friend to stop by the job site during his absence. But the burden was on Mr. Mishaan to communicate better with his client.