Someone reached out with this question: “I’ve been burned by a designer who gave me a beautiful mood board I couldn’t afford. How is working with you any different?”

And I thought my reply could be interesting for everyone, so here it is.

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First of all, I am SO sorry that happened to you.

Because that experience? It’s the worst.

You got excited. You trusted someone with your home, your vision, maybe even your vulnerability about what you wanted your space to feel like. And they handed you something beautiful that you couldn’t actually have. That’s not just a bad client experience. That’s a breach of trust.

So before I answer how things work differently with me, I want to say this clearly: what happened to you was not okay. And it’s not your fault for expecting better.

The uncomfortable truth about budget-blind design

Here’s the thing: it’s genuinely easy to impress someone when there’s no budget limit.

Pull from the best of everything. Spec out a $12,000 sofa, a $3,200 pendant light, a bespoke rug imported from Portugal. Of course the mood board looks stunning. Anyone can do that.

But that’s not design. That’s fantasy.

Real design, good design, is knowing how to create something beautiful within the reality of someone’s life. And a designer who doesn’t respect your budget isn’t just being careless. They’re centering themselves in a project that was never supposed to be about them.

You are not a prop in someone’s portfolio. You are the entire point 🤍

The red flag nobody talks about: commission-based recommendations

I want to talk about something that doesn’t come up enough in the industry, because I think it explains a lot of those “how did we end up here?” situations.

A lot of designers take commissions on the items they recommend. Meaning: they make more money when you spend more money. Or specifically, when you buy certain things from certain places.

Think about what that does to the advice you’re getting.

If your designer earns a cut when you purchase sofa A over sofa B, how confident can you really be that sofa A is the right choice for you? How do you know the $7,800 option was recommended because it was genuinely the best fit, and not because it came with a 15% trade discount?

I’m not saying every designer with a commission structure is acting in bad faith. But I am saying that the conflict of interest is real, and it matters.

This is why I have a strict no-commission policy. I don’t take a single cent from any brand or vendor I recommend. Not from the splurge picks, not from the budget finds, not from anyone.

My only financial interest is in giving you the best possible outcome within your actual budget. That’s it. That’s the whole thing.

So, how does it actually work with me?

Let’s get into it.

Budget comes first.

Before I pick a single thing, I ask you about your budget. Whether you come in with a precise number, a comfortable range, or just a brand whose price point works for you (“I’m fine with West Elm prices”), I want to know.
And once I know, that becomes a boundary I work within. Always.

I build mixed budgets on purpose.

My approach is to be strategic about where the money goes, not just distribute it evenly. I’ll invest more in the pieces that are essential (your sofa, your bed frame, the item you’ll use every single day) and pull back on the ones that don’t need to carry the room.
Accessories, accents, the little things? I love a good Wayfair find or a Target score.
The goal is that the final result feels cohesive and considered, regardless of what each individual piece cost.

Nothing gets recommended because it benefits me.
Already covered this, but it bears repeating: zero commissions, zero affiliate relationships, zero financial reason to push you toward anything. The recommendations you get are recommendations I genuinely make.

Why I even started this business

I’ll be honest with you about where this all comes from.

The interior design industry, for a long time, has operated on a pretty dusty set of beliefs. One of the biggest ones: that good design is a luxury, and if you can’t afford a full-service designer, you’re on your own.

I don’t believe that.

I truly, deeply believe that every single person should feel happy when they open their front door, regardless of income level, regardless of whether they rent or own, regardless of the size or the quirks of the space they’re working with.

That belief is what Design by Anaïs is built on.

It’s also why budget-shaming is something I take personally. If you’ve ever been made to feel embarrassed about what you can spend (by a designer, by a sales associate, by anyone), I want you to know that it has no place here. None.
Your budget is your budget, and my job is to make the most of it, not to make you feel small for having it.

If you’ve been looking for a safe space

If you’ve been burned before, I get why you’re cautious. I get why you’re asking this question before you hand your trust over to someone new.

What I can offer you is this: a process that puts you at the center of every single decision.
A designer who asked about your budget on day one and meant it when they said they’d stay within it.
Someone who has no financial reason to steer you wrong.

And someone who genuinely started this whole thing because they believed, and still believe, that you deserve to love your home.

Whether you work with me or not, you deserve that. Don’t settle for less.

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Ready to find out what’s possible in your space? Home Design Magic is my signature per-room design service, built for real budgets and real lives.