ORIGINAL POST DATE: 09-29-2018

As a designer in the digital age, depending on your overall business model, the holidays can be your best design season…

And by holidays I mean any time after Labor Day because it’s a very short leap from back to school to Halloween to Thanksgiving to Christmas. ‘Tis the season of decorating & entertaining, and while people’s time (and money) may be wrapped up in all the festivities the season brings, the past year have also given people a newfound and/or deeper appreciation for home and hosting. As a designer, you can step in an offer convenient and unconventional alternatives for many of the things they’ll already be doing and/or need done for the season. 

Pre Made Tablescape Packages 

Tablescaping is an art that not everyone has the eye or patience for, and yet for the major winter holidays, everyone wants their table setting to look festive, inviting, and plain ol amazing — be it for intimate family dinners or extravagant holiday parties — so why not leverage this as an opportunity to curate a few tablescape packages, putting together a shopping list & styling guide, and selling not only a look but a convenience to current & potential clients.

And don’t limit it to just actual tables. You can easily do this for bar stations, mantles, and other surfaces that get lots of holiday love. 

Concierge Holiday Decor Shopping

The great thing about being a designer is that we have access to pieces & vendors that other people just don’t have. And the even greater thing about being an online designer is that our ability to navigate the interwebs is unmatched.

So why not marry the two & offer up shopping services!

While some people get a thrill from browsing their local Target, HomeGoods, and Michaels for decor, there’s a whole population of people who either want no parts of this process or who want more exclusive, unique finds...finds that a designer has access to. 

Guest Bedroom & Bathroom Offerings

For most people holidays = guests, and no matter the size of the home, people want it to be guest ready so while you may already have bedroom packages, niche down a bit for the season, highlighting the specific features & benefits of a guest bathroom refresh or a guest bedroom redesign.

You’ll know exactly what unique details go into making a space guest ready, so lead with that and take the overwhelm out of hosting for your clients. 

Rental Property Staging Packages  

Speaking of guests — while some people will be opening their doors for friends & family, others will be hopping on a plane & getting away for the season, many of them staying at short term rental properties. Those hosts need guest ready spaces too! Specifically, they need holiday ready spaces to make their listings more attractive.

More attractive listings means more rental income, and who wouldn’t want that?

Offering redesign packages — be it a quick consult or a full virtual design — allows them to still feel in control of the property with the installation but gives them the extra boost of a designer eye for the season. 

Organization Consultations 

The finally months of the year means people eventually start thinking about the new year — a fresh start, purging, and all that goes along with it. Why not lend your organizational expertise for the entryway, garage, closets, home office, etc. — anywhere in the home that you know people are likely to want to tackle as part of their pledge to be better next year.

You can sell blocks of time or have a special hourly, and now they’ll have the peace of mind knowing that what may have been 6 months of purging can be a properly executed project.