Hi there! This week we are excited to be writing to share a little bit about our design process with you guys! Julie has been in the industry for over 15 years, allowing her a lot of time and trial and error to perfect our process. Whether you’ve worked with a designer, you are a designer, or you know nothing about the industry, the process can look distinctly different from firm to firm. If you’re considering hiring a designer or want to know more about the steps involved, we hope this will help you to better understand our process and get a general idea of what the steps involved in your design project involve:
THE DESIGN PROCESS….
1.) Our process starts with a client initially reaching out to us. Sometimes we have clients who are referred to us by a builder or friend, have found us on Google, Instagram, Facebook, in a magazine, or through many other avenues. We begin with an initial phone call to explain our process and pricing, then as next steps we set up an initial client “meet and greet” so that the potential client is able to meet with Julie to get to know our team. This meeting is short and sweet and is truly just to make sure we’re on the same page in terms of the goals of the project, and also allows the client to bring inspiration images, Pinterest boards, etc. to serve as inspiration for our team’s selections.
2.) After our initial meet and greet, once the client has decided to move forward, they pay a retainer upfront that we deduct our design time from as we go. Our team will go to the site to take measurements, photos, and take a look at existing furniture pieces to start the process. At this point, the measurements are used to draw the space in AutoCAD to create space plans. We will present the various options for furniture arrangement to the client to determine what works best functionally, and then based on which arrangement works best, we will begin making selections.
3.) Sometimes we will design homes in phases by room, and in this case we will prepare all of the selections for that space, photos of the furniture item we’ve selected, fabric swatches, finish samples, wallpaper samples, etc. to present to the client. From here we either get the green light to order product or we make a few re-selections. The presentation piece typically takes place about 2 weeks after the initial meet and greet. The real time gap takes place in the period between the time the proposed selections are ordered and install day.
4.) Once we create a proposal with the items we’ve presented, we send the proposal on to the client for approval and then we place the orders. For many items, the lead time is anywhere from 8-12 weeks, meaning that the install likely won’t take place for around 3 months after orders are placed. Because items are coming in at different times, and because most vendors we use require a commercial shipping location, we work with a local receiving warehouse who manages storing and delivering our furniture and items.
5.) The last step in our process is the install! This is always a fun day because we get to see all of the pieces we selected months back come together to complete a space. On the day of the install, it’s all hands on deck. Our team shops for accessories, books, and other items as needed during the day of the install to completely finish out the space. Later down the road, we have some spaces photographed so that we can share our work with you!