Selling the Whole Room with Tara Gruber from TGI - Tara Gruber Interiors

By: Andrea Schuch
I am very excited this week to bring you an interview with Tara of TGI - Tara Gruber Interiors. She has consistently been one of our Top Ten Designers since the program was birthed and I truly believe she can sell just about anything! She is our upgrade queen as well as a great accessorizer! She has often taken out thousands of dollars of accessories off our showroom floor and sold it all! For this reason, I asked if she would help us out and talk with us about selling the whole room - making sure clients understand how important finishing touches are. She also talks with us about where her company is headed and what inspires her most.

AS: You have been known in our showroom to sell every part of a room: furniture, accessories, etc. How do you work the budgeting upfront to help clients understand how much they need to save for the finishing touches like florals?
TG: It’s an unusual concept in our industry but one that I have practiced my whole career - I never talk budget with my clients nor do want I want to hear about budgets throughout the design process. I don’t want my creativity to be interrupted by budget concerns so I choose my clients as much as they choose me, and I prefer clients who do not have strict budgets. They hire me for a reason and that is to show them the best design options available for their space, regardless of price. I offer my clients the finest selections of furniture, wall coverings, lighting, textiles and accessories to select from and then we work from there. Because my name and reputation are dependent upon the end result of a client’s project, I make sure my standards of excellence and expectations for impeccable design are maintained throughout the project.

AS: When you first opened your company, how did you decide on using these methods of pricing and design?
TG: I opened my design firm in 2005 at 24 years old. I came from a background of working at one of the top interior design firms in southern California designing model homes, high end residential and estate design around the country. The concept of whole house design and not discussing budgets for residential and estate design was practiced at the firm in California and I decided that was how I wanted to run my company as well.

AS: When you first meet a client, how do you make them understand that the design includes the finishing touches as well as the large pieces of furniture?
TG: I believe that good design considers the whole space, so I work on a complete room, floor or house in order to get the most cohesive result possible. When I begin working with a client, I educate them on the best way to accomplish what they want me to do. I explain my theory of design and that changing just one component, such as furniture, is not enough. When clients hire me to provide design services, it will include whatever is necessary to meet my design criteria and satisfy them with a beautifully designed space.

AS: What do you think is the most important part of a room and why?
TG: As I mentioned in the previous question, there isn’t just one component that is more important over another. Given that, no matter how amazing the floors, walls or furnishings are, the room is never complete without art, accessories and window treatments. The key to my work is creating a cohesive design that incorporates all of the design elements and exceeds a client’s expectations.

AS: What is your favorite part of the design process and why?
TG: I love working on new construction projects from floor plan design to before ground is broken, to when the last piece of art is hung on the wall. Pulling all of the exterior selections to the interior selections is so rewarding.

AS: Tell us about your background, education and when you decided that you wanted to go into the interior design field.
TG: Ever since I was young, I was always moving my furniture around, constantly changing things. My mom would come home and I would have the furniture rearranged, but never thought anything of it. In college I started out majoring in Forensic Science; it was something I was always very interested in, but quickly realized that it was not for me. My mother suggested Interior Design and I instantly knew that was it. After I got my degree and started working in the field I realized I was one of the lucky ones — I’m doing what I love.

AS: Where do you see your business going in the future? Are you looking to expand, do more projects out of state?
TG: Yes, I definitely want my business to continue to grow and expand. Right now I have work that takes me around the country. I love traveling out of the state and having an opportunity to provide exceptional design that combines a client’s sensibilities with regional tastes. One area of expansion that has been new to my business is interior design for private planes. I’m currently working on interiors of Private Planes for corporations and private owners.

AS: What is your least favorite part of having an interior design company and why?
TG: My least favorite part is dealing with damages, discontinued items, backorders, etc. It would be wonderful if everything was received in perfect condition and in a timely matter, but that is not always the case. Other than that, I’m having the time of my life and love providing unique and exciting design solutions for my clients.

You can see more of Tara's work here.