A personalized design I created for a client, which showcases her cherished woven basket collection. A warm, cozy room in the house where she can curl up with a good book and enjoy a cup of coffee.
A while back I started a group discussion on LinkedIn (the largest online professional networking site) that sparked a great deal of debate and generated an avalanche of criticism, some positive, some not-so-positive. The topic was simple (I thought) and completely innocuous; it highlighted the importance of using the right words when interior designers discuss a design or product with a client. I titled my post “Say Good-bye to Customize: Clients Want Their Spaces Personalized, Not Just Customized,” and I attached a link to a recent article on the subject. Imagine my surprise when I read the first comment posted by a fellow group member (not an interior designer): “Customize and Personalize. Aren’t we saying the same thing here?” The rest of the comment even made the assertion that the words we choose to describe a product shouldn’t even matter, that the product will speak for itself. Yikes! I had opened a Pandora’s box. I paused for a few moments, leaned back in my chair, and after a sip of my coffee, just stared at my computer screen in disbelief. I wasn’t shocked that someone disagreed with me; everyone is entitled to have an opinion (I have a few of those myself). I just couldn’t believe there was actually confusion regarding the meaning of the two words. Apparently, customization had become such a buzzword that people could no longer differentiate between customization and personalization. But is there a difference, or are these two words really synonymous in the world of interior design? Let’s clear up the confusion, so we can all sleep better tonight. Okay, at least I will.
The Benefits of Customization
The myriad of products on the market today that can be customized is virtually endless. You can walk into a furniture store, select a sofa you like, and choose from a list of available options to customize the design. Among other things, you can change the size, color, fabric, perhaps even add some matching throw pillows. Once you’ve customized it, some stores will even show you on a computer screen what your custom sofa will look like when it arrives at your front door 4-6 weeks later, eager to claim its place on that empty wall in your living room. You can see how the freedom to customize a design or product before you purchase it can be empowering. After all, we all like having some degree of control, not just over what we put in our space, but where we put our hard-earned dollars. Businesses have long since known the selling potential of customization, and so many have capitalized on this by constantly adding more options to their customization menus (more options = more sales). But are these designs or products personalized?
You can walk into a furniture store, select a sofa you like, and choose from a list of available options to customize the design. Among other things, you can change the size, color, fabric, perhaps even add some matching throw pillows.
The Power of Personalization
Personalizing a design or product is, well, more personal. In the words of another group member who enriched our discussion: “Remember, no two persons are the same, so personalization is just that… personalization.” The focus here isn’t on the design or product, but on the individual wants, needs and personality of the client. A personalized design or product becomes the client’s voice, ready to tell their own unique story. It’s so much more than a soulless process of selecting from a list of available options to make something fit a particular space, style or color scheme. When we personalize a design or product for a client, we create a meaningful and emotional connection between them and their space. When we special order that perfect set of frames for their precious family photos to create their picture wall, when we restore that old chair that holds so many memories and incorporate it into the design, or when we take their cherished woven basket collection and find a way to showcase it in the space, we’re doing so much more than changing sizes, colors, or fabrics – we’re changing lives through interior design. And that’s powerful.
Saying Good-bye to Customize
So does this mean that personalization should replace customization? Not at all. Customization has its own sacred place in the design process. After all, that gorgeous sofa on the showroom floor will be absolutely useless if it doesn’t fit in your living room. But don’t settle for customization. When I suggested saying good-bye to customize, I was referring to the word we use as designers to appropriately describe a product or service to a client. As a client, you need to know whether your new kitchen design will merely be customized to fit your space, or go beyond that and be personalized to reflect who you are and how you live.
At Edith Barrera Interiors, we know there’s a world of difference between customization and personalization. And you should, too. Maybe the idea of hanging woven baskets in a room doesn’t appeal to you. That’s okay. That design was personalized for someone else. But take a closer look at your own interiors. How much of YOU is reflected in the space? The design of your interiors doesn’t have to look like something out of the pages of Elle Decor, but it should look and feel like YOU live there. When was the last time you felt intimately connected to your space? If this connection is missing, it may be negatively impacting the quality of your life. Maybe you’ve been settling for customization far too long. As a designer, I know the symptoms all too well. At the end of a project, when a client’s eyes light up at the joy of seeing their space transformed into a reflection of who they are, how they live and what is dear to them, that’s when I know the design was successful.
Edith Barrera González
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