--- title: "Keep a project file per client so AI sources to their style and budget" description: "Record each client's taste, room specs, budget split, vendors, and decisions so AI sourcing lists and replies fit the project across every room." canonical: "https://scalewithsearch.com/articles/ai-for-interior-designers" date: "2026-01-28" modified: "2026-09-25" --- ## Site navigation - [Scale With Search](https://scalewithsearch.com/) - Real estate - Real estate - [Real estate](https://scalewithsearch.com/for/real-estate) - Work - Start here - [Send your brief](https://scalewithsearch.com/work#send-your-brief) - [Prepare your six-question brief](https://scalewithsearch.com/work#prepare-your-six-question-brief) - Build - [Site build, content library with SEO, signal desk](https://scalewithsearch.com/work) - For your business - Trades and home services - [Auto body and collision shops](https://scalewithsearch.com/for/auto-body-and-collision-shops) - [Foundation and home repair contractors](https://scalewithsearch.com/for/foundation-and-home-repair) - 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You need a sofa for a client's living room. The client wants modern coastal, has a firm budget, and prefers natural materials. You ask an AI assistant for options. The answer is generic: "Consider linen or cotton upholstery. Look for light wood frames." It adds a consumer retail price range. It does not know that this client dislikes anything too beachy. It does not know the client loved the texture of the jute rug from last week's presentation. It does not know you have a trade-only showroom with the right piece at 20 percent under retail. You then translate generic advice into real product choices, from client details you already wrote down somewhere. A project file puts those details where the assistant can read them. ## What the assistant does not know Each conversation starts empty. A general assistant does not know: - the client's taste, meaning what "modern coastal" means to this client, what they respond to, and what they reject; - your vendor network: the showrooms, the reps with the best terms, the makers you trust; - the project specs: room dimensions, existing furniture, light, and the budget split per room; - past decisions: what the client approved, what they vetoed, and what is locked in for other rooms; - your process: how you present options, how many revision rounds you include, how you structure a sourcing list. You can paste mood board images into a chat and describe the client's style. Three weeks later, when you source the bedroom, you explain the taste profile again. The information exists in your project folders, intake forms, and mood board notes. The assistant cannot connect it across rooms or remember decisions. ## What the project file holds Keep one file per client project and one studio file for everything that applies across projects. | Section | What it holds | |---|---| | Aesthetic profile | What the client loves and dislikes, mood board references, saved inspiration, elements they responded to in presentations | | Project specs | Room dimensions, architectural features, light conditions, furniture they keep, budget split per room, timeline, milestone dates | | Vendor resources | Showrooms, reps, and trade accounts in use on this project | | Decision log | Paint, flooring, fixtures, and furniture: approved, vetoed, or pending | | Communication | How the client likes to review options, how often they want updates, how involved they want to be | The studio file lists your vendor network, your standard design process, your fee structure, and your usual product sources. Project files point to it and add the client-specific details. Specs act as a filter. With the wall length in the file, the assistant does not suggest a 90-inch sofa for an 85-inch wall. With the delivery date in the file, it flags a piece with a 16-week lead time. ## Inspect a project file This is a synthetic file. Budget lines use percentages here; a real file holds your actual figures. ```markdown # Project: Client M, main floor client_id:: CLIENT-M updated:: 2026.09.25 studio_file:: studio.md ## Aesthetic - Modern coastal, but "not beachy": no rope, no anchors, no bright blue. - Loved: jute rug texture, curved lines, warm oak. - Rejected: glossy finishes, wicker. ## Specs - Living room: 18 x 14 ft; sofa wall 85 in; west light. - Dining: seats 6; existing oak table stays. ## Budget split - Living 45%, dining 25%, entry 10%, contingency 20%. - Living spent to date: 60% of its allowance. ## Decision log - 2026-08-30 approved: jute rug, warm oak tone, brass fixtures in kitchen. - 2026-09-06 vetoed: blue velvet chair. - Pending: powder room tile. ## Communication - Wants 3 options per item, not 10. Weekly update by email. ``` Update the file as the project moves. Log each approval, budget change, and new selection on the day it happens. The next request reads the change. ## Load the files each session Claude Code reads a file named `CLAUDE.md` from the working folder when a session starts ([Claude Code memory documentation](https://code.claude.com/docs/en/memory), checked 2026.09.25). Keep `CLAUDE.md` short. Point it to the studio file and to the project folders. Then name the project in each request. Obsidian stores notes as plain Markdown files on your disk, so it works well as the editor. Link each project file to its mood boards and sourcing lists so the assistant can read actual selections. For saved product and inspiration links, the guide to [AI memory for URLs](/articles/ai-memory-for-urls-bookmarks) shows how to store the page, the claim, and why it matters. ## Three jobs before and after the file Dining chairs are the first job. Without the file, you open the mood board, check the living room choices for consistency, and read the budget spreadsheet. Then you search vendor catalogs. That takes about 45 minutes. With the file, you ask: "Find dining chairs for the Client M project. We need 6, matched to the living room's warm wood, within the dining allowance." The assistant reads the file, knows the client likes curved lines, and uses your trade accounts. It returns a sourcing list of 4 options that fit the style and the budget. Time the request against the old 45 minutes, and check every option before the client sees it. A client question is the second job. The client texts: can the kitchen backsplash tile go in the powder room too? With the file, the assistant reads both room specs and the intent for each space. The kitchen is bright and airy. The powder room is moody and dramatic. It drafts a reply that explains why the tile works in the kitchen and why a different finish suits the powder room better. You review it and send it. A new inquiry is the third job. After the intake call for a bedroom project, you ask the assistant to create a project file for the Client T bedroom. The client said "warm minimalist", shared three inspiration photos, and gave a budget. The room is 14 by 16 feet. The assistant writes a starter file with aesthetic keywords, links to the photos, and a budget table. It suggests first sourcing directions from your past warm minimalist projects. Work on the first presentation starts from a style profile, not from zero. ## Keep rooms consistent and budgets visible Consistency across rooms comes from the decision log. If you chose brass fixtures for the kitchen, the assistant suggests brass for the bathrooms too, unless the client wants contrast. Accent pillows start from the recorded palette, textures, and remaining allowance. Budget questions get fast answers when the budget table is current. "How much is left for the living room?" "Can we move to the better rug?" "What is the total so far?" The assistant reads the table and answers. Check its arithmetic against your accounting records before you quote a number to the client. Decisions made in client meetings belong in the log on the same day. The guide to [AI memory for meeting notes](/articles/ai-memory-meeting-notes-decisions) shows how to keep the decision without treating the whole transcript as truth. ## Reuse your design history Closed projects become a reference library. Ask: "Show me all projects with a similar aesthetic." "What did I source for the last coastal living room?" "Which vendors gave the best terms on case goods?" The assistant answers from the linked project files. Keep each client's details inside that client's project. Reuse a past selection as a reference, not as the new client's preference. The guide to [separate client context before an agent touches the work](/articles/separate-client-context-before-agent-work) shows how to test that boundary. ## Set the limits The files work alongside your design software and mood board tools. They do not replace them. The assistant proposes. You decide what the client sees. It does not place orders, accept a vendor quote, or tell a client that an item is approved. The files stay on your computer, but the text Claude Code reads goes to Anthropic for processing. Keep client home addresses, access codes, and payment details out of the files. At project close, keep the final decision log, the specs, and the sourcing list. 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