Affluent Page Features: The Matchmaker

By Author: Samantha Dale
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“Design psychologist” Karen Fisher introduces nervous clients to their interior design soulmates.

Imagine you need emergency surgery. Do you want a doctor with just a good or solid reputation, or do you want the best in the business? Do you go under the knife with a physician who has completed 50 successful procedures, or would you be more comfortable with the surgeon who has 5,000 healthy, happy references for you? And while the comparison may seem extreme, the same can be said about choosing a designer for your home.

Likening the selection of a surgeon to picking an interior decorator is outrageous, but to some, the choice is just that serious. Finding the crème de la crème of open-heart surgeons is usually difficult and subjective, as there are several factors involved: the physician’s schooling, the general reputation of the facility, the quality of the support staff, etc. However, in the design world, there’s no debate, and collateral factors, quite frankly, just don’t matter. The decision is simple and perfectly clear: if you want the best, call “design psychologist” Karen Fisher. She doesn’t ...
... just know design; she is design.

History in the Making

Karen Fisher’s current success is a far cry from where she started almost four decades ago. Armed with a tack-sharp mind, a History degree from Columbia University, and a blind, but intense, drive to make her mark in the world, Fisher stumbled into an opportunity to work as a writer for Women’s Wear Daily. Her hard work and stellar performance there led to positions as design editor at Esquire, Cosmo, American Home, and other top publications. Over the years, Fisher began getting inquiries from readers and friends asking which designers they should choose for their upcoming projects. She also recognized that hiring an interior designer was quickly becoming a luxury—the mid-80’s were packed with trendy, well-to-do yuppies who could afford it, and busy career women who no longer had the time or desire to do their own decorating.

After taking inventory of her career and the potential marriage of design and agency, Fisher decided there was a definite void to fill. In 1985, Karen Fisher took her keen eye off the pages of design magazines and set her sights on a niche business that would connect the stylistically-challenged with the best design professionals in the world.

Secret to Success

For 25-years, Karen Fisher has operated Designer Previews, a firm that links top designers and architects to persnickety clients. Each partnership has yielded magnificent results. She has offices in New York, Los Angeles, Atlanta, Miami, and Boston, but also makes herself available (with the same level of quality service) over the internet. More than anything, the key to Fisher’s longevity and success is her ability to listen.

Instead of waxing philosophically about design or telling clients what she thinks they need, Fisher takes her time to digest and dissect the specific needs of each client. In fact, she’s often called the “design matchmaker” because of her uncanny ability to hone convoluted client thoughts and ideas into an identifiable style request and find the perfect partner.

It’s not uncommon for an eager (crazy/unrealistic/all-over-the-place) client to come to Fisher and with vague ideas, like “I want something modern, but not too weird; colorful, but not too flamboyant; classy, but not too boring; and fabulous, but not too gaudy.” Fisher figures out exactly what they need and has direct access to the designer or architect that provides it.

The “Scientific” Method

With Karen Fisher’s success, and the happiness she brings to her clients, you might think she has an elaborate, machine-like operation involving multiple levels and hundreds of people. Actually, while operating out of her Gramercy Park office, Fisher single-handedly offers a straightforward, all-inclusive service that works with thousands of designers and architects and caters to clients all over the world.

Either by phone or in person, a client reaches out to Fisher with an idea. From there, like a skilled surgeon, she extracts important information from her client’s words, narrowing the idea down to its specifics. Because Fisher is so systematic, regardless of the level of chaos, she usually flushes out the necessities in a few hours. Even when the consultations take longer— sometimes days, weeks, or months—Fisher is in control and confident her efforts will end with perfection.

Satisfied that her client has committed to a style, Fisher goes for her secret weapon—a thousands-strong database of the most diverse, talented interior designers and architects on the planet. Though such an impressive collection of talent can be overwhelming, Fisher has a firm handle on her talent pool: she promptly offers the client four or five nearly perfect matches.

The final phase of the selection process is like starting over. The field has narrowed to a handful of choices and the new goal is to eliminate the “nearly” and find the perfect match. By now, Fisher’s job is easier: she and the clients have a rapport and they are comfortable with the direction they’ve chosen. Now the price makes its way onto the table. The cost of hiring a designer or architect is always a sensitive area for Fisher—but not in the way you expect.

Psychology of Pricing and Choice

Most, if not all, of Fisher’s clients tell her the sky is the limit when it comes to their home. During the initial conversation, clients often say they don’t care what it costs, they just want the best. Cost doesn’t usually create any barriers, but this mindset raises a red flag. In Fisher’s experience, price matters to everyone, regardless of wealth. And if a client takes the “money is no object” approach, it says to her they are not fully committed to their previous choices. “ Even my wealthiest clients have an idea of what they’d like to spend on a project,” Fisher said.

Fisher is usually able to ascertain that clients’ bold puffery often disguises apprehension about being held accountable for their choices. Once a client makes the final choice of a designer or architect, they own it. It’s Fisher’s responsibility to let them know they’re not alone.

Fisher often revisits the “decorating Rorschach test” she administers early in the process in order to reassure clients. A Rorschach (roar-shack) test is a psychological tool that uses symmetrical inkblots to examine personality. Instead of inkblots, Fisher uses various design styles to determine what her clients want. When they get cold feet, she simply walks them back through their earlier conversations about their design-related likes and dislikes. By doing this, Fisher boosts her clients’ confidence and reminds them it was their decisiveness—and not just her talent—that led them to the decision they’re about to make.

The Time is Now

According to Karen Fisher, now is the perfect time to use her services. As the design world evolves at a blistering pace, and designers and architects turn to the Internet to market themselves, the choices available to consumers are, at minimum, mind-boggling.

“Designers and architects are now selling their creativity, as opposed to goods,” says Fisher. Many ask: Would anyone ever need a design matchmaker? “The answer is simple,” says Fisher. “When you are going through this process, it’s the most important decision in your life.”

Karen Fisher, www.designerpreviews.com , 212.777.2966

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