Greg Stopher  |  When I meet with a client, they often state that they’re not sure what they want for finishes, styles or colors. Some clients downplay their ability to know their style, but I say your style is your own and only you know what you like. Cabinet, tile and countertop samples are often too small for people to see what they want in a space when making decisions for a kitchen or bath, for example. Tile selections are often stuck to a board, countertop samples are just a few square inches and cabinet samples, while often larger are still difficult to envision in a completed space. As a contractor, we want you to be happy with the space we create for you and we want you to get what you expect.

I’ve found that using technology to brainstorm ideas is a great way for us to both get on the same page. There are quite a few tools and apps available nowadays that can be helpful in deciding on finishes and styles. In fact the options are overwhelming.  For now, I’ve been sticking to a couple that are simpler to use and available to most everyone, Pinterest and Houzz. There are several reasons I’ve settled on these two applications or websites (as both are available). One is access to both of them is easier than other software as they are both available as apps for your phone and easily accessible on the web. They both offer the ability to collaborate with a client. I can create a board of what I think the client may have in mind and the client can add or delete photos of projects that are more in line with what they envisioned.

In case you haven’t used them, here is a quick synopsis of how they work. On Pinterest, you can “pin” project photos from around the web to a board that you can name, let’s call this one “Dream Kitchen.” You can pin images from within Pinterest using the search function or you can pin from any website that has images you’d like to share with your builder. On Houzz it’s much the same but you can only save projects from within Houzz, but believe me there are enough projects within Houzz to give you and your builder an idea of what you want. When you pin or add to a Houzz Board you can comment on what you like in the photo. If you pin to your “Dream Kitchen” board, you can say “sink” or “backsplash” or whatever it is you are drawn to in a space.

It works really well for us to not have to meet face-to-face to discuss each concept and keeps the project moving forward despite busy schedules on both sides. For a house I recently built in downtown Juneau, the client had two small children and lived on Star Hill. Let’s just say meeting times were varied and it was difficult to haul samples to their home on too regular a basis, let alone find the time to meet too regularly with nap schedules and work schedules as she also worked from home. But we made it work using Pinterest and Houzz for concepts and ideas before we looked at final samples in person, it helped us to have a better idea of what to expect from each other and decisions were made much easier. Many of the finishes for the entire home were selected this way. It was also good to see the home come together on Pinterest. From lighting to tile, to house numbers to mirrors and everything in between, Pinterest was a helpful tool to get the house completed in a way that incorporated our homeowner’s sense of style while also being functional for their busy family.

I’ve been working on a bathroom with a client and she works nights so meeting in person has been a challenge. She told me, “I don’t know what I want, I’m not good at designing things.” I hear this a lot so I guided the conversation to determine what works and what doesn’t work in the bathroom, we made some decisions based on these needs and moved onto style. I told her I’d send her a link to a board on Pinterest. And it turns out she knew EXACTLY what she wanted. When we met again, I had removed all of the photos she hadn’t “liked” on the page and her bathroom design came alive. She wanted something blue and calm and beautiful and a little bit glamorous, she just didn’t know it until she saw it.