Creative communication using group boards

A project for a local couple introduced Heather to Pinterest. The husband/wife duo were struggling to communicate their design tastes, and needed a visual tool to articulate the subtle differences between things like “plaid” and “houndstooth.” Through Pinterest, they accessed a variety of photos that described what they couldn’t through words. As a result, the process ran more smoothly and avoided design concepts getting “lost in translation.”

Heather also used group boards on Pinterest to collaborate on design concepts for the top to bottom redesign of a 4K square foot home. Using the Pinterest like and comment features, her client went through Heather’s pins and clearly expressed her likes, and dislikes, even uploading and pinning her own finds to the group board. Within a matter of 3-4 days, Heather nailed down her client’s preferences, a process that usually takes weeks.

“I saved this client about $2,000 in billable hours. Doing the first bit of “shopping” online and presenting it on a board saved a lot of time. She feels that I’m really good at my job because I was able to get her style so quickly. They’re so happy with the process that they want to have me do their kitchen next!”

Driving incremental sales with Pinterest

For a long time, Heather was wary of Pinterest because she wasn’t sure the time commitment would pay off. After attending a design blogger conference in Los Angeles, she was inspired to hear about how people in the design and photography world are using Pinterest to communicate their aesthetic without having a project portfolio built up or hauling thousands of professional photos to client visits.

“Pinterest has helped to push my business into the higher-end market. I have more followers and several have requested me for projects. I signed on a new client to do a $40K bathroom remodel project from posting a board about a prior engagement. He pointed to one of my pins and said, “I want that bathroom, right now.”

Discovering new sources of design inspiration

As an interior designer, it’s important to Heather that she continues to develop her expertise and discover great design treasures. She finds that by using Pinterest, she has access to great products and designers that she normally wouldn’t be able to find on her own. She’s able to more quickly find special items from the far corners of the internet that are unique, a quality that’s very important to her most demanding clients.

“Before I had to visit 50 different sites to find great products. Now, I go to Pinterest, and find most of the things I need. I’m also discovering new furniture sources, websites, and vendors—things I would have never found on my own. I feel like I now have a volume of vendors in my little magic box.”

Building my brand on Pinterest has helped me have more confidence and authority over my image as an interior designer. When clients visit my profile, they’re able to see a lot of boards and pins that represent my style. This helps them vet me more quickly and have more confidence in my expertise.

Heather Cleveland, Founder and Interior Designer