How to get more interior design clients
Interior design is a high-consideration, portfolio-driven business. Clients spend months deciding before they make contact. Here's how to be the designer they find and trust.
Step-by-step
- 1
Build a portfolio that shows your style clearly
Clients hire you because they like your aesthetic. Photograph every completed project. Your website and Instagram should make your design style immediately apparent. Clients whose taste aligns with yours self-select — those who don't aren't your market. If your portfolio isn't strong yet, offer a discounted project to one ideal client in exchange for professional photography rights.
- 2
Pinterest is essential for interior design
Pinterest is the #1 visual inspiration platform for home design. Create a well-organised presence with completed projects, mood boards, and curated content. Use keywords in board titles and pin descriptions that your ideal clients search for. Pinterest content has a much longer shelf life than Instagram and continues driving traffic for months or years.
- 3
Build trade partnerships
Estate agents, architects, developers, and builders regularly encounter clients who need interior design. Architects in particular often design the shell but don't offer interior specification — build relationships through professional networks. A trusted recommendation from an architect to a client with budget is one of the highest-converting client sources.
- 4
Target specific niches or project types
Specialists stand out: residential new-build, listed building restoration, hospitality design, short-term rental optimisation, luxury bathroom and kitchen. Specific positioning makes you easier to recommend and more searchable online than a generalist.
- 5
Content marketing: the long game
Interior design clients spend months in the inspiration phase before contact. Being part of that journey — through blog posts, Instagram, or YouTube covering room transformations and styling tips — means they're already familiar with your work when they're ready to hire.
- 6
Get Google visibility for local project searches
Set up your Google Business Profile and create location-specific service pages ('London residential interior design'). Clients searching 'interior designer [city]' with active project intent are high-converting. Reviews from past clients validate your credibility for these searchers.
Tips & best practices
- ▸Feature your clients in your content with their permission. 'Before and after: how we transformed Emma's Victorian terrace' is more compelling than a project with no story.
- ▸Houzz is the leading platform specifically for interior designers. A complete, high-quality Houzz profile generates enquiries independently of your other channels.
- ▸Pricing transparency matters. Even 'projects typically start from £X' pre-qualifies leads and saves everyone time.
Common questions
Do I need professional photography for my portfolio?
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Professional photography is ideal but not always essential early on. A DSLR or recent iPhone with good natural light and a tripod can produce portfolio-quality images. Prioritise professional photography for your two or three best projects.
Should I offer free initial consultations?
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Many successful designers charge for consultations — it qualifies serious clients. Others offer free 30-minute discovery calls (not site visits) to assess fit. Once you have a full pipeline, start charging for all consultations.
How do I get interior design clients with no portfolio?
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Offer a significantly reduced rate for your first two or three projects in exchange for photography rights and a testimonial. Friends and family with renovation projects are the obvious starting point.