Carte Blanche Clients
"Carte blanche sounds like a designer’s dream, until you're debating between four perfect wallpapers and can’t blame anyone but yourself."
Early in my career, like most designers, I dreamed of the day a client would hand me the keys and say, “Do your thing.” No Pinterest boards, no 500 mood images, no husbands vetoing every wallpaper or rug I pulled. Just pure, unfiltered creative freedom. Fast forward several years, many luxury homes and jaw-dropping penthouse condos later, let me tell you, having carte blanche is glorious... until it isn’t.
Don’t get me wrong, the positives are dreamy. With full creative control I get to design without handcuffs. I can layer in my glam details without worrying about whether someone’s third cousin might think the wallpaper is “too much.” I can source from the artisans I love, pick finishes that are bold and beautiful and create spaces that sing with personality. I may even get the chance to choose a lighting fixture that seems like it’s twice the budget of the entire kitchen. There’s something deeply energizing about seeing a vision go from sketchpad to stunning, just as you imagined it, without a committee dissecting it along the way.
Even more thrilling is the trust behind carte blanche. When a client says, “I trust you, do your thing,” it’s like getting a designer’s honorary doctorate. It’s an affirmation that your years in the trenches, the agency work, the multi-family developments, the renovations, the affordable homes, the all-nighters over tile samples and the never ending Autocad edits have culminated into someone believing you are the expert. It’s both exhilarating and humbling.
But here’s the part they don’t tell you, too much freedom can be paralyzing. Without the natural boundaries of a client’s tastes, budget restrictions or existing furniture to work around, the possibilities are endless. And endless possibilities can lead to... decision fatigue. Do I lean harder into a vibrant, jewel-toned glam palette? Or should I juxtapose it with minimalist modernity to showcase restraint? Should the powder room be a disco-ball moment, or an understated jewel box? The lack of rails to bump against can make a designer second-guess their gut and trust me, your gut is your North Star in projects like this. Even then, you also end up with four favorite wallpapers for the living room and four different sets of lighting fixtures to match and just can’t commit to which of four favorites to choose! Your self-inflicted challenges of having free rein, a real first world problem!
There’s also the inevitable, slightly ironic twist, even when given free rein, clients often develop very strong opinions the moment things start coming together. Suddenly, the gold-veined marble they “didn’t care about” becomes a passionate debate over slab selections. The pink velvet sofa you chose? Now a subject of group texts with five family members. It's like giving a kid an entire candy store and watching them panic when it's time to pick just one thing.
Still, at the end of the day, I would take the joys and the brief moments of internal chaos of carte blanche over a micromanaged project any day. It stretches me and forces me to trust my skills and my instincts, honed over twenty years of colorful, modern, glam spaces. It reminds me why I started this wild, creative career in the first place, to design beautiful, joyful places that feel alive. You send what would seem like a big budget email approval and then get a text minutes later… “Approved, go ahead, we love it.”
And if all else fails, I remind myself of the worst case scenario, you can always design an entire penthouse inspired by one fabulous art piece. (It’s been done before... and it was glorious.) In the end, more times than not, these clients have the utmost gratitude and are so extremely gracious the moment their new space is unveiled.
Continue to work hard and do what you love and you’ll be rewarded.