Worked example & fields
Illustrative teaching extension of The Window Room. Pending review; not a client record, supplier quote, site survey, or construction-ready document.
Worked example preview · DOCX
- Project and contact
Record the project reference, preferred contact channel, and property location in your private copy. Ask only for contact information you need.
The Window Room; illustrative example; no real client contact details.
- Who uses the room?
Ask about routines, visitors, pets, changing household needs, and any access requirements the client wants to share.
Reading and conversation are the sample brief’s priorities. Household composition and access needs are not specified; confirm in discovery.
- What works today?
Identify existing qualities worth keeping before discussing replacements.
Retain the existing oak floor; Keep the window and entrance positions; Bring reading, conversation, and storage into one room
- What is difficult today?
Ask for specific moments: where belongings collect, when light is uncomfortable, or how activities compete.
The brief asks for reading, gathering, and storage to work together. Specific day-to-day frustrations still need a client conversation.
- What should it feel like?
Request a few references and ask what the client likes about each: light, material, layout, or atmosphere. Do not assume they want every object shown.
Quiet Oak is the selected illustrative route: pale oak, warm mineral walls, and linen. Deep Olive remains a comparison study.
- What must stay?
List retained objects and fixed conditions. Confirm dimensions and condition separately at survey.
Keep the existing oak floor, window position, and entrance position.
- Budget and timing
Distinguish an overall allowance from design fees, purchasing, and installation. Record target dates and their reasons without promising feasibility.
Budget and installation dates are not established in the sample; record as open decisions.
- Who decides, and what happens next?
Identify who consolidates feedback and how decisions will be recorded. Agree the next meeting and outstanding information.
Decision-maker not specified. Next step: confirm the brief and survey the room before developing selections.
How to use this template
Send the blank questionnaire before discovery, then review it together. Invite short answers and allow “not sure yet”; a missing answer is a follow-up task, not permission to assume. Store completed forms in your own secure project system, not on this website. Keep original answers and the agreed interpretation distinguishable; confirm who consolidates feedback.
- Send the questions with a short explanation of how answers will be used.
- Discuss conflicting priorities in discovery; record questions rather than resolving them silently.
- Transfer agreed needs into the brief and assign follow-up information to an owner.
Turn an answer into a useful follow-up
Keep the original answer beside your interpretation until the client confirms it. The questionnaire gathers perspectives; the brief records agreed intent. If two household members want different things, make the tradeoff a conversation rather than selecting the answer that best fits an early design.
The following wording is an authored discussion exercise, not a transcript from a real client. It shows how to ask a narrower question without converting a preference into a product instruction.
| Questionnaire answer | Clarifying question | Brief entry after discussion |
|---|---|---|
| “We want somewhere to read.” | When, for how long, and with what belongings nearby? | Reading is a priority; lighting and storage needs to confirm. |
| “Keep the oak floor.” | Must it remain untouched, or may its condition be assessed? | Retain FIN-01; survey condition before proposing interventions. |
| “We like the linen sofa image.” | Is the preference about color, texture, shape, or a specific product? | Linen is a proposed visual direction; F-01 model and fabric unresolved. |
Review before use
- Do not treat an inspiration image as a specification.
- Do not convert an aspirational budget or date into a commitment.
- Do not collect unnecessary sensitive household information.
Units, source information, and US use
The worked example keeps its original nominal metric dimensions. For a US project, choose and label a primary imperial or metric convention, distinguish item counts from areas, and document any display conversion and rounding. Never relabel metric values as imperial or treat conversion as site verification.
Make it your own
Separate blank and worked-example documents. Edit the blank copy in Word or a compatible document editor.
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About this resource
Authored by OpenLintel with AI assistance. Examples are illustrative and have not received independent professional review. Adapt the structure to your practice and verify project-specific information. No legal agreement, regulatory compliance, or construction readiness is represented.
See the information connect
Follow the corresponding chapter of The Window Room: one illustrative brief, one selected direction, and coordinated sample references.
Explore the sample briefDiscuss your studio’s workflow
Does discovery information get lost between the first meeting and the design brief? Discuss that handoff in a pilot discovery conversation.
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