FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Why would I hire an Interior Designer?
When investing in your home, whether you’re planning on putting $10,000 into furniture and décor or $100,000+ into a remodel, having an Interior Designer is an insurance policy for both functionality and aesthetics. With the multitude of options available for each and every selection you’ll make, the more elements you’re balancing, the easier it is to miss-select without a professional. In addition to optimizing your financial investment, we're here to save you headaches in the construction process by working hand-in-hand with architects, contractors and trade professionals to advocate on your behalf and make sure the details are executed appropriately. We are also trained on everything from the pros and cons of various material options, to the psychological principles that should influence your paint colors, layout and lighting selections. In short, without a trained Designer it’s very easy for updates to become costly and overly stressful, all while leaving you wondering why your home doesn’t feel ‘quite right’.
Is my project big enough? What does it cost to work with you?
We have engineered our design process to be as stress-free as the homes we create, with a package for every scope of design.
From a two-hour Design Consultation, to Virtual Design, all the way to Full Service, more on our offerings and their nuances can be found in our Investment Guide on our Services + Process page.
What is included in your Conceptual Design and Full Service
retainers?
After our initial Design Consultation, the next step is to collect the retainer pertaining to your selected design package. Whether you select Virtual Design or Full Service, the retainer is applied towards the hourly rates accumulated on your first invoice.
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To avoid surprises, we create a detailed Proposal to outline the specifics of your design, with a cost range for our fees as well as for the items we are sourcing. You're welcome to tailor the scope of our work and / or the high end of the range of what we are sourcing in this phase so we only design and present exactly what you're looking for.
In summary, the retainer is not intended as a guarantee we can accomplish the entirety of your design within that fee (or all projects would have to be the same size!), but rather as a minimum project fee. We have had client's put a 'hard stop' at the retainer amount, which we are happy to tailor your scope to!
How many hours will my project take?
How much does a pair of jeans cost? As you can imagine, the answer can vary drastically and it’s hard to provide an accurate range without knowing more about what you’re looking for.
There are many factors that influence the how long a project takes because every space and scope are unique, as are the clients. We have worked through all of the selections for three entire bathrooms with very decisive clients in just seven hours, and we’ve also had a single in-depth bathroom remodel that included on-site project management take over fifty hours.
Since every project is different, we’re more than happy to hop on a call and discuss the scope of your unique design so we can give you an educated estimate of a range the work might fall under, and again we’ll give you a specific estimate after your Design Consultation with our Proposal. Kindly fill out your information on our Contact page, and we’ll be in touch.
Will you be purchasing for me? Marking up products?
Yes and no – it’s totally your choice.
We’re truly here to help you get the best space possible for your unique tastes and budget, so we have tailored our offerings to allow for your selection here: we source retail items for Virtual Design clients which they purchase and install on their own, whereas we are able to design bespoke pieces and source from exclusive trade vendors for Full Service clientele, which we then purchase and install on their behalf.
So to clarify, your hourly charge includes…?
Our fee includes any time spent on tasks specifically for your project. For example, discussing the project with your contractor, putting together your Design Proposal, creating your concept, and sourcing all of the unique items that will make your space shine are included in your project fee. Drive time to our Design Consultation is complimentary, but transit time thereafter is billed at our lower travel rate.
Don’t be nervous that the hours will go out of control - again we can be as hands on or off as you choose, and we always make sure to get clarity on what you want help with before with the Design Proposal. We are also proponents for full transparency, so every invoice has a clear break down of all the tasks we performed on your behalf. We’re here to help you create a beautiful home as well as make the process fun and painless.
Take me through this step by step, how does your process work?
We’d love to let you know what to expect if we work together, so we’ve outlined our full process here.
Okay, I’m in – but how do I make the most of our time together?
I love this question because there are a few simple things you can do as the client that really help us nail it for you as your designer!
First, ask questions – if you’re not sure about any part of the design process, or know you want a certain outcome but aren’t sure if it’s reasonable by all means ask! There are no silly questions, and we’re here to help.
Second, do your homework. After our initial phone call, we’ll send you a design questionnaire to get to know you and your style. The more you give us to go off of, the better job we can do with your design.
Third, be transparent. This is a very collaborative process, so being forthright about your budget, timeframe, lifestyle, preferences, etc. is critical to our understanding the full picture and can create your best design.
Sounds great, how do we get started?
Hop on over to our Contact page above and fill out your information. We’ll be in touch soon to schedule a time to hop on a call, chat through your project, answer any questions, and get the ball moving!
