380: Circle Design Studio: Architect & Interior Design Firm: John & Theresa Dorlini

Welcome to today's show! We are really happy to have John and Theresa Dorlini, the dynamic duo behind Circle Design Studio, with us today. The idea of CIRCLE was born in 2001 when, on their first official date at a sushi restaurant in downtown Tempe, John and Theresa made a pinky promise to build a design empire. On the show today we have a really great conversation with them about how they built their business and the way that they run it. Listen in today, to find out what they have to share with you.

Circle Design Studio is located in Roanoke VA. Since its inception in 2005,  John and Theresa have expanded the CIRCLE family to encompass full-service design, including architecture and general contracting.

John is the principal architect and he holds professional licenses as a Certified Interior Designer, Class A Contractor, and Architect in the states of Virginia, North Carolina, and West Virginia. Those qualifications, combined with his background in design and construction administration for large-scale public projects, ensure a thorough drawing set that leads to accurate bidding and execution.

Theresa is the principal interior designer and creative director. Her strength is seeing the “big picture”.  She has 20 years of interior design experience practicing in Arizona, Florida, and Virginia, and she works closely with all their clients, both residential and commercial, to develop a cohesive design concept that reflects their personal style or branding. Theresa is passionate about design education and she's taught at James Madison University, and also at her alma mater, Arizona State University. Listen in to find out more.

Show highlights:

• Their way of explaining to a client why they would do well to make use of a designer, as well as a builder and an architect.
• Why they invest so much in their 3D visualizations.
• The programs that they prefer to use for their 3D visualizations, and why.
• How 3D modeling can help prevent disconnect with the various players working on projects.
• How it really helps to have an architect on board with their projects.
• The benefits of having a large body of work to show their clients.
• Words are just words, so images really help!
• They are busy creating a coffee table book.
• What they do to make projects easier to understand for their clients.
• Following the steps of a tried-and-true-process.
• Explaining to their clients, when discussing fees, that they're paying for John and Theresa's expertise.
• Everything about design comes really easily to Theresa.
• Designing seems really easy for some people, so it's easy for them to underestimate what actually goes into it.
• A book that John recommends is The Business of Design by Keith Granet.
• All about the vision statement they are busy creating.
• Being at the glorious point of being able to recognize the really valuable clients and let the others go.
• Realizing that it's all about serving the client.
• You have to be really good at what you do to work with the luxury market.
• Learning to be honest enough to just say 'no'.
• Putting things in writing can save your butt!
• Setting boundaries with clients.
• Creating a dual-purpose welcome-packet for clients.
• Ways to protect yourself from customers who tend to take advantage.

Previous episodes mentioned in the show:

Darla Powell #330

Jason Byrne #311

Charles Pavarini #113

Resources:

Book mentioned: The Business of Design by Keith Granet

Links:

Website: Circle Design Studio

Facebook: Circle Design Studio

Pinterest: Circle Design Studio

Instagram: Circle Design Studio

Blog: Curata Home