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Interior design questionnaire: 30 insightful questions to ask

Reimagining spaces as an interior designer can be so rewarding, especially when you see the look on your clients’ faces when you’ve transformed their space into a welcoming room.   But what about the times when you totally miss the mark and clients aren’t so happy? … Awkward. You just about want the ground to swallow you up wondering where you went so unbelievably wrong. We’re sure many interior designers can relate!

A lot of the time it’s because you probably didn’t ask your clients the right questions to get to know them before you got started on your project.

Putting together an interior design questionnaire is one way to help you gather all the right information so you don’t end up with disappointed clients. In this post, we’ll share how a client questionnaire can help your interior design business and list 30 insightful questions you can include in your questionnaire.

Get our interior design questionnaire template

Content Snare helps you get the information you need from clients. When you use Content Snare, you’ll get access to our questionnaire template loaded with questions to get you started on your own client questionnaire.

How can a client questionnaire help you nail your interior design project?

There are a few different reasons why creating an interior design questionnaire helps you in your design process.  

Set clear expectations

The questions you ask in your client questionnaire will help you get to know your new client and define exactly what it is that they expect from you. The more information you get on their specific tastes, design styles, special needs, personal preferences, and budget, the more specific your project proposal will be, and the less likely you are to completely miss the mark on what you deliver.

Fill in missing gaps

Sometimes you gather great information in your initial consultation or discovery call, but then new questions come up later on. An interior design questionnaire will help you fill in any missing gaps that exist after your design consultation so you’re fully prepared to deliver your best work.

You might be asking your clients about their preferences bit by bit every time you have a check-in meeting or a phone call, but you’d save yourself a whole lot of time if you centralized all their answers in one place. Sending clients your questionnaire helps your design business save tremendously on time spent in meetings and stay more organized.

Leave a good impression

Sending a new client your interior design questionnaire after your initial consultation shows that you have solid business processes in place and are doing your due diligence to understand their needs. As your client goes through your insightful questions, they’ll start to see the value of their investment in your services. All of this can work wonders for your reputation as an interior design business and help you get those referrals!

What questions should you ask clients in an interior design questionnaire?

Questions that assess the current situation.

These questions help you get a feel for how well the space is currently working or not working for your client. Sometimes you uncover some elements of the room that your client is attached to and not looking to change. Use these questions to mark down their primary complaints and make a note of what you should probably leave alone.

1. What do you love about the current design/space?

2. What do you dislike about the current design?

3. Are there any furnishings, decor items, collections, or sentimental art pieces you absolutely want to keep?

Questions that determine the intended use of the space

These questions will help you paint yourself a picture of how your client wants to use their new space and what they’re looking to get out of your design. These are very important questions to ask before you dig into design preferences.

4. What does your family (or if a business - your team) normally do in this room? - E.g. watching TV, playing with toys, brainstorming, having meetings, doing yoga , playing video games, reading.

5. Can you describe the ages and characteristics of who will be using the space ? - E.g. young children, remote workers , grandparents, boomers, teachers, mixed demographic of professionals.  

6. Do the users of this space have any hobbies or extracurricular activities that need to be factored into the design? - E.g pilates , cooking, reading, yoga, meditation, daily naps, arts & crafts.

7. Do any users of this space have any special needs that need to be taken into account? - E.g. wheelchair accessibility, inability to reach high places, need for dim lighting, trouble with stairs.

8. What are your goals for the room/ space? - E.g. a space for one sole purpose vs a space for mixed activities, a space where parents can work while surprising children, a space that encourages collaboration and creative brainstorming.

9. What are your technical needs for this space? - E.g. surround sound, wifi, home theater, computers, projector, smartboard, hidden cables

Questions that assess your clients’ design style

Ask these questions to narrow in on exactly what your clients like and don’t like when it comes to design.

A heads up - not every client will have the descriptive vocabulary to be able to communicate exactly what you want. It’s on you to help give them some ideas. For these questions, we recommend including both multiple-choice options with some ideas as well as open-ended questions so they can get more specific or mention other ideas that aren’t on your list of options.

10. What colours do you like?  - e.g. neutrals, pastels, blacks, olive greens, ocean colours, bold colours

11. Are there any colour combinations you like?

12. What colours do you dislike? - e.g. yellows, mustard, dark colours, overly bright colours

13. What design style(s) do you prefer? - e.g. modern, beachy, contemporary, traditional, eclectic, bohemian, other

14. What design style(s) do you absolutely dislike? - e.g. modern, beachy, contemporary, traditional, eclectic, bohemian, other

15. What patterns, if any, do you like? - e.g. stripes, zigzags, polka dots

16. What patterns, if any, do you dislike? - e.g. stripes, zigzags, polka dots

17. What words would you use to describe the ideal style of the room? - e.g. casual, formal, spacious, clean, minimal, sophisticated, lived-in, welcoming, romantic

18. Do you have any inspirational images you can share? Tip: use a questionnaire tool like Content Snare that lets clients upload their own reference photos

19. How do you want the space to “feel”, or what mood do you want it to create? - e.g. warm, cosy, airy, bright, lively, glamorous, welcoming

20. What are your preferences for flooring? - e.g. hardwood, carpet, concrete, tile, marble

21. What are your preferences for artwork? - e.g abstract, landscape, nature, photographs, architecture

Tip: You can even take these questions a step further and provide your client with images as examples. We love how this interior design client questionnaire  shows images of potential patterns on page 6.

Get this complete list of questions in our questionnaire template

When you use Content Snare, you’ll get access to our complete list of interior design questions pre-loaded into a client questionnaire. All you have to do is send it over to your clients!

Questions that reveal expected working relationship and client fit

Ask these questions to get a feel for who and how you’ll be collaborating with to get the job done. You’ll need to find out who your primary point of contact is and just how involved they want to be. The answers to these questions will also tell you if the client has enough of a budget to be a fit for your design business.

22. Have you worked with a designer before? - If yes - ask follow up questions on how the experience was: what went well and what didn’t

23. Who makes the decisions on this project? - Follow up by asking for their direct phone number and email address

24. How involved are you planning to be with this process? - e.g. very involved, involved, minimally involved  

25. Do you want your design done in phases or all in one go?

26. If in phases, please list the rooms/areas/functionalities you’d like us to work on in order.

Questions on pricing and budget

These questions help you understand your client’s budget, how willing they are to go past it, and what’s most important to them in the project.

27. What is your budget? - Provide open-ended questions as well as ranges for budget options

28. What is your preferred time frame for having this project complete?

29. What is more important to you, the budget or the result?  

30. Are there any other services you need that I can help you with?

What are some tools for creating a client questionnaire?

There are a couple of ways you can go about this

A. Create online forms like Google Forms, Gravity Forms

Google Forms  and Gravity Forms  are two online forms tools worth exploring. They can be fairly easy to use but there are a couple of important considerations you should keep in mind.

1. Clients have to finish forms in one go

You always want to make life easy for your clients, but when they use forms they have to submit their information all in one go. If they need to exit out of the form for any reason, they’ll have to re-do all their work again when they come back to it. No fun! If people have to deal with inconveniences like this it will only mean there will be delays in getting content back from them.

2. You still need to use email regularly  

When you use online forms, you’ll still need to do the manual work of sharing it with a client over email, reminding them to complete it, and sending follow up emails if their answers are unclear. This can be a huge time suck.

B. Use a purpose-built tool like Content Snare

Another way to go is to use a tool like Content Snare  that avoids these headaches. Here’s why this option is a better choice:

1. Clients can fill out their questionnaire in their own time

When your client gets their questionnaire through Content Snare, they can answer as much of it as they want to, and come back to it later. Easy peasy. With an auto-save feature built into the forms, all information is saved and your clients can complete the form over multiple sessions, picking up where they left off last.

2. You don’t need to use email separately Content Snare cuts out the need for you to send email reminders. You can choose how often you want the platform to send your clients reminders then sit back and let it do the work for you. Content Snare will remind your clients to complete the questionnaire till all the information is complete and received.

How to get your client to complete your questionnaire

So you definitely don’t want to be spending time putting your questionnaire together just so your clients don’t complete it. Here are a few tips for making sure they fill out and return your questionnaire:

1. Set your expectations early on

Any working relationship is a two-way street. When you have your discovery call or initial consultation with your client, let them know what it is that you expect from them too. Give them a heads up that they’ll need to complete your questionnaire before your designers can make any informed decisions or moves on your project.

2. Follow up or use a tool that does this for you

As much as you let your clients know what you need from them, you may still have to follow up to get the questionnaire back from them in time. You can do this manually over email and over the phone, or spare yourself the time when you use a tool like Content Snare  that sends out email reminders for you till the whole questionnaire is complete. We hope this post gave you some helpful inspiration for what questions to include in your interior design questionnaire.

Did we miss any great questions? Let us know in the comments!

Create your questionnaire

When you build your client questionnaire with Content Snare, you’ll make life easy for your clients and receive the information you need much faster. Get ready to wrap up your design projects sooner than you have before.

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Sylva Sivz is a seasoned copywriter here at Content Snare, based out of Vancouver, Canada. She has spent years working in agency environments and moonlights as a touring house DJ!

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Must Have Questions in Your Interior Design Client Questionnaire

5 Mins Read

June 06, 2022

Questions for Interior Design Client Questionnaire

Does this scenario sound familiar to you? You’ve booked a new client (yay!) and jump right into the designing portion of the project. You excitedly present your hours of hard work to your client with material choices, layout and products only to get a LOT of feedback in return that steers the project in a completely different direction.

You feel defeated, overworked and a little silly because you realize that had you taken the time to fully understand the clients needs, vision for the space, daily life, emotional goals, budget, timeline (the list goes on!) you could have avoided all those wasted hours of work and presented a much more “on point” and impressive project to your client (who now is maybe questioning your expertise, cringe).

Well, no longer. We’re here to provide you with ALL the must have questions to include in your client questionnaire so you nail your next project. Not sure what questions to ask on your discovery call before the client signs on? 

About Your Current Space:

1. What do you love about the current design/space?

2. What do you dislike about the current design?

3. Are there any furnishings, decor items, collections, or sentimental art pieces you absolutely want to keep?

Your Daily Life:

4. What does your family (or if a business – your team) normally do in this room?

– E.g. watching TV, playing with toys, brainstorming, having meetings, doing yoga, playing video games, reading.

5. Can you describe the ages and characteristics of who will be using the space?

– E.g. young children, remote workers, grandparents, boomers, teachers, mixed demographic of professionals. 

6. Do the users of this space have any hobbies or extracurricular activities that need to be factored into the design?

– E.g pilates, cooking, reading, yoga, meditation, daily naps, arts & crafts.

7. Do any users of this space have any special needs that need to be taken into account? – E.g. wheelchair accessibility, inability to reach high places, need for dim lighting, trouble with stairs.

8. What are your goals for the room/ space?

– E.g. a space for one sole purpose vs a space for mixed activities, a space where parents can work while surprising children, a space that encourages collaboration and creative brainstorming.

9. What are your technical needs for this space?

– E.g. surround sound, wifi, home theater, computers, projector, smartboard, hidden cables

Your Design Preferences:

10. What colours do you like? 

– e.g. neutrals, pastels, blacks, olive greens, ocean colours, bold colours

11. Are there any colour combinations you like?

12. What colours do you dislike?

– e.g. yellows, mustard, dark colours, overly bright colours

13. What design style(s) do you prefer?

– e.g. modern, beachy, contemporary, traditional, eclectic, bohemian, other

14. What design style(s) do you absolutely dislike?

15. What patterns, if any, do you like?

– e.g. stripes, zigzags, polka dots

16. What patterns, if any, do you dislike?

17. What words would you use to describe the ideal style of the room?

– e.g. casual, formal, spacious, clean, minimal, sophisticated, lived-in, welcoming, romantic

18. Do you have any inspirational images you can share?

19. How do you want the space to “feel”, or what mood do you want it to create?

– e.g. warm, cosy, airy, bright, lively, glamorous, welcoming

20. What are your preferences for flooring?

– e.g. hardwood, carpet, concrete, tile, marble

21. What are your preferences for artwork?

– e.g abstract, landscape, nature, photographs, architecture

A Little More About You:

22. Have you worked with a designer before?

– If yes – ask follow up questions on how the experience was: what went well and what didn’t

23. Who makes the decisions on this project?

– Follow up by asking for their direct phone number and email address

24. How involved are you planning to be with this process?

– e.g. very involved, involved, minimally involved 

25. Do you want your design done in phases or all in one go?

26. If in phases, please list the rooms/areas/functionalities you’d like us to work on in order.

Pricing & Budget:

27. What is your budget?

– Provide open-ended questions as well as ranges for budget options

28. What is your preferred time frame for having this project complete?

29. What is more important to you, the budget or the result?

30. Are there any other services you need that I can help you with?

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• The ability to choose from thousands of preloaded items like furniture, plants, accessories and much more – or upload your own 3D models to create the exact look your clients want.
• Produce 4K, photo-realistic renderings on demand.
• Advanced lighting options and visualization settings.
• Real-time 3D editing capabilities.

By combining the functionality of multiple tools in one platform we empower designers to spend less time with software and more time with their clients. You can try Foyr Neo free for 14-days now and experience the power of limitless design.

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Interior Design Client Questionnaire for Initial Consultation

2020 October 8, 2019 2020 Blogs , 2020 Design , 2020 Fusion , General , Home Design & Remodeling

You can either meet with your client at your office, or you can meet them at their own house. The latter might be preferable so you can get a better picture of their space; a walkthrough might help spark ideas that you can discuss with the client right away, and you’ll also be able to gauge whether or not you and your client are a good fit for each other.

Your main goal during your initial consultation is to go through an interior design client questionnaire to make sure you fully understand what your client is looking for. This article will help you ask the right questions so you can move forward and deliver a beautiful space that your client will love.

Download our 3-page client questionnaire.

Interior design client questionnaire

Here’s a list of questions you can ask your client during your initial  interior design  consultation. Don’t hesitate to ask additional questions or elaborate on these questions if need be.  

• What design style(s) do you prefer?  
• What design style(s) do you absolutely  dislike?  
• What colors do you like or dislike?  
• What patterns, if any, do you like?
• Do you have any inspirational images you can share?  
• What does your family normally do in this room  (i.e., what is the intended use of this room) ?  
• Are there any furniture  or decor  items you absolutely want to keep?  
• What do you dislike about the current design?  
• Do you or your family have any special needs?  
• What are some of your hobbies/passions  (e.g. traveling, reading, painting, cooking, etc.) ?  
• What is your budget?  

Once you’ve gone through  your interior design questionnaire , you should have a better understanding of your client’s vision of their future space. Knowing their budget is  absolutely crucial  so you can let your client know  whether or not  their ideas are feasible.  

Keep in mind that learning about your client’s dislikes is just as important as learning about what they like. This is especially true if they’re not sure about what they want – you can at least find out what they absolutely do NOT want  and work from there .  

Your initial consultation should help you determine if the project is  achievable  and if it’s a good match for you. If your client decides to hir e  you, congrats! You can then move forward by signing a  detailed contract  and beginning the design process by using  advanced interior design software .

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Award Winning Interior Designer in Connecticut

Working With A Designer , Consultations · February 1, 2020

Sample Interior Decorating Questionnaire: How to be Prepared for Your Consultation

New to Interior Decorating? A homeowner looking for questions asked in a consultation? We have you covered! No more endless searching. In this article you’ll find a Sample Interior Decorating Questionnaire used by KH Home Design and Furnishings for all of our consultations. If you’re someone whose been in the industry for years and is looking to revamp your questionnaire or just starting your business… click here .

In Interior Decorating Consult: 3 Steps to be Prepared , I discussed the five aspects of an Interior Decorating consult. Not all of the topics are included on the Questionnaire. If you haven’t read the article, here’s a brief overview:

5 Aspects of a Questionnaire

• Introductions : General pleasantries, getting to know you better, introductions, information about the Interior Decorator including credentials, about their business and themselves, etc.
• Contact : Gathering general information such as project address, best ways to contact you, appointment availability, etc.
• Project : Scope of work to complete, rooms incorporate, purpose each room serves, how it is used, people who use the space and style of those rooms, etc.
• Design : Your vision, specifics of design style, formality, favorable colors, colors not to be used, preference of patterns, where to source from, furniture staying/purchasing, etc.
• Space : Walking through the space, point things out of notice, taking pictures and measurements of the space, etc.

Items #2-#4 are covered in the Sample Interior Decorating Questionnaire however items #1 and #5 are not. This is because these are things that will verbally or physically happen within the space. Introductions are a naturally occurring aspect as you enter the space.

This Sample Interior Decorating Questionnaire is available for download. Please see below.

I hope that this article helped so that you may get a basic understanding of questions asked in a consultation. Know what questions will be asked so you can be prepared. If you’re new to the industry or simply revamping your questionnaire, I hope that these questions will have added value.

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Hi, I’m Kimberly, the owner of KH Home Design serving Connecticut. With my streamlined process, exceptional customer service, and impeccable design sense, I’m here to transform your home into a stunning reflection of your personal style and needs. As a multi-award-winning Interior Designer with a passion for design and a deep understanding of psychology, I create spaces that not only look amazing but also feel amazing to be in. Book a Complimentary Call today to get started on creating the home of your dreams.

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1. Interior Design Survey

Question title, * 1 . please tell us your name so i can see who's replied (leave blank if you don't want to), * 2 . have you ever used an interior designer, * 3 . if you have used an interior designer, what did you use them for tick as many as you many as you want, * 4 . if you have used an interior designer, how satisfied were you with the following. (after answering, please skip to question 6), * 5 . if you've not used an interior designer, which of the following factors stopped you - tick as many as you want (if you have used an interior designer, please skip to question 6), * 6 . thinking about a typical home improvement project (e.g. new kitchen, updating a room, de-cluttering, building an extension), which of the following would apply to you tick as many as you want, * 7 . imagine a new, more affordable and flexible interior design service using coaching sessions of 1 to 3 hours, to work with you on a specific project or question. how interested would you be in such a service, * 8 . any other comments, ideas or thoughts about what you would like from an interior design service.

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• Business Management

Free Template: Interior Design Client Questionnaire & Guide

Learn how to craft the perfect interior design questionnaire for new client meetings from the experts at Houzz Pro.

Working with your interior design clients requires asking a lot of questions, but also the right ones at the right time. Having a detailed interior design questionnaire ready to use when you meet with a client will help ensure that you’ve gathered all the necessary information to understand your client’s needs, and if they’ll be a good fit for you and your business. 

In this Houzz Pro Learn guide, you’ll get a thorough understanding of what an interior design client questionnaire is all about and how they fit into your consultation process. You’ll also learn the right questions to ask at each stage, how to make your questionnaire, tips for getting your clients to respond and more. We've even provided you with a free interior design questionnaire template you can use to help prepare for your next interior design new client meeting.

Click a link below to jump to the section you're most interested in:

• What is a client questionnaire and why are they important
• Questions to ask during the discovery call
• Questions to ask pre-consultation
• Questions to ask during initial consultation
• How to make a client questionnaire with tips and tools
• Additional FAQs about client questionnaires

Download our Free Interior Design Questionnaire Template

Grab Your Free Interior Design Client Questionnaire Template

Customize this Interior Design Client Questionnaire Template to nail your next new client meeting.

What is an interior design client questionnaire & how does it fit into the interior design consultation process?

An interior design questionnaire for clients consists of a set of questions to help you understand who your client is, what they need, if they’re a good fit for what you offer, and key information you need to know to help bring their vision to life. Not all questions will be asked up front in your initial call, which would be overwhelming for both you and your client. Instead, a great interior design client questionnaire fits into the pre-consultation and/or actual consultation stage of the process where you’ll be able to ask more in-depth questions of your client. 

Why are interior design questionnaires for clients important?

Your interior design client questionnaire is an essential tool in your business. It’s a detailed, comprehensive and thorough way for you to not only get on the same page as your client, but it can also help you save time and increase your bottom line. When you have as much information as possible about your client and their needs up front, you’re better able to determine if they’re the right fit for what you can offer. Your interior design questionnaire will help you to better hone in your design so you can achieve your client’s vision without endless change orders and revisions if and when you decide to work together. 

What questions should an interior designer ask a client?

The goal of asking questions before you start working with your interior design clients is to help clarify what you need to know about a project and clear up any doubts you might have about working with a particular client. This will save you time and money in your business in the long run. The questions below form a great interior design client questionnaire example you can start to use in your business. 

Interior design discovery call questions  

During the discovery or intro call, you’ll want to learn the overall needs of your client’s project. After understanding what your client is generally looking for, you can share some of your strengths that speak to their vision. You’ll also want to know if they’ve worked with a designer before and how involved they want to be in the project. From the sales side, you should also ask how they heard of you and what caught their eye about your design work. 

• What are your overall needs and vision for the project? 
• Have you worked with an interior designer in the past? If yes, how was the experience? If it wasn’t positive, what would you like to have seen done better? 
• How involved would you like to be with the process?
• How did you hear of my business and what drew you to my work? 

Questions to ask in your pre-consultation client questionnaire

In the pre-consultation stage is where you’ll delve more into whether or not the client is the right fit for you and your offerings, what their budget and timeline are, as well as learning more about the space, its use, and their design likes and dislikes. Here are some great tips from fellow designers for how to nail your initial interior design consultation .

• What do you love about the current design/space?
• What do you dislike about the current design?
• What is your ideal budget and timeline/deadline?
• Do you want your design done in phases or all at once?
• What will be the primary function of the space and who will be using it? 
• Do you have any images of your vision to share? 

Here are some of the key sections to include within your pre-consultation client questionnaire:

• Contact information Name Address Email Phone number Social media profiles (if relevant) Preferred method of contact
• Assess the current situation What are the current issues with the space?  What needs to be changed/altered? What can be kept the same?
• Determine intended use of space Who will be using the space?  What is the primary use of the space? What are your goals for the space?   Are there any technical or accessibility needs?
• Assess design style What design styles do you like? What design styles do you dislike?  Can you share some visual examples of what you envision for your space?
• Determine client fit What did you like about my work and how did you see that incorporated into your space?  How would you prefer to work together? (Very involved, more hands-off, etc.)
• Determine budget What is your maximum budget for this project?  Are you open to cutting down on your ideal vision to achieve your budget? 
• Open note section  Any other questions or details to note that may come up during your pre-consultation

Questions to ask in your first interior design client meeting

The actual consultation is when you’ll get all the information you need to submit your proposal. You’ll also want to understand all the finer details of what your client envisions with their space by asking many more thorough questions to assess their design style, what they may want to keep in the space and what can be eliminated or altered. 

• What colors would you like to see in the space? 
• What colors do you dislike and would like to avoid?
• What design styles do you envision for the space? 
• What design styles would you not like to have?
• How do you feel about patterns?
• Can you describe your overall vision in just a few words or adjectives?
• Do you have any preferences for the following? undefinedundefinedundefinedundefinedundefinedundefined
• Are there any product brands you prefer or particular pieces (furniture, hardware, lighting, or other) you’d like to include in your space?
• Are there any current furniture, decor, art pieces or other items you’d like to keep? What is non-negotiable and what can be removed or altered? 

How to make an interior design client questionnaire

If you don’t want to use a pre-made interior design client questionnaire template like the one we offer, you can create your own for your business. This section will share a few tools for making an interior design questionnaire, as well as tips for getting responses from potential clients. 

Tools for making an interior design new client questionnaire

• For creating the form: Microsoft Word, Google Forms, Adobe Acrobat, Typeform
• For sending the form: email, mobile text, WhatsApp, or social media (Note: it’s best to confirm your potential client’s preferred way of contact)
• Paid tools like Houzz Pro that allow you to send the form and keep it organized via the cloud with all of your other project communication

Tips for encouraging clients to respond to your questionnaire

In order to get your client to respond to your questionnaire, you’ll want to strike the right balance between asking enough questions to get the information you need without asking too much that could overwhelm your potential client. Make sure to ask only what you need — nothing more, nothing less — and be mindful of your client’s time. Your service is to make things easier for your client overall, and that includes the interior design questionnaire. 

You’ll also want to send a polite, yet timely reminder to your client, if needed, via their communication channel of choice (email, text, phone, etc.). It’s best to wait one week after sending the questionnaire before sending a reminder. When sending the reminder, ask your potential client if they have any questions about filling out the questionnaire, or if you can be of any help. 

It’s also useful to set verbal expectations about returning the questionnaire when you send it to your client. This can be done in combination with sending your questionnaire digitally, then calling your client to let them know it's been sent. You can then share that potential clients typically return their questionnaires within a week and that they can reach out to you for assistance if needed. This will help set good expectations from the start and help keep the process moving forward. 

Interior Design Client Questionnaire FAQs

Q: How does the client questionnaire work when you are charging for an initial interior design consultation? 

A: When you’re charging for an initial interior design consultation, you’ll want to make sure that you have enough questions answered to create some deliverables or initial concepts for your client, so your client questionnaire may be lengthier in this case. The deliverables may include sketches or digital mock ups so that your client feels they can take something away from the paid consultation, instead of it feeling just like another meeting. If you’re torn between charging or not for consultations, read this article to help you decide. 

Q: How do you do an interior design consultation? 

A: Interior design consultations can be done in a variety of ways, but they should always work best for you and your business. The length of time, virtual or on-site all depend on what you’d like to offer your clients. During your consultation is when you’ll want to get the full picture of what your client is needing, as well as getting a view of the space (either virtually or in person). So be prepared with your interior design questionnaire to get all your remaining questions answered. The goal of the consultation is to be able to create a detailed proposal and initial design plans or sketches to win your client over and seal the deal. Check out these tips for mastering your client consultation . 

Q : What questions are asked in an interior design interview? 

A: While you’ll be asking your own questions during the interior design consultation, your potential client will also have questions they’d like answered. These questions may include: 

• Details about your work with past clients in a similar regard to their design project
• How you’ll keep them updated on progress and how client communication is handled
• What your rates are and what your billing process entails
• How they’re best able to collaborate with you throughout the process

Now you’re ready to ask the right questions at the right time with your prospective interior design clients to help create more success in your business.  If you’d like to keep reading, check out How to Build an Interior Design Proposal + Template .

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• Interior Design Questionnaire Form

An interior design questionnaire form is a customer survey used by interior designers to gather information about a client’s likes and dislikes for a project. Whether you’re a contractor, a furniture designer, or a drapery specialist, use a free Interior Design Questionnaire Form on your website to collect valuable feedback from your clients. Quickly customize the form to fit your company’s branding and start collecting responses today!

Making your Interior Design Questionnaire Form unique is easy. Add your logo, update the form field labels, or add a background image or color to match your decorating style. You can even spread the word about your new project on social media — Jotform provides powerful social media tools to share your forms and get responses. If you’d like to gather responses more quickly, download our free Jotform Forms! Take your interior design business to the next level with a free online Interior Design Questionnaire Form.

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Interior Design Client Questionnaire and Guide Template

• Ossian Muscad
• February 13, 2023
• No Comments

Before starting your design task, you must consult with a client. You two have the chance to talk about crucial facts. As you get to know the client better and comprehend their needs and wants, you’ll be better equipped to inform them of the services you can provide to design the space of their dreams. An Interior Design Client questionnaire will help you get to know your new client and pinpoint just what they anticipate from you. Your project proposal will be more detailed, and you will be less likely to produce anything completely off-target if you have more knowledge about their tastes, design preferences, special needs, and budget.

This guide will assist you in posing the appropriate queries to enable you to proceed and create a stunning space that your client will appreciate.

What is an Interior Design Client Questionnaire?

An interior design client questionnaire consists of a series of questions to assist you in learning more about your client, their needs, whether they’re a good fit for what you have to offer, and other details you need to know to help realize their vision. An excellent interior design client questionnaire comes with a discovery call, then a pre-consultation and real consultation stages, when you can ask your customer’s deeper insights into the design task.

Why is It Important?

Interior design client questionnaires are made to ensure you are on the same page with the client’s interest. The questionnaire allows you to assess whether a client is a good fit for what you offer when you know as much as you can about them and their demands upfront. If and when you decide to work together, your interior design questionnaire will help you better focus your design to realize your client’s vision without needless change requests and revisions.

What are the Questions to Ask During a Discovery Call?

You’ll want to find out about the broad requirements of your client’s project during the discovery call. You can share some of your abilities related to your client’s vision once you have a general concept of what they seek. These are the questions to ask:

• What are the project’s general requirements and goals?
• Have you ever collaborated with an interior designer? If so, how was the encounter? What would you have liked to see done better if the outcome hadn’t been favorable?
• How much of a partner would you wish to be in the process?
• How did you learn about my company, and what attracted you to the design work?

What are the Questions to Ask During Pre-consultation?

Pre-consultation is when you discover more about the client, the space, how it will be used, and their preferences for and objections to design to determine whether or not they are a good fit for you and your services. Here are some excellent pointers from other designers on acing your first appointment.

• What do you like about the present layout?
• What do you find unsatisfactory about the existing layout?
• What are your desired spending limits and deadlines?
• Do you want your design completed all at once or in stages?
• Who will utilize the area, and what will be its main purpose?
• Would you mind sharing any pictures from your idea?

What are the Questions to Ask During an On-site Meeting?

You will have all the information required to submit your proposal during the meeting. Additionally, you’ll want to learn all the specifics of what your customer wants for their space by conducting an extensive interview to determine their design preferences, what they want to preserve in the space, and what might be changed or removed.

• What colors do you want to see in the room?
• Which colors do you dislike and wish to stay away from?
• What design themes do you have in mind for the room?
• What types of design would you prefer not to have?
• What do you think of patterns?
• Can you summarize your vision in a few words or a description?
• Do you have a preferred product brand or a wish list of specific items (furniture, hardware, lighting, etc.) for your room?
• Do you currently own any furniture, accessories, art, or other items you would like to keep? What cannot be changed, and what can be removed?

How do you make an Interior Design Client Questionnaire?

Make your own interior design client questionnaire by following these simple procedures:

• Learn about your client. Study a client’s way of life in order to completely understand what they desire from the project. To learn more about them, schedule a call. Doing this allows you to use your greatest abilities to benefit your clients and modify your designs as necessary. 
• Explore topics and present curated design choices. Giving clients a few solid project solutions motivates them to use their executive authority. 
• Before sending your design, double-check it. Develop trust through consistent and clear communication.

How to Get Your Client to Answer Your Questionnaire?

You must strike the correct balance between asking enough questions to gather the required data and not too many that you risk overwhelming your potential client. Your service aims to simplify everything for your client, including the interior design questionnaire.

• Establish your goals beforehand. Inform your customer of your expectations for them during your discovery call or initial appointment. Inform them that before your designers can take any informed judgments or actions on your project, they must complete your questionnaire.
• Follow-up. Even after advising your clients what you need from them, you might still need to follow up to receive the questionnaire back on time. You can carry out this personally via phone and email.

Why is it Important to Have a System Workflow like DATAMYTE?

Now that you’re prepared to ask your potential clients the correct questions at the right time, it is time to integrate it with a system workflow like DATAMYTE.

DATAMYTE is a fully-featured low-code platform designed for creating, customizing, and planning interior design client questionnaires. 

The Digital Clipboard , in particular, is a system workflow automation software that lets you create interior client design questionnaires using low-code features such as a drag-and-drop interface without needing to write code. It also provides real-time data about the status of your clients’ questionnaires and gives notifications when customers are done responding to it. 

With DATAMYTE , you have a complete solution for creating an interior client design questionnaire. Book a demo today to learn more about our low-code solution! 

An interior design questionnaire demonstrates that you have sound business procedures and are taking steps to comprehend client preferences. Your client will begin seeing the worth of their investment in your services as they review your insightful inquiries. This can enhance your company’s reputation as an interior designer and aid in future referrals.

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