Hiring a designer in the Bay Area in the middle of the pandemic

Not possible.

Photo by Balázs Kétyi on Unsplash

One thing I’ve learned in the midst of trying to renovate a house in the middle of the pandemic in the Bay Area — all service providers in the construction/home renovation space are very very busy. With so many people spending more time at home, a lot of people are taking advantage of the time to renovate their homes.

While I have a vision for what I want in my house, I don’t know enough to execute that vision. Shortly after my offer was accepted, I attempted to hire a designer to help me with designing the renovations. Here’s how that went:

• Designer 1: I had learned of a designer who’s kind of Instagram-famous a few months back. I liked her aesthetic and reached out to check her availability. At the time (back in February), she was very responsive and very nice. She worked with various budgets, different types of homes, and had availability. After my offer was accepted, I reached out again with more details. Again, she was very prompt and enthusiastic about my project. We decided we’d meet for an initial consultation after closing so I suggested a few dates and awaited her reply. A week went by — radio silence! That seemed a bit unusual given how responsive she had been up to that point. But I figured with the pandemic, everyone’s life is extra hectic so perhaps…