Couldn’t agree more—photos are a must. I’ve had contractors try to gloss over shoddy work in the past, and it’s just not worth the risk. Pics don’t catch everything, but you can usually spot if someone’s detail-oriented or just rushing jobs. If they hesitate to show their portfolio, that’s a dealbreaker for me too. Trust but verify, every time.
Couldn’t agree more about the photos—those really tell you a lot about someone’s standards. I’d add that I always look for before-and-after shots, not just the glossy “after” pics. It’s wild how much you can learn from seeing the process, not just the end result. And honestly, if someone’s proud of their work, they’re usually excited to show it off. If they get cagey or only have a few cropped images… that’s a red flag for me. Also, I like to see variety—if every kitchen looks identical, I start to wonder if they’re really listening to clients or just churning out cookie-cutter stuff.
if every kitchen looks identical, I start to wonder if they’re really listening to clients or just churning out cookie-cutter stuff.
Totally get this. I once had a client show me a “portfolio” from another designer and every single kitchen had the same white shaker cabinets, subway tile, and those pendant lights you see in every HGTV episode. It was like playing spot-the-difference, except... there were no differences. Made me wonder if the designer just had a template and hit copy-paste.
I’m also with you on the before-and-afters. I love seeing the “before” chaos—like, give me the ugly duckling! It’s way more impressive to see how someone transforms a cramped, avocado-green nightmare into something livable than just showing off a shiny “after” shot. And yeah, if someone’s only got close-ups of cabinet handles or weirdly cropped corners, I start getting suspicious. What are they hiding? A rogue patch of 80s wallpaper?
Honestly, I’d rather see a few honest progress pics than a hundred staged afters. At least then you know what you’re really getting into.
It’s way more impressive to see how someone transforms a cramped, avocado-green nightmare into something livable than just showing off a shiny “after” shot.
That “spot-the-difference” thing made me laugh—been there. I once walked through a flip where the kitchen looked straight out of a catalog, but you could tell the builder never asked who’d actually be living there. Like, does anyone really need six feet of wine storage in a starter home? I always ask for progress photos and even some “fail” shots if they’ve got them. That’s where you see if someone can problem-solve or just slap on a trend. Isn’t it more interesting to see how they handle surprises than just the shiny end result?
I always ask for progress photos and even some “fail” shots if they’ve got them. That’s where you see if someone can problem-solve or just slap on a trend.
Couldn’t agree more about the value of seeing the messy middle. Those “fail” shots are gold—anyone can make a space look good in a staged photo, but it’s how they handle the weird plumbing behind the wall or the surprise mold under the old cabinets that really shows skill.
When I’m working with clients, I like to walk them through each step as we go, not just hand over a glossy reveal at the end. For example:
1. We start with a walkthrough and talk about how they actually use the space.
2. Demo day always brings surprises (last month we found an entire squirrel nest in a soffit—never boring).
3. I snap pics at every stage, especially when we hit snags, and explain what we’re doing to fix it.
Honestly, sometimes those “fail” moments become the best parts of the project because you have to get creative. And yeah, six feet of wine storage in a starter home? That’s just asking for eye rolls... Give me a clever pantry solution any day over that kind of trend-chasing.