We love seeing how designers bring their visions to life. Recently, we had the privilege of speaking with Caroline Goree, Principal Designer at @carolineco.interiors, who gave us a complete behind-the-scenes look at how she guides clients through the fabric selection process.
Caroline’s process is equal parts personal and strategic, ensuring that each client feels confident and excited as their project takes shape.
Warm Up Call
This is a quick chat with the potential new client to discuss their hopes, dreams and goals for their project. We discuss the scope, their timeline (if they have one in mind) and high level likes/dislikes about their current spaces. I use this call to explain more about how I work with clients, what my current workload is, when I can take on new projects and give them an overview of the types of furniture and level of investment a typical project is of their size.
Initial Site Meeting & Measure
My first meeting on site with the clients usually includes a deeper dive into what we chatted about on the phone, I throw out a couple initial thoughts/design ideas after being in the space (and reserve the right to change my mind to a new better idea as I start working through the job) and do a measure of the spaces with tons of photographs to reference later.
Design Meeting #1
In design meeting #1 we review multiple furniture layouts together and pro/con the benefits of each based on the clients needs for their home. We then review a design board with furniture forms and the general style we are pushing in the room (I typically show 3 options for each piece of furniture that could work in the space). Next we look at mood boards featuring fabrics, carpeting, trim, wallpaper, etc that could be incorporated into the space. At this point it is still high level, we may look through 10-15 samples for the space to figure out what our top 5 options are. This gives me good direction to continue pushing the design...
Design Meeting #2 - However Many It Takes
Homeowners and I meet again to solidify our furniture forms and fabrics, which fabrics go on what pieces and start working through more design details (contrast welts, where trim is going, what is getting decorative tape, where we are wallpapering, etc). This phase is very important as those details really make the spaces stand out. We will continue to do meetings until all the details are finalized.
We usually need 2-3 meetings per room if it's just decorating. For larger scale projects like new builds that have both selections and decorating, it takes months and months of regular meetings to nail down all the selections.
Caroline’s step-by-step process highlights the care, creativity, and attention to detail that goes into every project she takes on. From the initial warm-up call to the final design meeting, her approach ensures that clients feel heard, guided, and confident in every decision they make.
At Anna Elisabeth, we’re inspired by designers like Caroline who bring spaces to life through thoughtful fabric choices and curated details. Each selection tells part of the story, turning houses into homes that truly reflect the people who live in them.
Ready to start your own design journey? Explore our latest collections and let us help you create spaces that are as beautiful as they are timeless.