Don't get me wrong, I have certainly extended my sometimes unwanted advice on friends and family (with usually good results), but never on a perfect stranger. But this is my goal, so I had to do it. After all, there's a first time for everything!
A little bit about how it came to happen:
A very good and extremely supportive friend recommended me to a friend of hers, who was having trouble sorting out her living room. I was told she had inherited her grandparents home and had spent the last year updating it to her taste. And that's about it.
So off I went, with my two year old in tow, (we decided to make it a bit of a play date as well - very nice and accommodating of her!) into the unknown. I made it there without getting lost and anyone who knows me knows that is a real rarity even with a SAT NAV in my car! I was already feeling pretty proud of myself. Needless to say, I was not so lucky on the way home and managed to add an extra hour onto the commute, resulting in no nap time for the little one - but it was all worth it for the experience!
Anyway, once the kids started playing and the conversation started following, I shared some ideas regarding her current layout and how I felt the space could work better for her. Eventually we moved some furniture around and talked about future purchase plans and color scheme possibilities. We didn't get as much accomplished as I would have liked, mostly due to the restraints of four playing children, lunch, and a lot of whining by my child, but I felt it was a successful first step for her and for me!
My very good friend even offered to take some before and after shots using her fancy camera and far superior skills, so I should have those to show you shortly.
All in all, a very good Friday and a very good first step into the wide world of client work!
