Well good morning to you too! India Yellow will definitely greet you each morning with a bright hello.
AND, it’s a lovely colour for Fall Decorating!
A moody yellow from Farrow & Ball, India Yellow is a strong mustard colour that can still be used to create coziness in a space, especially when paired with a dark tone.
If you’re new here, welcome! Below you will see what I cover in every colour review post:
The undertone of my featured colour (if applicable)
Colour comparisons in order to easily see the different colour tones
Best white paint colours for the trim and ceilings
Beautiful colour combinations to inspire you
After watching the video, if you’d like all of the information I cover in one convenient place look no further than my Perfect Colour Palette for India Yellow.
This is a downloadable file that includes everything I talk about plus a total of 10 paint colours that combine beautifully with this colour.
A must-have for any colour enthusiast or design professional.
India Yellow Colour Review Video
Undertone: intense mustard
This rich yellow can add real depth of character to your space, depending on the lighting and what other decorative elements you pair with it in your interior decorating project.
The colour of your trim and ceilings will also affect how India Yellow appears in your space.
Is it as yellow as you first thought? The best way to find out is to compare colours.
You can see in the comparison below it’s much darker compared to Babouche, which is a much brighter shade of yellow.
I cannot stress enough how important it is to compare colours. You will get a much better sense of undertones and the true colour of paint.
Living room walls in India Yellow by Farrow & Ball
Colour Comparisons
Babouche No.223 & Cord No.16
When I do Colour Consultations in a client’s home, I will always compare colours so they too can easily see the differences.
When I hold my large paint boards up to a decorative element such as fabric, wallpaper or subway tile and then swap out one board with another board, it becomes much more clear as to which colour will work best.
Walls in India Yellow by Farrow & Ball
Best Whites To Pair With India Yellow
Slipper Satin No.2004 By Farrow & Ball
All White No.2005 By Farrow & Ball
Wimborne White No.239 By Farrow & Ball
Looking at all three options the differences become quite evident.
Starting with Slipper Satin you get almost a light greige. All White is the most white and Wimborne is a creamier off-white.
Which one you use will depend on how you want to pair your colours and other finishes in your home. And don’t forget to take into consideration your fixed elements like countertops, flooring, any tile and backsplash.
India Yellow with Oval Room Blue, Purbeck Stone & Plummett
I will say that yellow is not a colour I would normally use in a project. At least not for a wall. I’m not actually a big fan of yellow in general.
I would, however, incorporate a colour like India Yellow into accents throughout a room.
Think throw blankets or pillows, window treatments or even vases and candles.
Oval Room Blue No.85 By Farrow & Ball
Purbeck Stone No.275 By Farrow & Ball
Plummett No.272 By Farrow & Ball
This is a gorgeous palette I created and the fabric ties it all together so beautifully.
Likewise, this leaf fabric works really well with this palette. It also brings in more of the India Yellow colour to the overall look.
Hopefully, these palettes give you inspiration for how you could incorporate a colour like India Yellow into your home.
Although it’s not a colour I would typically recommend for paint I am curious if you are or have been brave enough to use such a bright and bold colour in a decorating project?
Did you know that a bathroom design can be just as intricate and complicated (if not more so) than doing a kitchen design?
It’s true! And this stunning ensuite bathroom renovation that we are currently working on for Burlington clients is no exception.
For this latest episode of What We’re Working on Wednesday, come behind the scenes with me to see the EXQUISITE black and white marble tile we are using for the floor and my thought process on carefully choosing the best grout for a tile with multiple colour tones.
Plus, you’ll see the two different options we considered for the bathroom vanity counter top, as well as a niche design where you would least expect it!
See the video below to see behind the design.
Video Transcript & Photos
We are here for another WWWOW! What we’re working on Wednesday, and we’re at my clients home in Burlington in their ensuite.
We are doing their principal bedroom and ensuite. So what are we working on specifically?
I want to show you this because there’s always a question about what grout to choose, especially when using different tiles in a bathroom, which we are here. We’re using some fabulous finishes, very high-end. We’re really excited about this!
Stunning bathroom tile in black and white marble
The client had a lot of input. She’s really good at seeing the design and understanding the design. So it’s been great to work with her in my Designer By Your Side Services.
I want to show you a couple of different things that we’ve been looking at in addition to grout, as well as a solid white and whites, as you know, if you’ve been watching any of my colour videos, are not all created equal.
I’m going to show you that here today in the countertops that we’re looking at. First, come down here with me and we’re going to look at the grout.
This is our floor tile. It’s an amazing, beautiful pattern! (Comment below if you love it too)
Black and White Marble tile
It’s a little tricky because as you can see, we’ve got veining in here and so you’ve got a little bit of gray and then a little bit of white, and then we’ve even got some black, and then even a different gray marble look there.
One of the grouts that we looked at is Avalanche which is quite popular. You can see how white this Avalanche is. I’m just going to show you because it’s just like with color where we like to compare.
This one is called Frost. These are all grouts from Mapei. Then we also have this one called Warm Gray.
Immediately we pulled out the Warm Gray as it was too gray. We really don’t want these grout lines to be noticeable.
You can see here that it is similar there, but it’s just going to stand out too much. So that one can be eliminated, which is great, we love doing the process of elimination.
This is just too bright. We want to create as little contrast as possible and don’t want the grout to stand out, so we’re going to take away that one there which is the Avalanche.
Now we’re left with Frost. That’s the one that looks good with both of these tiles, plus the wall tile which are larger slabs that are the same as this finish here.
Frost by Mapei was the winning grout colour!
Alright, there. So we’re good, that is the grout. Now we’re looking at the countertop.
The countertop that we wanted initially was from Caesarstone called Pure White, which I used for my own bathroom vanity shown below.
However, right now with all the back-orders, we need to look at other options!
The Pure White countertop has very small speckles, so we’re looking now at Vivid White by Caesarstone which is a true white and is also a lot brighter.
This quartz will be used for the vanity counter as well as the curb and the bench seat in the shower.
The entire bench seat is going to be covered in the Caesarstone. You really want to use a solid surface for this type of application.
I have done a bathroom before where we used a wood look tile which is the same as the floor. It’s a beautiful bathroom and the clients really wanted that, although it’s not really the best for a bench seat. You really want the top to be a solid slab.
Check this out. We actually put in niche in the back of the bench seat. (You’ll have to refer to the video to see what I’m talking about here!)
This is where the toilet is going to go. I’ll show you a drawing here where the toilet is in front of the window, but we didn’t have the niche in the drawing.
In the niche is where we’re going to put the toilet paper! I don’t know about you, but the one thing that drives me crazy is when the toilet roll is behind you, as it’s really awkward to reach it, right? And then you can hurt your back!
Also, there’s no wall to put a toilet roll holder in front of you either in this bathroom.
The other thing is, you know those standing toilet rolls? Ugh. We had that for a while in my bathroom and then we just decided to put in an actual toilet roll holder on the wall because those things fall over and are just annoying. So we don’t want that.
You don’t want to invest all this money on renovating your bathroom and then have something like that bug you every single time you’re in it! Am I right?!
Okay, so that is What We’re Working on Wednesday! Comment below and let me know your thoughts.
Do you like the grout we selected? Did you like the white counter tops that we chose?
Thanks so much and I’ll see you next time! Cheers.
I’m so excited to share with you a new series of videos I’ll be bringing to you periodically on Wednesdays!
On my blogs you see a lot of colour reviews, which I love doing.
But we do so much more here at Claire Jefford Inc. and I want to share with you insider secrets of our exciting interior design and decorating projects – both behind the scenes, fun after reveals and much more!
What We’re Working on Wednesday will allow me to do this in a way that I hope you will find helpful and entertaining.
Today I’m taking you behind the scenes of a recent install of a Burlington clients family room.
We still have some work to do to finalize this space, but it’s nearly done and I couldn’t be more excited to share this ‘behind the scenes’ with you.
Video Transcript & Photos
We’re here at my clients house for our first ever episode of WWWOW! What We’re Working on Wednesday!
We just revealed to my clients as much as we could of their new family room. I’m so excited about this space because if you saw it before (below) you’ll appreciate this incredible transformation.
Burlington Client’s Family Room Before
We’ve totally updated the family room and brightened it up with the new fireplace and because you see less of the dark cherry hardwood and more of the new beautiful area rug.
Let’s start off with this amazing focal point that is the fireplace. Check out the rendering shown below.
Burlington family room rendering
We decided to go with a shiplap versus any sort of tile.
My clients actually couldn’t agree on a tile that they both loved, despite me showing them some different options.
While Coastal is usually the design style where you would find a fireplace like this, we went for it here in this client’s family room and it looks amazing! At least we think so. 🙂
It’s the same color as the coffee table that we’re getting soon, White Down by Benjamin Moore.
That’s a warm white paint colour, so it really warmed up the room and works beautifully with the other decorative elements we selected for the design of this family room.
They’ve got their AV, we’ve got this mantle and it just looks fabulous.
Another shiplap fireplace design we did for clients. See the full project here.
I have to tell you about the sofa because this sofa, we found this at my Design Center. One day when I was there, I saw it was like, oh my gosh!
They were selling the floor model and I was so excited because I looked at it and I thought, this looks like the perfect size and with the beautiful tones we were looking for to use in this design.
The sectional shown here on the showroom floor of my design centre.
I just knew that we were meant to have this. My client came in straight away, she sat in it, bought it, done! So that was a really good find.
We reused our client’s coffee table as it was the perfect size for the new design and we painted it the same color as the shiplap on the fireplace, which is White Down by Benjamin Moore. That is coming soon.
We’ve also got some custom pillows that are on there way! See the fabrics here below.
If you know me, the pillows are the one thing that I really call my jumping off point and they’re just really beautiful.
Here’s a closer look!
My client really wanted a recliner so we got this customer recliner, we got to choose the fabric so it ties in beautifully with our other finishes in this family room.
Now the hubby is very excited that he can watch the baseball and the hockey games sitting here…this is his chair! It even goes back even further and what’s great is that we’ve got this curved lamp.
We’ve got to hang up this artwork, this oversized piece of artwork. This room can totally handle it as they’ve got really high ceilings.
Soon we will have the custom cabinetry installed, some lower cabinetry as well as a couple of shelves to display accessories.
For the lighting, we are going to swap out the bulbs in the sconces. These are cooler bulbs when you compare it to the lamp light which is a warmer bulb.
We want to make sure that we are using the same sort of lighting color.
My client also has some speakers that they want to put on the wall. We’ve got wire hiders so you don’t see that and our painter is going to paint it the same color as the wall which is Shaker Beige by Benjamin Moore.
Thank you for this first episode ever of of What We’re Working on Wednesday.
WWWOW! It is seriously wow, right?
Comment to let me know your feedback and I’ll see you next time. Cheers!
Our Perfect Colour Palettes help you confidently select the best colour for your home, and then see which trim, ceiling, and accent colours pair well with your selected colour
There are now 40 colours to choose from in our Perfect Colour Palette Library, 20 popular colours from Benjamin Moore, 10 of Sherwin Williams’ most popular neutrals and 10 classic colours from Farrow & Ball.
Remember, it only takes one mistake to take your home decorating project from divine to disaster. Don’t let the paint be what stresses you out!
I can’t get enough of blues and this one is a stunner.
Benjamin Moore’s Van Deusen Blue is an incredible colour that will appeal to many as it’s neither too dark nor too light. Maybe we could say, it’s just right? 🙂
In this colour review video of Van Deusen Blue by Benjamin Moore, I share:
The undertone of Van Deusen Blue (hint, it’s in the name. Haha!)
Colour comparisons in order to easily see the different colour tones
Best white paint colours for the trim and ceilings
Beautiful colour combinations to inspire you for your decorating project
I have created a Perfect Colour Palette for Van Deusen Blue. In it, you’ll find everything I talk about in my video. I also include 10 additional colours that pair beautifully with this blue.
Everything is laid out in one convenient digital download. A must-have for any colour enthusiast or design professional.
As a Certified True Colour Expert and an award-winning interior design professional, I’ve worked with many homeowners on various residential design projects.
I want to give you the confidence to make educated decisions about your own paint choices. Let’s do this!
Van Deusen Blue Colour Review Video
Undertone: deep blue
This deep blue colour may appear lighter or darker depending on the lighting and what other decorative elements you pair with it in your interior decorating project.
Looking at the colour comparisons below will help give you a better idea of how Van Deusen Blue compares to two other blues.
Colour Comparisons
Hale Blue HC-154 & Kensington Blue CC-780
Compared to one of my absolute favourites, Hale Navy, Van Deusen Blue is not nearly as deep in colour.
Nor does it have quite as strong a purple undertone as that of Kensington Blue, which I recently used in my own kitchen renovation.
I updated a Burlington client’s bathroom vanity by painting it Van Deusen Blue. Click here to see how fabulous it turned out.
A client’s vanity in Van Deusen Blue – turned out amazing!
I have recommended Hale Navy on several occasions to clients. Here it is in a client’s rustic dining room.
The designer-contractor working relationship can be a tricky one, but it doesn’t have to be.
Today’s vlog topic, the working relationship between designers and contractors, came from a question in my FREE Facebook group, Interior Design Business Strategies.
A question was asked by a designer in the group who is working with a client who has their own contractor.
The issue that has been raised is one about the ordering of materials and goods.
The contractor feels his toes are being stepped on. He has threatened to walk away if he cannot do the ordering.
It all comes down to communication and managing expectations!
Here’s my professional advice on how to deal with this type of situation.
The Designer-Contractor relationship
This relationship can be a delicate one. One that needs to be mutually respectful.
Communication is key for getting off on the right foot.
My contractors and I sat down and recorded a podcast discussing this exact thing. How should designers and contractors work together on a project?
Working Relationships – How to build a good relationship with a General Contractor
I have a great GC and cabinet maker I work with regularly. We are a team and that’s how it should be – a collaboration with similar goals.
However, I also work on projects where clients have brought in their own contractors.
If a contractor is already on the scene, I suggest setting up a time to meet with them on your own. Use this opportunity to discuss the client’s project and how you will work together.
Go through who is responsible for what, and be as specific as you can.
As a designer who is picking out say, plumbing fixtures and kitchen hardware, will you be responsible for ordering them, scheduling delivery and handling any issues that may arise?
Will the builder be ordering all building-related materials, lumber, drywall, paint, and items like flooring, countertops, and cabinetry?
If you are working with the client for Designer by Your Side services, the client may even be making some purchases on their own.
Have the conversations upfront and ensure everyone is on the same page.
This way expectations are managed for all three parties and you are less likely to experience awkward situations going forward.
Working Relationships – Designers & Contractors: From the contractor’s point of view
Because this can often be a contentious relationship my contractor, cabinet maker and I kept the conversation going.
We recorded part two of our roundtable discussion on what it’s like working with each other.
If you would like all this information in one convenient place and even more paint colour combinations to use with Mascarpone, take a look at my Mascarpone Perfect Colour Palette. A must-have for any colour enthusiast or design professional.
Mascarpone Colour Review Video
As a Certified True Colour Expert and an award-winning interior design professional, I’ve worked with many homeowners on a huge variety of residential design projects.
My goal is to give you the confidence to make educated decisions about your own paint choices.
Let’s do this!
Undertone: creamy white (soft yellow)
A slightly creamy white, Mascarpone is a great choice if you are looking for a white that’s not too crisp and bright.
Keep in mind it may look different in your space depending on the lighting and what other decorative elements you pair with it in your interior decorating project.
Where you use it and the finish of the paint will also affect how this colour looks in your home.
Colour Comparisons with Mascarpone
I cannot stress enough that you never look at a paint colour in isolation!
Comparing colours to similar shades is key to truly seeing the undertones.
Cloud White CC-40 & Ivory White CC-130
Here I compare Mascarpone to Cloud White which is often thought to be a creamy white.
But we can see when side by side with Mascarpone it’s not quite as creamy as Mascarpone.
And Ivory White which is also a creamy white looks richer and a bit deeper than Mascarpone.
Ivory White is the colour of these custom built-ins shown below that we designed for our client’s living room.
Built-Ins are Ivory White and the wall colour is Pashmina by Benjamin Moore
Oxford White is another true white and has a bluish undertone to it.
This is a wonderful white we used in a kitchen renovation.
We used it on the kitchen cabinetry in our Burlington client’s home below and paired it with Classic Gray on the walls. A great paint colour combination!
Mascarpone with Sea Haze, Beacon Hill Damask & Gray Mist
This is just one of the stunning palettes you could create using the colours in my Mascarpone Perfect Colour Palette. There are a total of 10 colours to mix and match.
I love the calming nature of this palette. Keep reading to see two different looks using this same palette.
Remember, it only takes one mistake to take your home decorating project from divine to disaster. Don’t let the paint be what stresses you out!
Work with me 1-on-1
If you are planning a kitchen update, room refresh or interior design project of any kind and want expert guidance, I can help.
‘Here & Now’ Design & Colour Consultations
I now offer 1-hour online design and colour consultations for anyone outside of my local area. With over 13 years experience of running my award-winning interior design firm and working on hundreds of projects, I can provide professional guidance for any area of your home.
Learn more about this exciting new service and book your online appointment here. I can’t wait to e-meet you and help you with your project!
When Should You Hire Staff for your Interior Design Business?
Hiring staff – a very timely vlog topic as we are presently going through this exact process here at Claire Jefford Inc.
We are on the lookout to fill an Office Manager position. We’re in the final stages and I followed the criteria I lay out here for you.
I’m breaking down this topic into two areas:
When is it time to hire?
What jobs or tasks should I be outsourcing/delegating?
Watch my video to learn if hiring staff is something you should be considering for your Interior Design or Decorating business.
Hiring Staff
How do you know when it’s time to bring someone onboard?
At what stage should your business be at before you consider hiring a staff member?
I broached the subject of staff in my last vlog on Monthly Expenses.
Paying staff is a huge monthly expense. Therefore, you need to make sure your business is at a place where you can afford it.
Tips on When It’s Time to Hire Someone
1. Consistently busy for 6-12 month period
There’s no let-up in the number of design projects you have on your calendar.
You may prefer to work on one project at a time. Other design and decorating professionals like it better when they have a few on the go.
Regardless of which way you work, if your projects are back to back to back with little or no breaks, this is a huge sign that it may be time to hire some help.
2. Working 8-12+ hours 5-7 days/week
If you are anything like me, I bet you work over 40 hours a week.
I love to work, but when I do extra hours, I prefer to be creating videos or engaging with my audience on social media!
You’re filling your days meeting with clients.
You are designing, creating floor plans, sourcing and procuring.
Your priority should be the areas that you love and are good at. If possible leave the rest to someone who works for you.
Tasks to Outsource
Speaking of the areas of your business that you absolutely love doing, let’s look at all the different jobs you do and how you feel about them.
This is a fantastic way to clearly see which duties you should continue to do and which you should outsource.
Here is my suggestion on how to figure this out.
I went through this exercise myself and it helped me identify those tasks I should spend the majority of my time on and the tasks that I should be delegating to someone else.
Categorize your tasks into 4 categories -or ‘buckets’ as I like to call them.
1. Jobs you’re great at and love doing
2. Things you’re good at and don’t mind doing
3. Things you’re pretty good at and don’t like doing
4. Tasks you are not good at and don’t like doing at all
Make a list of all the tasks you do for your business
A calming light beige, Benjamin Moore’s Muslin is not quite off-white.
It’s a lovely soft neutral and will look amazing in a huge variety of spaces.
In this colour review video of Muslin by Benjamin Moore, I share:
The undertone of my featured colour
Colour comparisons in order to easily see the different colour tones
Best white paint colours for the trim and ceilings
Beautiful colour combinations to inspire you for your decorating project
When you’re finished watching the video and you’d like all of this information at your fingertips look no further than my Muslin Perfect Colour Palette.
In this digital download, you’ll find even more paint colour combinations to use with Muslin.
Great inspiration for putting together a gorgeous colour scheme for a decorating or design project.
Benjamin Moore – Muslin Colour Review
As a Certified True Colour Expert and an award-winning interior design professional, I’ve worked with many homeowners on various residential design projects.
I want to give you the confidence to make educated decisions about your own paint choices. Let’s do this!
Undertone: pink
Beiges may come and go but they never seem to go far.
Muslin is a classic neutral and the slight pink undertone gives it a little more depth than a true off-white.
Muslin may look different in your space depending on the lighting and what other decorative elements you pair with it in your interior decorating project.
To see the undertone more clearly let’s see the comparisons.
Colour Comparisons
Natual Linen CC-90 & Brandy Cream CC-60
Muslin’s pink undertone is more evident when you compare it with similar shades.
Natural linen leans slightly more green and Brandy Cream pink when you see all three of these colours together.
Best Whites To Pair With Muslin
Cloud White CC-40 By Benjamin Moore
Cloud White is a nice creamy white to use on trim and ceilings.
White Dove OC-17 By Benjamin Moore
I love White Dove and definitely would recommend it as one of the top whites to pair with Muslin.
It’s slightly softer than Cloud White but still not overly bright.
White Dove is hugely popular and was one of my first colour reviews.
This one is the brightest of the three whites here. It would look fantastic if you have decor elements that are crisper in colour as opposed to creamy or muted.
The differences in the three whites are made more clear from the comparison below.
If you are a regular to my colour reviews you will know I tend to recommend from a group of about 10 white paint colours.
You can also check out my Wickham Gray Perfect Colour Palette to see 10 more beautiful colours from Benjamin Moore that pair wonderfully with this gentle gray.
Van Deusen Blue HC-156 By Benjamin Moore
Van Deusen Blue is one of my favourites from Benjamin Moore. That and Hale Navy are standouts for sure.
Hale Navy has been a popular blue for some time and one I have used with great results.
See how beautiful looks in this clients’ home, paired with White Dove on the ceiling and trim.
Ranchwood CC-500 By Benjamin Moore
And finally, we finish with Ranchwood. A rich taupe colour that brings the right amount of contrast with Muslin.
Benjamin Moore – Muslin: Colour Palette Inspiration
Often I find my inspiration for a decorating project from fabrics, area rugs or even pieces of art sometimes.
Look how great this palette looks with the fabric below.
The idea here is to build your decor, furnishing and paint around this complete look.
It does not mean you need to use all four of these paint colours throughout your room.
Imagine a beautiful deep blue sofa paired with some gorgeous pillows in the fabric shown!
Walls painted Muslin, ceilings and trim White Dove and some accents in Wickham Gray and Ranchwood.
How stunning would that room look?!!
Here’s another look that’s a little more playful and fun.
The deep blues in the leopard-style fabric offer another incredible look with these four colours.
If you want to get all my Benjamin Moore colour guides in one place, look no further than my Benjamin Moore Ultimate Collection. All 20 of my guides in one handy collection.
We may not love them but they are certainly a part of our everyday Interior Design business.
Yes, I am talking about Monthly Expenses.
For those who may be fairly new to this profession, I am going to help you get a handle on what your costs will be per month.
If you are a seasoned design professional, think of this as a recap and find out what and where I am spending running Claire Jefford Inc.
In today’s video, I break down monthly expenditures into three simple categories – LOW, MEDIUM and HIGH.
However, I won’t be speaking to start-up costs.
These are different and include things like a business license, business cards, your laptop and printer, software you purchase outright, and the initial building of your website if you pay a web design company to do it.
For many Designers and Decorators who start their own business, they will rack up a combination of expenses in the three categories I mention.
Please note, this is a comprehensive list of items you will need to consider as your business grows. But there may be other costs that I don’t discuss here.
If there are other expenses that you wish to add that I don’t include, please comment on this post to share with us!
Let’s get to the video and see where all that money is going!
(Please note, my expenses are in Canadian dollars.)
Your Interior Design Business Monthly Expenses
At the low end of monthly costs are where we find our everyday expenses.
The majority of us will have these, if not all of us. We couldn’t run our business without spending money on these necessities.
Remember every expense I talk about is dependent on various factors, so there will be a monetary range in which each one falls.
For example, the laptop in your start-up costs. You may not need one and be able to manage initially with only a phone or tablet. While others may want to run robust architectural software.
This will require a much more substantial device, bringing the price way up. See what I mean by dependent factors affecting cost?
Basic Expenses
1. Insurance Fees
As business owners, we must have insurance to cover our business in the case of loss or damage. I recommend you speak with a broker to make sure you have the appropriate insurance for how you want to run your business.
Currently, I pay approximately $200/month for insurance in my business.
Estimated costs: $200/month
2. Phone
Where would any of us be without our cell phones? They are important in normal day-to-day life. And certainly, they are essential if not compulsory for running a business.
There is a range to which a phone will cost you monthly.
Do you get the newest top-of-the-line phone each time one appears on the market?
Do you use a lot of data?
These will affect the price you pay each month.
My monthly phone plan is costing me around $130/month.
Estimated costs: $75-200/month
3. Bank and credit card fees
These can’t be avoided, as much as we don’t like to pay them!
I budget for $20 a month based on my current yearly credit card fee and monthly bank fees.
Again, this fee could be less or more depending on the type of credit card you have and where you bank.
Estimated costs: $20/month
4. Email Marketing Software
These days most software is paid for on a monthly basis. If not, it can be broken down to calculate approximately what it is costing you each month.
Here’s a tip: paying yearly for software and other items that offer you different payment plans, is usually the cheaper way to go.
I believe an automated email marketing tool falls under the Basic Expense category.
This is huge for your business and something you should consider getting if you don’t already use one. There are so many to choose from these days, it can definitely be overwhelming to decide which one is best for you.
Here’s a great article on what an email automation tool is and how it can help your business.
My monthly subscription to Active Campaign costs me around $275/month but they have plans starting from $15.
Estimated costs: free to $300 and up
5. Website Maintenance
Similar to the automated email software, I strongly believe every design and decorating business needs to have a website. No exceptions on this one!
The creation of the website, if outsourced, is part of the start-up costs. The ongoing monthly fees are expenses.
Some website builders offer a free option. Beware though, most often these do not link to a unique domain name.
Website builders, like Wix and Weebly, where you do it yourself, range from $5 to around $20 for their personal or basic plans.
My website was built on WordPress and contains shop pages where I sell helpful coaching and colour products. This often involves videos and courses in the backend. And all of that means I need support.
I pay roughly $250 a month for the ongoing work my web team provides me. This does not include additional requests which often arise, nor my monthly meeting with my web designer to review my analytics.
Estimated costs: $5 – $500+
6. Office Supplies
These can add up and include everything from post-it notes and printer ink to paper clips and pens. I estimate $100-200 / month for these types of items if you are a solopreneur who works from a small home office studio.
Adding up all the basic monthly expenses you are looking at a minimum of just over $400, but I suggest you budget for around $700 to be on the safe side.
Advanced expenses
If we start adding a few of the more advanced expenses the total monthly spend increases significantly.
7. Accounting software
Quickbooks is fantastic accounting software for small businesses and it’s what I use.
It keeps my financials super organized and makes it way easier for my accountant (who’s listed as a Premium expense – will get to that in a bit).
Quickbooks sets me back $45/month.
Estimated costs: $10 – $60/month
8. Video Communications Software
Now more than ever we are conducting business through video meetings.
I have been using zoom for my 1-on-1 coaching calls for years and my usage of this app has only increased through the pandemic.
I pay $20/month for their basic plan.
Estimated costs: Free – $60/month
9. Digital graphics program
It seems the software we can use these days is never-ending.
We create a lot of graphics for our website and various social media apps and platforms.
We have found Canva to be incredibly user-friendly and produces superb graphics. The monthly price is unbeatable and totally worth the value at just $10.
Estimated costs: Free – $70/month
10. Online schedulers
It costs money to stay organized! An online appointment scheduler is a great addition to your software family to help you do this.
Calendly is our product of choice. We can get design or coaching clients to schedule appointments, consultations or coaching sessions directly through this app.
We pay $8/month for Calendly. Do your homework to decide which scheduling app is best for you and your business.
Estimated costs: Free – $12/month
11. Project management programs
This is one area where there is software specific to our industry.
Mydoma is what we use to keep our design projects organized.
It allows us to upload all images and documents related to a client project.
Team members, clients and trades can all be given access to view and add more items if required.
There are several price points of the different packages depending on the needs of your business.
If you want to try out Mydoma, as a brand ambassador, I invite you to get a promotional offer when you use my affiliate link here.
Other similar interior design project management programs exist, so do your due diligence to learn more about each one before you make a commitment and the monthly/yearly investment.
Estimated costs: $40 – $1000/month
12. Team collaboration and productivity suite
I have used G-Suite (now called Google Workspace) from the beginning.
It has grown with me and I don’t know where I’d be without it.
I pay approx. $23/user a month and it’s one of my most used pieces of technology.
These office suites typically charge per user so keep that in mind.
Estimated costs: $2-$35/user/month
13. Social media management
These types of apps ideally help you keep on top of posting to your different social media platforms. There are so many, I know, I know!
Tailwind is one we use that’s linked to Pinterest and costs $10/month.
Facebook Creator Studio helps us schedule our posts on both Instagram and Facebook and it’s absolutely free.
There are others of course like Hootsuite, Sprout Social and many more that you can research.
It took us a while to get into a groove of figuring out what works best for our needs. So, take your time and choose the one most suited to your business.
Do you belong to any local or national associations?
Or are you a member of any organizations such as NKBA that charge membership fees or yearly subscriptions?
These will need to be incorporated into your monthly expense calculations as well.
15. Bookkeeper
For me, this is a must!
The size of your business and the level of service / support you need will be factors in determining what you will pay.
My monthly bookkeeping fees are $200/month.
Estimasted costs: $150 – $500/month
You add in all or even some of these advanced expenses and you are increasing your monthly expenditure by a minimum of $200/month, but I would suggest budgeting at the mid range point of around $500.
It’s important to remember that it’s not likely you will opt for the free version of all of these items. Maybe none of them. This will potentially increase your monthly costs by a decent amount.
Premium Expenses
These premium expenses may not come until your business is well developed, depending on how much you want to scale your business over time.
They all need to be considered though when tallying up what you could potentially pay each month.
If you are thinking about adding one of these premium expenses to your business operations you need to make sure it’s doable.
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