EP 10: The Art of Saying Yes

In this episode of On the Move: The Art of Installation, Kelly and Caralee  explore the deceptively simple phrase every designer, project manager, and installer knows too well: “Yes.” From the little asks (“Can you move that just a bit higher?”) to the big requests that push schedules and stretch resources, the art of saying yes can make or break a project.

With wit and hard-earned honesty, Kelly and Caralee share real stories from the field—times when saying yes created magic, and times when it nearly backfired.

You’ll hear:

• Why “yes” is both essential and dangerous in the white glove world.
• The balance between keeping clients happy and protecting your team’s sanity.
• How to turn unexpected challenges into opportunities for trust.
• Lessons learned from installs where saying yes went beautifully—and when it didn’t.

 Whether you’re a designer managing client expectations or an installer navigating last-minute requests, this episode will give you a thoughtful, humorous, and practical look at why “yes” is never just one word in the world of interior installations.

Subscribe now to On the Move: The Art of Installation for more behind-the-scenes stories, strategy, and service wisdom from Caudelle Interior Installations.

Thank you for tuning in to On the Move – The Art of Installation. If you’re as passionate about details as we are, hit “subscribe,” and join us for insights, stories, and strategy from the field. If you’re ready to work with a team that moves with purpose, professionalism, and polish. Reach out to us at www.caudelle.com or follow us on, Instagram @caudelle_installation. Check out our BLOG, The “WHITE GLOVE JOURNAL”, where you can find our show notes and updates.

Transcript

CARALEE: Welcome back to On The Move, the Art of Installation, a podcast by CAUDELLE INTERIOR Installations where we impact the details that bring design visions to life. One yes at a time. Today's episode is something we say a lot on site. Yes, we can, but let's make sure that that's the right, yes, 

KELLY: exactly. The yes is a very dangerous word [00:01:00] because well, in the white glove world, we're not just saying yes to requests.

We have to execute. Detail it, and do it the right way. So saying yes is. A very compounded answer. 

CARALEE: This is for every designer, project manager, advisor and installer, who knows the job is in the tiny decisions, the tiny yeses that are a lot bigger than we were expecting.

Yes, the elevations, the alignments, special brackets, but most importantly, the problem solving right before the problem. Exists, 

KELLY: right. Well, we gotta tape measure and let's get into some humility. So we're getting into the heart of thoughtful flexibility. Yes. So, um, 

CARALEE: you know, let's be honest, we all wanna say yes.

That's our instinct, especially in a service industry. When a designer says, can we center this between the windows, or could you float this a little bit higher? Our first reaction is always, of course, [00:02:00] 

KELLY: yes. And I will say. Not all yeses are created equal. Right. That's an understatement.

We've learned over the years when you say yes to a question, we say yes, because we know we want to do it. We want to do it for the client. If the client is asking us, they really want it, they desire it. So then you have to start. Backtracking in your mind. You don't, you don't ever say it out loud, but you're backtracking your mind.

You're like, what did I just say yes to? Right? Um, is that gonna hold? Is it gonna look right? I mean, will the wall handle it? So, you know, you say yes and then you're okay. Okay, now I've gotta figure out Yes. I, you know, so it's, 

CARALEE: that is balancing yes. Thought, fullness, and that desire to say yes. With expertise.

KELLY: Well, ex Exactly. And, and if you listen to the last [00:03:00] episode, um, we were talking about art hanging or mm-hmm. Which one? Previous one. Whatever. I said yes to a situation because, uh, this is the humility part of it is, and in Miami on a project, huge piece of art won't fit in the elevator, won't, you know, fit up the stairs.

We had to take it apart. Then we had to re-stretch it, reframe it, re mm-hmm. Uh, do everything. Well, I shouldn't have said yes, I should have let the framers do it, but designers out of town 

CARALEE: mm-hmm. 

KELLY: We're out of town. It was a situation to try to be resolved. I thought we could resolve it easily. And yes, we've.

Done it. We've, uh, installed it, the art's up there now it looks great, but in my personal opinion mm-hmm. [00:04:00] It, I should probably have not had said, had said yes because mm-hmm. Not that it doesn't look perfect and look good, but I'm not a framer. Yeah, sure. And so with my eye being. Who I am, what I do, I see flaws, right?

I saw flaws. I bring the client in there, ask them to look over everything, make sure everything's look, looks right. I'm like, please take your time. Do all that. Everything looked perfect. No, no issues. Yeah, but I know there were 

CARALEE: right, and you, and you know, right. 

KELLY: So that's why I'm.

I feel bad because like I said, I, I wish I could have done a better job, but I didn't have the framing tools. Sure. You're talking about corner squeeze and pin nailers and Yes. All of this stuff that I don't even know the terminology for, but we made it happen because the, [00:05:00] the client expected us to. Um, which is, 

CARALEE: is nice.

It's nice to have that respect and that expectation, but I also think that that's kind of where, you know, saying yes can get risky. 

KELLY: Right, right. That I'm going yes. Risky is a perfect term for that because, you know, saying yes and something's, uh, too heavy, too, too big. Mm-hmm. Too small, too whatever, you know, you say yes.

But I have also found, um, and, and I, I guess I've been, uh, blessed with this through my actual time and experience is if I don't agree with something. I don't ever do it in a condescending way or anything. I, I offer suggestions. Mm-hmm. Okay. Well, what about this? Yeah. I'm thinking more about that. What do you think?

Mm-hmm. 90% of the time they're Oh, yeah. Yeah. Mm-hmm. Or they tell me why they [00:06:00] wanted it that way. And then we talk about it and then if they want it still done that way, do it. It's fine. It's great. 

CARALEE: Well, and I, you know, I'm sure you have lots of examples where, you know, there's, somebody has said yes, not necessarily you, but you know, the designer has said yes to the client and you know, now we're up against a pitfall.

Like there's something that's happened. Right. You know, the consequences of saying Yes. Start to really show themselves. Right. Well, 

KELLY: and. Exactly the, the pitfalls of saying yes. Uh, and I'll use this as an example, um, in the, we'll use our art installation company, for example. We, we work with a couple different, um, art consultants that are outta state.

Mm-hmm. And what they do is they send us layouts, uh, you know, uh, schematics, everything that we need. No problem. Fly to a job, drive to a job, whatever we need to do. We go in, we start installing. Well, [00:07:00] part of their process is they want pictures mm-hmm. Of everything. And of course they, uh, say, you know, what height they want it and all like that.

That's, that's all well and good. But then you run into the situation where, because they haven't been there either, they've, they're using the construction drawings. Yeah. And just like you said, there's a vent there, there's, there's a, a strobe fire strobe there. Mm-hmm. There's a, a window there that they had not.

Right. So then, you know, you have to. Either one, pick up the phone call. Mm-hmm. Discuss, go find the, the contact there. And what I've been fortunate enough to build a rapport with, with our clients is that they basically have said to me. You know what looks right? Yeah. Don't waste an hour, you know, right. Of of time looking for a client that's at lunch and, and it's happened before, you know?

Yeah. Two hours ago. That's the last [00:08:00] piece of art I have to hang. Mm-hmm. I've got a flight to catch and, you know, an hour and a half. Right. But I can't leave 'cause I've gotta hang that art. So you, it, you know, it's, there's always a risk in saying it that way. Uh. But you know, to get back to the point, it, it's, it is.

Whether it's a, a, a gallery wall, whether it's made to look like chaos, may, whether it is, um, I always call gallery walls random chaos, uh, or not random chaos, excuse me, organized chaos, because that's what you look at it as. Mm-hmm. But it's very precise. Oh, yes, there are perfect measurements in there. And you know, it's, you have 40 pieces to put on a wall.

You've got to make it look right. You, I mean, we've all walked into places or people's homes and you're like, oh my goodness. Yeah. You know? And then, you know, not to get too far off subject, but. [00:09:00] On a gallery wall, you know, you have to talk to the client, Hey, who's related to who, who's, um, you know, whose kids, who's whatever.

Yeah, exactly. And you know, you can't put all one family on one side. They have to be blended. You're in a blended family. You know, when you get married, you're one family. So, but anyway, I kind of got off subject there a little bit. So, 

CARALEE: you know, I think what, um, you know, we've talked about in other episodes, um, really is important here too.

It's communication. Like, yes, obviously we're talking about saying yes, we're talking about, you know, trying to, you know, make sure that our client is happy, but. You know, when we say yes, but it's not about us being difficult. Right. You know, it's trying, it's us being smart and safe. Right. I mean, a lot of times, sometimes something, you know, wherever you, wherever they're wanting to hang, it's not safe or it's not gonna work.

It's not about not making the client happy or not about trying to say we know [00:10:00] better. Yeah. It's just that, you know. 

KELLY: Well, I, I think, I think this, I really think this has starting to happen over the past couple years. Instead of saying yes immediately. Mm-hmm. And I'm, I, I, I try to physically, physically, men, mentally say.

Hey, let's think about this for a second. 

CARALEE: Yeah. I've heard you plenty of times. I, yeah, 

KELLY: and, and, but, and that's the thing, because you get, you, you have to be careful saying yes. Mm-hmm. You say yes, they walk away and you're like, oh, crap. Yeah. Whoa, 

CARALEE: whoa, whoa. You know? Then you put yourself in a situation where you're asking, now you're, you said yes, and they walk away, and now you're stuck with, you know, 1200 problems.

Right. That you, you are expecting 

KELLY: saying yes. But you have to have a plan to where things are gonna go. Right, right. You know, and, and I, I setting 

CARALEE: everyone up for success. 

KELLY: Thank you. Yes. Yeah. 

CARALEE: So I guess you know what we mean when we, what we. When we say yes at CAUDELLE, what we really mean is that, you know, we will do our best to make it look exactly like the renderings, but it will be, you know, if, if things, if changes come up, they'll always [00:11:00] be secure level, safe and as close to, you know, what we can do to make you happy as possible.

And, you know, doing so we, um, you know, have really thought through the logistics. And most importantly, you know, we're here to collaborate. We're not just going to throw it up. We will do everything in our power 

KELLY: to follow through with that. It's about caring, about the details. Of what somebody that's has designed the space to look like.

I mean, you know, if, if I come busting in there and just throw 14 pieces on the wall and the designer walks in and goes, um, I'm sorry. That was for the whole leafing area. I mean, you know what I'm saying? It is just, um. You it, it's appreciation for the design, whether, whether you're going by a plan, whether you're going by someone's, uh, thought process to you, uh, you know, [00:12:00] we could dive into, um, hanging out for homeowners.

You go in there and 90% of them are lost. Yeah. They're, they've got a, a room full of pictures and, and help me. Yeah. Help me. And, you know, you're like, okay, I got you. I got you. Just relax, relax. And then, like you said, you just, you go through, you look together. But it's, it's knowing, uh, how to communicate.

Yeah. You know, and, uh. Uh, that's just, that's just part of the business. 

CARALEE: Yeah, for sure. You know, I mean, I think we've said it, um, before, and I mean, I know it will continue to say it, but you know, it's when you treat the installation like the final chapter of a design story, you know, you. Really honor everyone who worked on the book.

You know, I know that's very poetic, but it's okay. You know, I think that remembering everything is a collaboration, right. And that everything takes teamwork. Yeah. That, you know, a yes isn't just a yes for you. It's a yes for, you know, everyone else. [00:13:00] So that Yes. Needs to be, you know, well thought out. Yes.

KELLY: Well, and, and. To ramp it up, you know, the next time, uh, an installer gets asked, Hey, just move it up a little higher, a little lower. Can you move it to the left? Can you move it to the right? Say yes, yeah, but make it, make it smart. Uh. A smart choice in saying yes, you know, if it doesn't look right, say, well what do you think about this?

For sure. 

CARALEE: No, I mean, you know, in installation, you know, we definitely feel like the best guess is the one that lasts, you know? Yeah. Is the one that close. Absolutely. Beautiful now, but also years from now. 

KELLY: Right, exactly. So thank y'all all for joining us on this episode of On The Move, the Art of Installation.

CARALEE: And if you have enjoyed this conversation, send it to your favorite designer, project manager. Or installer who knows that the final 10% is where the magic lives. 

KELLY: And I like I always say, remember, say yes, but do your homework first.