Have you ever wondered what it’s like to work with an interior designer?
You may have been invited over to a friend’s house because she was eager to show you her living room that was just redone by her interior designer and wondered “How exactly did they do it?” It doesn’t seem like it should be that hard, yet whenever you try to piece a room together you drive to the store to pick up a few cool things only to find that it doesn’t look good in your space once you get it home. Interior design work is part intuition, part real world experience and school. Today, we’ll give you a little insight on how the design process breaks down from start to finish.
The big reveal from a recent kitchen interior design project.
We start with an initial phone call to discuss your needs, budget and timing. This is a great opportunity to chat about anything that you feel is important in your space. We talk with our clients about styles they’re attracted to, what their lifestyle looks like, and the day-to-day activities that bring them happiness. Spending some time to get to know one another helps you to confirm that the project will be a good fit for both you and the designer. After we chat, we then suggest the type of package we think would be a good fit for your needs.
After you have signed the contract, typically we will then schedule a home visit. This gives us a chance to know you better, see firsthand any frustrations you may have with their home, and learn what you currently love about it. For instance, sometimes our client finds themselves in a new place in their life and want their home to reflect that. Other times, it could be that the furniture has been worn down and they are wanting to refresh and modernize the space. As we start to walk around the home, we begin to visualize things and ideas that would enhance the space. During our meeting, we may go over some general suggestions such as wall color, furniture layout, and window coverings to get a good sense of your style.
Once we leave the house with measurements of the rooms and a good feel of what our client needs, we head back to the office to start brainstorming and working on your design. This includes mapping out room dimensions digitally and reviewing furniture layouts that will work in the space. Based on the style of the new concept, we then select a few vendors to source from that reflect your taste. In order to keep the room layered and unique, we make sure to mix some styles and textures together. We also keep in mind the client’s lifestyle. For example, we wouldn’t suggest a white linen sofa for a family that has two dogs, two active young children, and a spouse that has a hard time keeping coffee in their cup! We would instead steer that client towards bullet proof fabrics, colors, finishes and storage solutions for toys, so you can achieve a magazine-worthy look without having to worry too much.
After we’ve taken the time to put a concept together for the furniture, wall colors, window treatments, décor, lighting, rugs, and floor layout, we assemble a “Mood Board” together and have our clients come into the office so that we can go over the design concept and show some inspiration for the room. This is our favorite part, because it gives us a chance to interact with the clients again, get feedback on what they like, and answer any question they have. This is also when we take a close look at how far our clients’ budget can take them, and help them to decide if they want to cut back in one area in order to splurge in another.
In most cases, clients love the whole design concept and want to move forward right away. In others, clients may have concerns and would like to tweak a few of the items/ideas. When this is the case, we take the time to incorporate their design concerns and then present alternatives. There will be times when we stretch the imagination a little bit, and our clients need time to get on board with something new. This is only natural. It’s important to keep in mind that one of the reasons that people hire a designer is so they can have the confidence to get out of their comfort zone.
Once our clients have bought into the vision, we are officially ready to get things going. We start placing orders and coordinating timelines for product delivery in preparation for installation. After everything has arrived and has been personally inspected to ensure all furniture and products are in perfect shape, it’s time for the fun part: installation. We like to ask our clients to vacate their space during installation days, for two reasons: first, seeing everything get installed can be stressful. That’s why we handle it for you! Second, we want our clients to have their “big reveal” moment, where they can take in the completely finished space and feel nothing but excitement at the conclusion of the process.
The big reveal is like Christmas for us interior designers. We love seeing your faces light up when you see your rooms transformed. It’s the culmination of a lot of behind the scenes work, all done in service of helping a family to truly enjoy where they call home. To us, that mission makes it all worth it.