I haven't ever had to but I can see where there might be a reason to..we have had contractors that were really incompetant..and jerks..and I had to fire a contractor one time, he was just no good..i'm too soft hearted i guess.

I'm not a design pro but I was fired by our KD -- it was a blessing for us, that's for sure! But it was also the right thing for her to sever the relationship (we were about to anyway -- she beat us to it). She was someone who wanted and needed complete control over a project (although she sells herself as an independent KD), and for someone like me, who loves researching and had my own vision for our kitchen, I can see how it could be esp. trying.

I guess at the end of the day and trying to be as objective as possible (which can be hard), our relationship was a bad fit. She prefers to work with carte blanche, kind of give her the money and let her hire everyone and make the decisions. I can see how wonderful that would be for some people. We were nearly the antithesis of her ideal clients, however, in that we knew what we wanted (and wanted to spend) and were going to oversee the project ourselves, but we needed help laying out the cabinet design.

If you do need to fire clients, be sure to keep it professional and not personal, and also be prepared for it to become ugly really fast. Our KD swore at me in front of my infant and toddler (not that they hadn't already heard that kind of language from me ...), and made other ugly personal accusations because she was coming from a hurt, angry place (that is to say: Not Professional!). If she'd been matter-of-fact about it, saying "clearly we're going in different directions here so before we all become too invested either with time or money, let's go our separate ways" then I might've seriously considered recommending her to other folks who need the hand-holding or who didn't want to be part of their kitchen remodel -- she'd have been ideal for them.

But since she was so ugly, unprofessional and inappropriate she'll never get a referral from me and whenever I've heard someone say they're thinking of contacting her I tell them our experience. I don't do it to be vengeful, but just so they know what they might be getting into to. It really has turned out to be her loss.

Actually what I was getting at is, as a designer or contractor, have You ever severed a relationship with the client first(before the project was finished) because the client was so difficult or because you didnt like the way a project was heading.

I've fired one. I did their huge great room for them, which was basically having the furniture reupholstered, designing beautiful throw pillows that tied the different pieces together, rehanging their extensive collection of original artwork, having leather pieces restained, that were old and very sun-faded but basically very good pieces; moving around one-of-a-kind lamps and bringing in several sculptures from their large collection elsewhere in the house. They loved the room and asked me to do their MBR suite next.

That job was the nightmare! They requested an elegant, Japanese spa-like suite done in "relaxing neutral colors". I should have known this was coming because their previous furniture in the great room was upholstered in bright, solid blue polyester, despite the fact that they had three profusely shedding cats and a housekeeper that never got around to vacuuming the furniture . . . and these were multi-millionaires who are very well-known in the state! Unfortunately, they had a myriad of original, hand-carved, rustic, Western, pine furniture with a very yellow cast to it in their MBR, all of which the husband insisted needed to stay. They had hand-troweled, cream colored plaster walls that had a VERY pink cast . . . that they also insisted had to stay that color. The wife, on impulse, bought a lovely, expensive sage green velvet chaise that they wanted to keep in the room. . . although they "hated" green and it was constantly covered in mounds of cat hair. They insisted that they did not want it recovered, too. They had a massive stone fireplace in height, weight and length . . . that had a miniscule 6" deep, stone mantel that they also wanted to keep 6" deep . . . along with about a dozen 2"-5" Asian figurines that the husband insisted needed to be kept lined up on the massive mantel like microscopic ducks in a row . . . with nothing hung above them. It looked ridiculous! They wanted washable, comfortable bedding done in a minimalistic, spa-like look. Very doable, except the wife said yes to everything . . . until I had it delivered, and then she hated every one of her choices . . . again and again. They had floor to ceiling windows with great views out onto a private patio, but insisted they keep the large, bright blue, garishly designed ceramic pots out there. I won't even go into the hideous yellow pine desk filled with a huge amount of unrelated, messy-but loved things that also need to stay as is.

After trying out several sets of bedding, all of which were rejected. After them rejecting a gorgeous, very large, antique Japanese decorative plate for the mantel that would have stood up wonderfully to the massiveness of the fireplace, as well as bringing in the Japanese spa look they wanted . . .in favor of the dozen 2-5" Asian ceramic pieces they wanted to keep there instead (my idea was to mass the pieces together in an Asian shadow box that was hung on a wall and lit from above like a painting). After rejecting either moving the yellowish rustic, Western, pine pieces to the guest room to bring in simpler Japanese furiture or replastering the walls a non-pink wall color . . . I fired them. I could have brought in all the things they wanted to make the room fit their ideal, making a good amount of money, but it would have honestly looked terrible to everyone but them.
As they entertain many very well-known state and national politicos on a regular basis, I just could NOT afford to have my name and reputation associated with such a badly designed room.

Follow-up to the nightmare MBR fiasco, the wife found "the perfect solution": she made a duvet cover out of two brown sheets and they love their newly "done" MBR. I'm happy for them . . . and that my name is NOT associated with that room! Sometimes you just have to politely walk away from clients like that. They deserve to be able to live in a house that makes THEM happy. Unfortunately, I couldn't afford to have them tell everyone that I'd designed the room.
How long did it take me to fire them? About three weeks into the project. Too long, but they're good people with horribly bad taste and enough money to not care. More power to them!
Lynn

Lynne, your story reminds me of the decorator's prayer which goes something like "Lord, please don't send me clients who have lots of money and no taste or clients with great taste but no money". Judging by your experience, the latter might actually be preferable. Since you seem to be a woman of great taste I shudder to think of what you had to endure. What a wise decision to separate yourself from this decorating nightmare once you understood the chasm that separated you from your clients.

In my case, there have been some things that the contractor did not follow in the drawings and the client either did not follow up with the contractor, or countermanded our instructions that the contractor correct the issue.

Most of them were minor design details that most people would not really notice, but there is one detail that has been executed in such a bad way that if they don't fix it, I don't want my name associated with the entire project.

lynn....that was a very entertaining story! There aren't many design pros on this forum, 99% DIYers so there may not be that many responses to OPs question but I hope they keep coming because this is fun reading! ;-)

Interior design can be tricky...although everything one touches is designed by someone, I think that people are sometimes embarrassed that they can't do it themselves. ( I don't know why, most people don't build or service their own cars, for example).

So, sometimes clients don't understand when I can't let something go when they are perfectly willing to ("after all its our house"). But its an example of my Work...would a hair stylist advertise a haircut they knew was bad? Would a gardener show off a plant they killed? Is an investor proud of losing someone's money?

Yup.
Not nearly as often as I would have liked to, however! Usually there is something that doesn't go as you'd like it to, and so you flex, and solve the problems, and pretend to be unruffled by it all, and then go home and mix a nice big fat martini...
I have fired three, however.

The first, for whom I was doing a master bedroom and sitting room, I fired because she and her husband fought over everything. First they argued strenuously, in front of me, over what furniture to keep and what to replace, turned to me demanding that I settle it, and apologized when I said, calmly and sweetly, that I thought we ought to take it up again tomorrow. A week later, they had a huge dust-up over paint color, and fired my painter without speaking to me. When they started barking at each other over the budget, and refused to pay the 50% I require up front for major furniture orders, I packed up my samples and told them that I really thought they were not ready to take on the project, and that I was booked solid for the rest of the year, and that perhaps they should make other arrangements. Thankfully, they paid the final bill. I expect they were too embarrassed to call me again. They are no longer married to each other, I should add.

The second I fired after she gave me the go-ahead on a basement family room, and then "surprised" me by buying things that were "similar, and I got such a great price!" effectively cutting me out of the profit I make on the job when I work on a labor-and-materials-plus basis. After several of these little surprises (which were also affecting the look of the whole business, and not in a good way!), I proposed that she pay a design fee for the drawings and materials lists and proceed on her own, at which point she looked at me, bewildered, and said, "But you didn't say anything about a design fee!" I told her I would really love to give my design work away for free, but that unfortunately it's the only thing I have to sell... Finally, after I billed her, and billed her, and added 5% to the third one, she paid.

The fourth I fired because she dithered and dithered and said yes, and then called and said no, wait, and because she couldn't seem to find her checkbook, and then when she did make a choice, wanted it done in twenty minutes. When one of her dogs stained a pale rug she chose over my objections, she wanted it cleaned or replaced at my expense. I politely declined. Then she did me the huge favor of bouncing a large check, thereby giving me the excuse I needed.

But except for those rather wacky and unpleasant people, solving the inevitable problems that arise was often a big part of the satisfaction of the work, and helped forge the relationships that make a practice succeed. I still count many of my old clients among my friends.

I don't usually post on threads like this, as I come to GW because I enjoy reading about decorating ideas, problems and solutions and seeing the Before & After pics. It's not "work"; it's enjoyable downtime time for me.
Sometimes there are ideas I can offer, but when there are already a dozen or so responses with many great ideas, I usually refrain from posting. It takes me a good while to craft a response that I think would work well for that individual, but often I just don't have that kind of time.
There may not be many design pros on this board (that post here, although I do believe that there are many who lurk here), but there are a lot of GW's with great design talent and ideas. This forum is a wonderful place for exchanging design ideas and getting advice.
Lynn

"The second I fired after she gave me the go-ahead on a basement family room, and then "surprised" me by buying things that were "similar, and I got such a great price!" effectively cutting me out of the profit I make on the job when I work on a labor-and-materials-plus basis. After several of these little surprises (which were also affecting the look of the whole business, and not in a good way!), I proposed that she pay a design fee for the drawings and materials lists and proceed on her own, at which point she looked at me, bewildered, and said, "But you didn't say anything about a design fee!" I told her I would really love to give my design work away for free, but that unfortunately it's the only thing I have to sell... Finally, after I billed her, and billed her, and added 5% to the third one, she paid."

This is a very interesting perspective from the other side, so to speak. I know on this forum I read a recent account of a very similar situation but written from the homeowner's POV.

I have to confess I have more sympathy for the decorator in this situation than for the client!

Thanks for sharing, Bronwynsmom.

Ann

I work in two Very different fields, and part of what I do in each is consultation. And, in both, I have had people say, after I have done an examination (or consultation) and set forth my opinion/plan/referral...I have had people question having to pay me because I didnt "do" anything.

(The understanding of this often depends upon what the patient,(or client) do for a living themselves. Some people do not understand brainwork or intellect as a skill.

I once did a design consult with someone and ended up doing too much talking...I was paid for the consult and never heard anything back. About 18 months later, the client called me back to design something very specific. When I went to the house, the client had remodeled the bathroom in a rough approximation of what I had talked about in the consult with no permits, no plans, nothing. Just point and build. So of course, not all of it really worked because the fixtures were too big, the door wasnt exactly in the right place etc.

So I was there to problem solve a job that I never got the chance to design in the first place. He did it himself (mediocre-ly) with my $75 consult. And he felt absolutely no embarrassment in showing it to me, as if that is how I actually worked....I would have to design 1000 bathrooms a year that way to make a living. When I told him the way to solve it was to tear down one entire wall and rebuild it, he never called me back.

I have a friend who did a full out fabric and furniture selection for a woman who "wanted to keep everything for a day or two to go over it with her husband". After two days she returned the stuff and said "Thanks" Then she got on a plane, went to North Carolina with the copies she made of everything and decorated the house herself.
The interior designer earned $0.00

"I have a friend who did a full out fabric and furniture selection for a woman who "wanted to keep everything for a day or two to go over it with her husband". After two days she returned the stuff and said "Thanks" Then she got on a plane, went to North Carolina with the copies she made of everything and decorated the house herself.
The interior designer earned $0.00".

This is how I feel about those who spend so much of a bricks and mortar furniture salesperson's time, samples, etc. and then turn around an order online, without giving them a chance for the business.

Ducking now. :)

Parma: no need to duck from me. If I buy it online, I Shop for it online. If I shop for it in the store, I buy it in the store. Many furniture places seem to offer to meet online pricing anyway...I guess they need to to survive.

Parma, I feel the same way.