How to obtain a design brief for a joinery heavy project?

Designer Tips

A Step by Step Guide

The key to obtaining a client brief is listening and asking questions with open-ended thought prompts that the client might have yet to consider. 

Did I say listen?

I dropped it there just one more time, so it sticks! 

In some ways, it can be more accessible when a client is renovating, so you can physically stand in the current property and discuss what is and isn’t working with the client. 

However, in this article, we will cover both scenarios. 

Here are some guide questions on the things you might ask in the initial consultation:

1. Why are they moving; bigger house, smaller house, lack of space, inadequate flow, small kitchen, no storage, too much storage.
2. Do they have children? 
3. If so, what age are the children (little vs teenagers)?
4. Do they have pets?
5. How often do they entertain/how often?
6. Are they sporty (understanding if they need to store equipment)?
7. Do they work from home?
8. Is the laundry big enough for a young family? 
9. Preference for stacked washer/dryer vs under bench.
10. Is there ample wardrobe space in each bedroom? This is important as some clients might have extensive wardrobes, which is a driving factor for moving.
11. Storage considerations for linen, general household items such as christmas decorations, sports kits, and board games.
12. I always want to know things that bother me – the location of the vacuum and mop.
13. Do they need a dump zone (school bags, keys, dog walking equipment? 
14. How tall are they? 
15. I ask this because I am virtually challenged (5ft 4), so whenever I design for myself, I always ensure I can reach the upper units in a kitchen!
16. Taller clients have different challenges, like hitting their heads on the upper units. 

Walking around the property and getting into the crux of their problems is where the magic can happen!

This helps jog their memory as you tease out their areas of concern.

Pain points are generally along the lines of:

1. We love to cook but have no prep space.
2. We have multiple kitchen appliances, and they are all over the bench, and now we have no space.
3. My wardrobe is too small.
4. The kid’s crap is everywhere (no storage in living areas).
5. The laundry is not functional.
6. No storage in bathrooms.
7. Vanity too small – no bench space.
8. We love to entertain, and we want a home bar.
9. If they have a pool, do they have storage for towels close by?
10. Working from home – is now a real thing that might mean the current WFH situation needs improvement. 

Remember, with new joinery, regardless of whether this is a new build or renovation, you can fully customise the joinery to suit their needs. 

Here are some prompts to discuss as you walk around the property

Measuring how much storage each person currently has is a great starting place.

You can do this by; Measuring their current meterage:

Karen has 2 stacked rows of 1/2 hanging at 1200mm each.

2 x 1200mm = 2400mm of half hanging, 1 x 600mm full hanging, no shoe storage.

You can then input this into her new wardobe to show how much extra storage space she will gain.

Home Office

Would you like:

• How many people.
• Storage requirements (locked drawers).
• Printer.
• Stationery
• Bank of drawers.
• Desk only.
• Upper storage units.
• Pinboard (I love these as a creative but also for household admin with bills, planners, kids’ art, etc.)

Living/Dining/Home Bar:

Would you like:

• Fireplace.
• Media unit (gaming consoles).
• Board games – kids’ toys storage.
• Overflow kitchen serving dishes (platters).
• General household – wrapping paper, napkins, etc.
• Bar unit – wet bar / dry bar, additional fridge, glasses.

Was that an information overload? Eeeeek! As you can see, joinery is the project’s heavy lifter. Custom joinery can enhance how people use and engage with a space, so function and form are vital.

I could talk about this all day; I hope this helped give you some prompts to obtain your next joinery brief!