Fun technique to help a client identify what they are looking for

  This summer as I have been catching up on my design readings I came across a supplemental spread provided by Dwell magazine.  It was called, At Home In The Modern World, Designers We Love - Bay Area Edition, in which I highlighted a tip to share from San Francisco's Barbara Scavullo of Scavullo Design.  
  Dwell asked Barbara, "What's the best way to get a client to state what they're looking for?" Barbara said that years ago she attended a class taught by the designer Agnes Bourne, who was leading an extension at Stanford.  The course was intended for people who were about to build their dream home.  
  The tip I want to share from this article is in the way Agnes guided the class to put together a box of things they liked, and it could be full of anything - a photo, a feather, pottery from Morocco.  The point was to get people comfortable with finding the underlying emotional connection to these things in an effort to help them see how they could translate that feeling into their homes.  
  This reminded me of what Evelynne Doone spoke about early in her teaching of Materiality 2.  I feel that if I had read this article sooner it could have aided me in my design solutions.  Particularly, with the 525 Brannan high end condo proposal we submitted as our semester long project for Studio Practice 2 with Katherine Lambert, this technique could have been a tool for creating a design solution.  Because we began with such an in depth study of our ideal homeowner, and were asked to know so much about what they do in their professional and personal life, where they spend their time, and what they're lifestyle is, I think it could have been beneficial to create a box in an effort to really get inside the mind of these young professionals.  

Material samples allow the client to see true colors and textures, as well as get an idea for how one material can compliment and be paired with another

A sample photo collage of finished space along with material selections and exciting textures and color mixes that make the room pop.

Again, real samples are crucial to aid the client in understanding the variance of textures and colors within one material type as shown here with glass in crushed form (left) or collected and stacked (right).

Work with your clients style - perhaps a more playful approach is the successful approach.  One of the most fun finish selections I've done was with another designer - we sat on the ground, surrounded ourselves with materials and color swatches, and played a spontaneous, speed round of mix and match. Go with your impulse!

 Presentation boards done, materials identified.

 Fin!