A designer will study, review, and sketch out the space based on your desire and needs. Then we will design and curate a style that is personalized to you. Typically, designers have trade resources that open up to a wider range of products from hundreds of manufacturers.
A personal shopper shops from a list of items you would like for your space. They will look for the specific sizes, colors, and style of the items.
We attend design-trade-only markets and design conferences to stay on top of market trends, concepts and systems. We sample fabrics, test out products and see what other designers are doing. We invest time in staying involved in the design community.
We decide when a project is an ideal fit based on how well the client and we communicate. Because designing someone’s home involves a lot of time together, getting to know them and spending time in their home, it’s key that we can easily see eye to eye. Then we consider the project timeline, realistic goals and a realistic project investment for those goals also play a huge role in knowing if we can take on your project.
This depends on what service you purchased and the scope of the project. Some take weeks, others take months, and then some projects could take a year or more to complete, depending on how many phases of the process are involved and how detailed the designs are. Each project has its own parameters that affect the timeline. It is also important to note that the timeline can be affected by how quickly clients make decisions.
The goal is always not to get to this point. Hopefully during our sessions prior to finalizing the design boards, we will have worked through the feedback. Design is subjective – what one loves, someone else may not. And that also changes with time. We will always work towards understanding the needs and wants you’ve articulated. If we have misunderstood or miscommunicated the design elements, we will evaluate and collaborate on a solution.
If there is a complete redesign, where we go a 180 degree change of heart, then it will most likely affect the scope of work and may require additional hours and services to deliver the new design. An example of this would be if we designed a modern minimalist design space and then switch to a bohemian design.
No. Design fees are always separate from all product costs, whether it be a furnishing or a construction project.
We are always mindful of your investment parameters, which is why it is important from the very beginning to set a clear budget so that we don’t waste time searching for a set of furnishings that compromise such boundaries. Communication is key and we talk about money from day one and throughout the project in order to stay on the same page of investment parameters. Design is a luxury service and we work hard to find suppliers and vendors that we can stand behind in regards to the quality and customer service and do our best to source from quality vendors over cheaper companies found all over the internet. Ultimately, we may spend more on a sofa or table but spread the investment out and spend less on a rug, or a side chair to balance it all out, staying within the budget fence.
There is not a standard mark-up. Each vendor and product have pricing based on the trade to designer relationship and different manufacturers offer different price structures. We typically provide pricing that is at or below retail costs. We source for your project based on your given budget.