Creating stunning in-real-life spaces may be second nature to you. But have you ever wondered why branding your interior design or homewares business doesn’t feel quite as effortless?

The reality is, interior design and brand design are two distinct crafts – each with their own complexity. Just as you layer textures, colours, and materials to create a cohesive space, professional branding weaves together market research, consumer psychology, business strategy, emotional connection, and consistency across every touchpoint.

It’s a lot to master while running your design practice or home shop. And in this visually-driven industry, it’s easy to develop blind spots that could be holding you back from attracting aligned clients or charging what you’re truly worth.

That’s why we’ve created this guide. We’re not just highlighting common branding setbacks in the interior design industry. We’re sharing favourite solutions – gentle nudges – to help you position your business confidently in an increasingly crowded market.

01 – Link in Bio Tools as a Long-term Strategy

When you’re in the early stages of business, you’re excited to get a webpage up to share quick links – even if it means using a platform like Linktree, Squarespace’s Bio Sites, or your ShopMy or LTK profile. 

But relying on any of the above for something other than a temporary solution is like building a house without a foundation. It’s shaky ground. Social sharing apps naturally evolve – their algorithms shift, features update, and services occasionally experience downtime. Not to mention, you’re missing more opportunities to 1) get found organically through Google searches, and 2) share more with your readers while you have their attention – like your process, values, and detailed project galleries. All that to say, your business deserves a stable, strategic base that works for you, 24/7. 

The Solution: 

Prioritize creating a dedicated landing page hosted on your own domain. 

Yes, even if it’s essentially just an Instagram links page. It’s a quick fix to expand your SEO efforts and keep the traffic on your site. As your brand evolves, you can work to build a more comprehensive brand presence with website template customization and SEO copywriting. 

The Inspiration: 

Karla of Karla Home Style. She transformed her Instagram-only presence into a multi-channel experience with an on-brand Links page. 

02 – Identity Inconsistencies & Misalignment

Running an interior design or homewares business pulls you in many directions. And with time pressure to produce content quickly, it’s very easy for brand consistency to slide down the priority list. Especially without a style guide to lead the way. 

Think of it like designing a home. You’d never choose finishes and furnishings for each room in isolation, without considering how they flow together. Yet in branding, this disconnect happens more often than you might think. Like opting for “close enough” colours. Shape-shifting your business description across platforms (sometimes you’re a studio, other times a firm). Or writing subtle variations to your brand name – “Taylor Design” here, “Taylor Designs” there. 

Also, while personal branding is rightfully having its moment, it still requires a ton of thought. Yes, your personal preferences matter. But they should be thoughtfully filtered through the lens of what will resonate with your ideal clients or customers. The goal isn’t to chase trends or dim your creative light; it’s to create a visual strategy that naturally draws in and connects with your target audience.

The Solutions:

• Use design tools like Canva Pro or Adobe Creative Suite to your advantage to maintain font & colour consistency. 
• Create templates for social media posts, proposals, and client presentations, so everything has a cohesive look and feel. 
• Work with a brand designer on establishing a true-to-you identity. You’ll walk away with a style guide that gives you all the information you’ll need for staying on brand, including:
  • Primary and secondary colour palettes with exact codes
  • Font hierarchy for headlines and body text
  • Logo usage guidelines and variations

The Inspiration:

Meghan of Meghan Jay Design. She’s done a really nice job of expanding her brand across other platforms – from Instagram posts to enewsletters, while maintaining consistency with her visuals and messaging strategy.

03 – Portfolio Dilemmas

The portfolio comes up in client conversations often. It’s one of the biggest branding setbacks for interior designers – and service providers as a whole. And understandably so. When you’re deeply invested in your work, every project feels significant. However, this emotional connection can cloud your decisions about what to showcase.

Usually, there’s one of three things happening with an interior designer’s portfolio presence:

1. You’re holding onto outdated work. The projects that don’t meet the standards or vision you have today.
2. You’re sharing everything. An exhaustive catalogue of work. 

You’re undersharing or posting work without purpose – like using Instagram solely as your portfolio hub and posting individual images with minimal context.

The Solution: 

Quality > quantity. Curate your portfolio, showcasing the projects that align with the work you want to be doing more of. 

If you only have two to four projects that fall into that category, that’s perfectly fine. In this case, less is more. Wanting to move into more whole-home services? Present the rooms you’ve renovated so far, showing multiple angles and details to make the most out of your existing room-by-room portfolio. And if you don’t have any project photography just yet? Consider investing in some passion projects and renderings. 

The Inspiration: 

Melanie Hay of Melanie Hay Design. She does a fantastic job of showcasing projects that reflect her style and approach, while giving readers just enough of a glimpse into the work she’s done through a healthy collection of imagery.

04 – Generic Messaging & Neglecting Storytelling

Writing for yourself is hard work. It’s tempting to fall into comparisons or peek at the other ways interior designers or homeware founders present themselves with words. Maybe you’ve caught yourself borrowing phrases from ChatGPT or unconsciously replicating someone else’s tone. 

All of a sudden, you’re piecing together odds and ends for a voice that sounds like everyone else – losing your own essence in the process. Here’s something to think about: Your ideal clients aren’t looking for another generic story. They’re looking for your story – your unique perspective, your values, your distinctive approach. It’s less about crafting the perfect message, and more about sharing what feels true to you.

The Solutions: 

• Start with a few journal prompts to break away from writer’s block and tap back into your voice.
  • What led you to start your own business? 
  • Name 2-3 things you love most about what you do and why. 
  • What do you wish other people knew about you on a deeper level? These could be parts of your life, your personality, your story, or your passions. Things that most people only get to know once they’ve entered your intimate space.
  • What do you want to be known for?
  • What 3 core values motivate you? 
  • What feelings and sensations define your everyday life? 
  • Describe your personality in 3 words or less. How do these traits shape the way you speak (or want to speak) to your readers?
  • How do you achieve your ideal audience’s needs differently than others in your industry? What sets you apart?
• Use testimonials to your writing advantage. Review them from the perspective of what it was like working with you and how you impacted lives. This will make speaking your ideal client’s language feel more effortless while keeping the focus on what YOU have to offer. Not anyone else.

05 – Vague Service Offerings

Full service. It’s how you’d typically summarize your services. But what does that mean exactly – especially to a potential client? 

While the intention is to sound comprehensive, catch-all phrases like this can lack clarity, creating more questions than answers. So it’s easier for someone to delay their decision or choose to inquire with a competitor who presents their services in an organized, easy-to-understand way. Now, this isn’t to say that you should stop using words like this altogether. It’s obviously a great SEO keyword. But use it deliberately, pairing it with specific, descriptive language that paints a picture of what you’re offering.

The Solutions: 

• Create distinct service tiers with clear summaries, noting who it’s for and what makes it unique. Today’s clients expect options that align with their specific needs, budgets, and involvement preferences. 
• Define your process stages in client-friendly language that speaks to benefits and outcomes.  

The Inspiration:

Melissa and Brent of Cottage & Key. Their services are clearly communicated and well-organized in a way that gives readers a glimpse into how they can support them in different areas. Also worth noticing is how they communicate their process. It’s anything but cliché, yet it’s easy to understand.

06 – A Minimalistic Website

Have you seen some renowned designers opting for a more minimalistic website? It makes sense because they’ve already built up quite the reputation. And they’re working all across the map. So they’re not needing much in terms of optimization for search engines. This approach, while intriguing, often works against growing businesses needing to establish authority and attract new clients.

The Solutions:

• Write more, not less – especially if you’re hoping to achieve SEO success and increase awareness of your business. Google loves (and favours) webpages with at least 300 words.
  • Some areas to focus on: a compelling Homepage, detailed Services page, personal About page, and a Blog or Journal page communicating your eye for style.

Invest in a website template (and potential site styling) that already has the user’s experience in mind. Our favourites are TONIC or Northfolk (for interior designers – use code DUELLEMADE at checkout!) or Shopify (for homeware founders).

07 – A Lackluster Client Experience 

Exceptional design work deserves an equally exceptional client experience. With your clients’ investment in mind, they deserve a premium journey – from first contact to project completion & even beyond. Every interaction is an opportunity to reinforce your brand’s value and create a lasting impression.

But the process of designing that experience? It can be overwhelming. If you’re currently working with scattered processes and inconsistent systems, it’s never too late to make a change. 

The Solutions:

• Do some research into Dubsado and HoneyBook, and how using a client relationship management platform would feel to you. 
• Develop a well-structured onboarding process to welcome new clients & set the right tone from day one. 
• Schedule regular client communication touchpoints so you’re not glued to your inbox while preventing scope creep, late payments, or confusion. 
• Create post-project follow-up protocols, such as gathering a Google review.  
• Consider special touches (ex. handwritten notes, project completion gifts).

The best news is that you don’t have to piece everything together on your own. Hannah Bowyer & Co. and Willow & Jax are both great resources when it comes to thoughtful client experiences, especially for interior designers and homeware founders.

Moving Forward

Branding is a patient, thoughtful, evolving journey, just like the spaces you create. If you recognize your business in any of these areas, know that you’re not alone – and there’s always room for growth. Start with one that resonates most, see what unfolds, and adjust along the way.

If you’re ready for a brand partner in your corner – one who can guide you towards a visual identity and custom styled website that feels like coming home, let’s have a conversation.