Ask Bridget: What is Your Favorite Type of Client to Work With?

Today, Slate Interiors Studio owner Bridget Hrdlicka tells us about her ideal client. Read on if you’re wondering if you would be a good fit for our interior design services.

Background: Bridget Hrdlicka is the founder of Slate Interiors Studio. Upon graduation from Kent State University with a B.A. in Interior Design, for the first 10 years of her career, Bridget worked in small- and mid-sized architectural firms as a commercial interior designer from schematic design through construction completion. Bridget, a NCIDQ certified interior designer, has led projects ranging from small tenant fit-outs to 100,000 square foot corporate headquarters. Passionate about tailoring design solutions to each client’s needs, Bridget launched Slate Interiors Studio in 2021, enabling her to perfect a design approach that balances creativity with technical prowess, as evidenced by a portfolio of spaces that are beautiful, functional, and timeless.

So Bridget, what is your favorite type of client to work with?

“I am a people person who can get along with pretty much anybody! Yet over the 10+ years that I have been in the commercial interior design industry, I have noticed some patterns on which working relationships yield the best project results. 

I love working with small business owners who are launching their first or second business space. There is something palpable about the energy, nerves, and enthusiasm of a budding entrepreneur which I cannot get enough of. Integrating the branding, company values, budgetary constraints, and planning for future growth is all wrapped up in the interior design package.

I love working with people who have a strong vision, but want to hand off the details to an expert for execution. If you have a brain that feels like an ongoing Pinterest board, I could talk to you for days about all of your big ideas so I can take the ball and run with it – allowing you to move on to your next big idea.

On the flip side, I also love working with people who don’t have a clear vision, are too busy or stretched thin to articulate that vision, and I can ask them the right questions to really get into their brain. There is a fine art and personal nature to making someone’s business come to life in a space, and my experience allows me to ask the right questions.

I love working for people who value my expertise. I am an open-minded listener, but not afraid to tell you when I think something is a bad idea. I rely on my interior design education, ongoing training, and relationships with manufacturers when making project decisions. That means you don’t have to stay up all night going down a Google rabbit hole to find the perfect light fixture.

I thrive on balancing understanding client perspectives, remaining adaptable when working with architecture and engineering consultants, hitting a specific budget, and navigating a job site walk through with a contractor. All of those scenarios have their own set of listening and communication skills, the outcome of which is all reflected in the quality of the final built interior project. Design is a team effort after all.

One last thing you should know about me: I am a true professional but I like to laugh throughout the design process. This isn’t heart surgery, let’s have some fun!”

Are you a new entrepreneur in the Cleveland area who needs professional design expertise? Book a quick 15 minute call to chat about your interior design needs > I can’t wait to hear about your budding business.