How Rita Konig Gets Clients to Take Risks

It has been a career-defining few years for Rita Konig. First there was the British interior designer and author’s Create Academy course, which was expanded for a second installment last year following popular demand. Then her product portfolio grew, with a fabric and wallpaper line for Schumacher and furniture for Oficina Inglesa. (Her fan-favorite styles for The Lacquer Company just got a refresh, too.) And then there were the accolades—namely back-to-back AD100 honors and being named House & Garden’s 2024 Interior Designer of the Year. But her success shows no signs of slowing: This year, Konig is set to open her first stateside office in Palm Beach, keeping her team of eight busy with residential and commercial projects across the globe.

I recently caught up with the industry leader to discuss her process, namely from a client experience standpoint. As she expands her team and physical footprint, what studio standards is she setting? Read on for Konig’s trusted vetting process, as well as her tips for curbing client fatigue and encouraging design risk-taking.

—Mel Studach, Senior Editor, AD PRO

Client Relations

Mel Studach: What is your client vetting process?

Rita Konig: That first meeting is always a bit like a first date to see if you like each other. It’s also to see if you know that you are both a good fit design-wise because very often when people are looking for a designer, they don't necessarily know their taste clearly. I look for the basics: Do we get along? Are you willing to spend years together over a project timeline? That's basically what it comes down to: You are spending years together, and there's a discipline and shared values—or at least an understanding of your client’s values—that one has to have. Start to understand what those are, how the clients live, and if you're going to be able to deliver. It's a bit like a detective game in the beginning, trying to extract all this information. If you just come out and ask questions or send a questionnaire, that feels like a chore. It should be a gentle extraction of information that's much easier, I think, for people to reveal just in a chat.

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