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A Well-Designed Business® | Interior Design  Business Podcast

396: Yohan May Interiors: Home Staging for the Luxury Market

A Well-Designed Business® | Interior Design Business Podcast

LuAnn Nigara

Business, Design, Arts

4.8786 Ratings

🗓️ 22 January 2019

⏱️ 84 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Welcome! Today we have Amber Friederichs and Michele Atijas from the UK, a really dynamic duo and the principals of Yohan May Interiors, with us on the show. They specialize in very high-end, high-quality home staging, so Yohan May Interiors attracts clientele and projects at the very highest level of luxury real estate in London. The two primary goals with every project in this really high-pressure market are to sell the home fast and to obtain the highest possible price. On the show today, Michele and Amber discuss their turnaround times, how they cannot concern themselves with their clients' taste and design style, and also, how they position the home for sale. Listen in today to find out more about Michele and Amber's business model, and to discover their keys to be really successful with what they do. Founded in 2015, Yohan May Interiors emerged from the collaboration of two friends, Michele Atijas and Amber Friederichs. The company started out of necessity when Amber was unable to find a home staging agency that offered the personalization and curation she was looking for.  The pair decided to work on the project on their own and spoke with a number of developers and estate agents. The feedback was overwhelmingly positive. They decided to call the company Yohan May after Amber's late father, Johann, and Michele's late mother, Maj, whom they credit with their passion for interiors. Listen in to find out more. Show highlights: Michele and Amber discuss the systems they use for their incredibly quick turnaround time. About their free site visits and what they entail. Their projects usually involve staging the entire house and they often deal with foreign investors. They always try to provide a flexible service. How they managed to attract so many high-end clients so early on in their business. The importance of networking to attract the ideal client. They talk about what went into their decision to invest in inventory. Providing a look that really embodies your brand. They have developed a relationship with several art agencies over the years. Dealing with the tricky business of insurance for the artworks in the house. The condition of all the items that they bring into a house is as new because nobody ever lives in their show-homes. At this point in their business, they don't stage homes that people are living in already. The number of projects they are able to deal with in one month. The cost of an average project that they do, and the kind of net profit margin that they work towards. They have included cancellation charges in their contract. Some of the differences between interior design and home staging. Home staging is a really new thing in the UK. Home staging has more to do with real estate than with interior design. About their go-to team for doing renovations. This particular line of work is all about relationships. How they manage their time, to fit it all in. A small business is all about prioritizing and delegating. Some of the suppliers that they work with, in the UK. The work is very hands-on and either Michele or Amber will always be present on site. Previous shows mentioned in this episode: Polly Williams #88 Jo Buckerfield #320 Rachel Laxer #42 Fred Berns #289 Links: Website: Yohan May IG: @yohanmayinteriors Pinterest: Yohan May Interiors For your 10% off your next purchase at Kravet, use the code W7 at the checkout. Go to Kravet.

Transcript

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0:00.0

Hey, I want to give a shout out to my friend Susan Winterstein. You may know Susan from her two

0:05.5

podcast appearances here, episodes 164 and 717. In these episodes, Susan told us about her charity

0:13.7

that she founded Savvy Giving by Design. Now she has introduced the Savvy Giving Design Coalition.

0:21.1

The mission of both of these is to bring comfort and hope to families by transforming

0:26.6

kids' rooms into healing sanctuaries.

0:30.0

Previously, in order to help Savvy Giving by Design, you could open a chapter in your

0:34.9

own area and then design spaces for children in your area that are in need.

0:40.0

Now with the Savvy Giving Design Coalition, you can contribute and impact the lives of these children

0:45.5

without taking on the beginning of an entirely new chapter.

0:49.9

Savvy Giving Design Coalition operates through the collective efforts of you, the designer, as well as sponsors and volunteers.

0:58.6

This organization is making a real difference in these children's lives, and you can help now in whichever way feels right for you.

1:06.3

I encourage you to listen to Susan's two episodes to learn more and then visit their website at

1:12.2

Savvygivingbydesign.org forward slash design coalition. We'll also put that in the show notes. Welcome to a well-designed business.

1:39.7

My name is Luann Nigara, and I'm so glad you found this podcast.

1:43.5

Together with my husband, Vince, and our partner partner Bill, we have grown our company Window Works from the ground up.

1:49.5

So I know and I understand the challenges you face in running your interior design business.

1:55.5

I also know that your talent alone isn't enough to ensure your success.

2:00.5

So on this podcast, we talk about strategies and practical steps that help you grow your business.

2:07.0

But make no mistake about it, we have our share of fun here too, mixed in with those aha

2:12.0

moments that I love so much.

2:14.2

This isn't fluff.

2:15.2

Nobody has time for that.

...

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