The first home consultation as an interior designer
Seeing the space, hearing the brief, agreeing next steps: how interior designers can set up a paid first home visit that clients book online and prepare for it.
6 min read
Make the first home consultation a paid service that clients book online, with travel built into the slot and a clear description of what it includes: seeing the space, hearing the brief, first ideas and a proposal for next steps. Ask clients to send photos and the room dimensions before the visit, and to write in the booking note which rooms and what budget range they have in mind. You arrive prepared, the client knows what they're paying for, and you avoid spending half a day on free visits that go nowhere.
Why a paid first visit
A home visit takes more than the hour on site: the drive, the preparation, the notes afterwards. A free visit invites people who are only curious; a small fee, deducted from the project if they go ahead, filters without scaring serious clients. It also gives the visit a clear value: the client leaves with advice they can use even if they do the work themselves.
| Service | Example slot | Example price | What it includes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Home consultation, one room | 90 min | €90 | Visit, brief, first ideas; travel included |
| Home consultation, whole home | 2 h 30 | €150 | All rooms, priorities, rough plan |
| Video consultation | 60 min | €60 | Based on photos and dimensions sent before |
| Project follow-up meeting | 60 min | €70 | For clients with a project in progress |
Lengths and prices are examples: set your own. On Book, each service has a name, a price and an optional description shown on your public page, and each slot belongs to one service with its own start and end. Say in the description whether the fee is deducted from a later project, and which areas you travel to.
What to ask before the visit
The public booking form asks for first name, last name, email and phone, and has an optional note. Suggest what to write:
- the address, floor and parking;
- which rooms, and what the client wants to change;
- a budget range, even rough;
- a deadline, such as a move, a birth or guests coming;
- whether they own or rent, since it changes what's possible.
Ask for photos, room dimensions and any inspiration images by email after booking, not in the note, which also appears in the calendar file the client receives.
During the visit
- Walk through the space with the client, listening to how they live in it.
- Measure what's missing, take photos, note light and constraints.
- Share first ideas on layout, colours and key pieces.
- Explain what the next step would be, and what it costs.
Turning the visit into a project
If the client wants to go ahead, book the next meeting before you leave, for example the presentation of the design concept a few weeks later. You can book from your calendar with the client's name; email and phone are optional, and with the email they get a confirmation and a calendar file. Send the quote by email, as you already do. If they don't go ahead, the visit has still been paid, and they have your ideas to work with.
Clients can't move bookings online: they contact you, and you move or cancel from your bookings list. Book doesn't email them about changes, so confirm the new time yourself. Book doesn't take payments, so say how the consultation is paid. Book costs €5/month, everything included: unlimited services and bookings, no commission, no contract.