Chapter 44
"Do you really think I can do it?" Liu Si asked hesitantly.
During this period, she also collaborated with Wang Mian on several interior design projects, but she still lacked confidence.
Yoda: "The clients were all very satisfied with the projects you did, so why are you asking this?" Liu Si had previously worked on projects with Wang Mian. During the day, she had to handle the firm's trivial matters, and she often worked overtime until very late at night. It was because Yoda saw her hard work that he suggested she try to switch to being a full-time interior designer.
Liu Si explained, "Those were all Wang Mian's projects. I only did them after he had communicated with the clients. I haven't done any independently yet. Besides, you guys all seem so capable, signing contracts, producing drawings, and communicating with the construction team. All I can do is choose the colors for curtains and sofas, which doesn't seem very meaningful."
At this point, Liu Si sounded somewhat frustrated: "Do we really need interior designers? I think even if I don't do it, clients can choose their own preferred interior design and their daily lives will be just as comfortable."
Being a soft furnishing designer can be frustrating. Compared to hard furnishing, which involves creating something from scratch and allows people to clearly feel the difference before and after design and renovation, soft furnishing designers often seem dispensable.
Yoda hasn't actually done much interior design; she hasn't worked on a complete project since joining the firm. Even at her previous company, client requirements were always specified when signing a contract for each project. The interior design packages offered choices from partner brands. The colors and styles were decided by the client well in advance, leaving very little room for the designer's creativity.
However, Yoda also occasionally looks into the requirements for interior design. After all, while the hard furnishings are important, the craftsmanship and technology levels on the market are now quite similar. To improve the quality of a project, one needs to learn about every aspect of the design process.
Based on his own experience, Yoda comforted Liu Si: "Actually, there's a lot to it in interior design. You need to communicate with clients, understand their lifestyles and preferences, and after you've decided on the furniture, there's a lot you can improve in terms of purchasing, installation, placement, and after-sales service."
"What you need to do now is to practice more. Only by doing more projects can you know how to meet the client's needs within a limited space and budget."
Liu Si was somewhat tempted, but Yoda continued to persuade her: "Right now you're just working with Wang Mian, and some of his projects only require hard furnishings, so you can't participate in every one of them. Besides, your time at the front desk isn't flexible, and you don't get to do many projects. You should switch to being an assistant first, and then follow along to learn from any suitable projects the firm has. Gradually, you'll have your own projects to complete, and you'll gain experience."
"You learn as you go. There aren't that many demands for general home decoration and soft furnishings, so you can try other areas. For example, you're good at storage management in your firm, so you can also work with the firm's designers to do custom storage design and optimize the layout of custom cabinets."
Seeing Yoda's eloquent explanation, Liu Si couldn't help but feel excited: "That makes a lot of sense."
Thinking about how Zhou Liu was doing so well by constantly promoting himself online and taking orders online, Yoda had a new idea: "Or you could try becoming a self-media creator and share the interior design experience you've learned with everyone. If you yourself think that homeowners can do interior design themselves, then many people will definitely think the same way. If you can share some tips and tricks for the interior design process, the audience will definitely be very wide."
The two talked more and more enthusiastically, standing in the empty, unfinished house, as if they could already see Liu Si's future as a renowned designer.
Hahahaha.
Upon returning to the firm, Liu Si announced her decision to step down as a receptionist and officially begin working as a designer (assistant). Shi Xing always supports everyone's choices; they simply needed to hire a suitable receptionist.
Everyone else welcomed him, but Wang Mian, for some reason, stood up, clapped, and burst into laughter.
When he noticed everyone else looking at him strangely, he snapped out of his daze and sat down with an embarrassed smile: "I'm just happy, the firm has new talent again." He asked Liu Si with a smile, "Then you can go out and do design work with me from now on."
After Wang Mian said that, Liu Si was a little embarrassed: "I'm just announcing, understand? Announcing means it's just the beginning, so let's learn from everyone first."
Yoda suddenly remembered that he had collected a lot of interior design materials during his university years. They weren't advanced, just introductory level. Although he didn't need them now, they would be perfect for Liu Si. After all, they were carefully compiled during his university years based on recommendations from his professors.
"It's a pity that all the backups are in the cloud drive. I wish I still had my account. It's all accumulated from the beginning, which is perfect for your stage."
Liu Si was also a little disappointed, but she still comforted Yoda: "It's okay, there's so much information online now, I'll go look for it and study it little by little."
Wang Mian scratched his head. He did want to give Liu Siyong some materials, but he never had the habit of taking notes; he always kept the knowledge he needed in his head. "How about we try to recover the account?"
Young people are known for their many ideas. Under the eager gazes of Liu Si and Wang Mian, Yoda tried to log into his previous account, only to find that the account he had registered with his mobile phone was still there and had not been canceled. "However, I haven't used my original mobile phone number for so many years, so it's probably being used by someone else now."
Wang Mian immediately made a phone call. As long as someone was using it, he could discuss with them about logging in first and then changing the account details.
However, after several attempts, I kept getting a busy signal.
"Could it be that the phone number is still registered in your name?" After thinking about it, it seemed like that was a possibility.
Yoda looked at the phone card that the two men were helping him to get a replacement, and he could hardly believe that it was still there after all these years.
I logged into my account, and all my data was neatly organized inside. The last file I uploaded was from before the holiday: a course about the impact of color temperature on emotions.
"Wow, Yoda, you're so meticulous!" Liu Si exclaimed in amazement as she opened and browsed through each folder.
The furniture is categorized by style, material, craftsmanship, and brand, and includes available images for easy comparison. For custom-made furniture, quotes and contact information from manufacturers are also provided.
The lighting section was also categorized by lamp type, and there were also a whole bunch of courses on display techniques for decorative items. Liu Si glanced around and saw that there were many materials collected, including paintings, sculptures, green plants, and collectibles.
The materials were full of useful information, and each one inspired Liu Si to get hands-on and put them into practice.
Seeing Liu Si so happy, Yoda was also delighted. Looking back at the materials they had collected back then, he realized how much they had accumulated without realizing it. "However, it's been too long, and some of the information is no longer applicable. The prices and manufacturers of some furniture have changed, and some decorating styles are now outdated."
Yoda transferred the account to Liu Si's name: "It's good for reference. You can update the content yourself later, and slowly collect it to have a complete set of materials that best suits you."
Liu Si nodded eagerly, while Wang Mian said happily from the side, "Why don't we just form a decorating team? I'll do the hard furnishings, and you can do the soft furnishings. Wouldn't that be great?"
"Yes, yes, yes." Liu Si was busy looking at the documents and gave a perfunctory reply. Wang Mian was still immersed in his imagination of a bright future, chatting with Liu Si. Liu Si, whose attention was interrupted, struggled to look away from the documents and pushed Wang Mian away: "You didn't have many projects that required interior design anyway. I'm officially changing careers now. I'll go and learn from whoever has a suitable project. You go and do your work, don't hold me up."
Wang Mian, who was pushed aside: Hey hey hey? So it didn't mean we were teaming up.
Yoda watched the two of them and shook his head with amusement. It was clear to onlookers that their relationship was growing increasingly close, yet both remained oblivious. Yoda didn't intend to expose them; this stage of their relationship, though hazy, was beautiful nonetheless.
Yoda felt a pang of nostalgia for the time she and Shixing had shared. If it weren't for that accident, they might have continued their journey together from school to the workplace, growing and progressing side-by-side. Yoda herself had lost seven years, but she was curious about what Shixing's seven years had been like.
Thinking of this, Yoda suddenly had an idea. However, work was still more important.
Having inspected the site and obtained preliminary data and floor plans, Yoda was ready to begin working on the design plan. Regardless, it would be best to contact Moke to confirm everything.
Yoda originally intended this to be her first project as a solo project, and she definitely wanted to complete it well. The better she understood the client's needs, the more suitable the design would be.
Although the other party's attitude seemed to be that Yoda could design however he wanted, Yoda wouldn't just stop there and leave it at that. If it were someone else, they would just think that since the homeowner had no objections, it would be easy to decorate according to a standardized template, and as long as it was roughly the same, it would be fine.
However, Yoda firmly believes that everyone has expectations for their home, even if these expectations are sometimes vague and may not have a specific direction. But isn't the significance of a designer to turn the customer's imagination of a happy life into reality through the construction of living space?
Undeterred, Yoda continued to contact Moko. Based on the house's orientation and spatial layout, Yoda had a general idea of how to set up each functional area. With this in mind, communication with Moko became much smoother.
Yoda discovered that Moko was more receptive to having different options presented to her for a decision than to have Moko make her own demands.
Yoda: Should I get a custom-made or ready-made wardrobe? Custom-made wardrobes can go all the way to the ceiling, don't accumulate dust, and are easy to clean. Ready-made wardrobes have more mature craftsmanship and more styles.
Mo Ke: Customized.
Yoda: For custom cabinets, here are some standard styles (see pictures for reference). Drawers can be added separately if needed. Alternatively, the entire area can be made into a hanging area, making storage and use much easier, since many people dislike the chore of folding clothes these days.
Mo Ke: First picture, no drawers, all hanging space.
The two communicated smoothly back and forth. Yoda smiled slightly, and the customer's needs gradually became clear: a home that is easy to manage.
Keep trying, because the layout of Mo Ke's house has a solid wall on the left side of the entrance and a kitchen doorway on the right. Only the left side has a width of 20 centimeters, which is not enough to fit a shoe cabinet.
Yoda then asked: "For the entryway shoe cabinet, we can choose a slanted design or a style with a short-to-long transition. The width at the entrance should be flush with the wall, allowing for a pegboard shelf for hanging clothes. The hallway section should transition to a normal size."
This time, the other party hesitated for a long time before replying: Either is fine.
Yoda looked puzzled. After just a few exchanges, he could already tell what kind of person the other was. "All is fine" probably meant "not really good at anything," but it was hard to say. Sigh, why were his communication skills failing him?
There had been some progress, however small. For now, Yoda lay exhausted on the bed, his mind a jumble of design ideas. The client's needs were unclear, so he had to be even more attentive.
In a daze, I suddenly remembered something I hadn't done.
She abruptly stood up, turned on her phone, and logged into her old chat account. The account held all of Shi Xing's memories from their daily chats.
He logged in successfully, but his phone kept vibrating so much that Yoda's hands went numb.
"This is?"
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