What is an Interior Design Consultation?
How it Works: What To Expect and What Not To
In the past, I made assumptions that consumers generally understood the design process and I wasn’t explaining each phase of the process in a way that made sense. One of my current goals is to educate folks as much as possible about interior design, and the design process, and show the value designers bring when working with us.
This blog post will provide guidance on what to expect and what not to expect during your initial interior design consultation. It will also provide an understanding of why it’s such an important part of the interior design process. Although every project is unique, the design process and approach are always the same.
WHAT TO EXPECT: THE INTERIOR DESIGN CONSULTATION
The interior design consultation is an opportunity to see your home firsthand and start the conceptual process. It’s a time to listen to your decor dilemmas and learn more about your vision for the space, and how it fits in with your lifestyle.
This means that we will take a tour of your home together. We will discuss what is working for you in each space, and what is not. We will focus on any problem areas you would like to address for the scope of work.
Once we’ve narrowed down the scope of work, we’ll have a seat and review together. I will then provide my professional advice and ideas based on the best solution. These ideas may include improving your space layout, the addition of millwork and other architectural elements, furnishings, lighting, artwork, window treatments, and adding decor pieces. We may also look at online resources to help you visualize what we have in mind.
DURING THE CONSULTATION
During the interior design consultation, we will discuss the budget. Most times clients do not know what their budget should be. So, we will do a budget exercise; this includes completing a worksheet to help clients determine a good range to consider.
The final step in the design consultation is discussing how we work. We will go over possible challenges like delays, back orders, and damages. We discuss how we can solve them for you. We will also touch on our 7-Step Interior Design Process and the next steps to get started.
Clients are always encouraged to write down possible questions ahead of the consultation to make sure they are prepared. It may also be helpful to take notes during the meeting to ensure you understand what is being presented since this can be an overwhelming time.
WHAT NOT TO EXPECT: THE INTERIOR DESIGN CONSULTATION
While we may suggest our greatest ideas, they are not the actual selections. Good design is about considering the space overall and how each element relates to each other. It’s about layering pieces which often takes some thought and time to develop. This could include pulling fabric and color swatches together or creating a concept board that shows how each piece relates to the other.
In other words, design takes time so the actual design can’t be achieved during the consultation. While interior designers and decorators can instinctively stand in a room and feel what it needs, we also can turn that initial concept into something more brilliant if given the time. You deserve our best designs and we need time to make sure those ideas work for you.
There is no physical altering of the space during the design consultation. This means we don’t hang art or re-arrange any furniture.
Lastly, the consultation fee is not applied to the design fee or any future project should you decide to hire us. The paid fees for the consultation are strictly for our time to travel to your home and provide you with expertise. This fee is collected ahead of time for new clients to ensure that our focus is on the design work we are there for.
The interior design consultation plays an important part in the design process. It essentially allows you to gain ideas, guidance, resources, and expertise to help you make decisions and move toward the next step.
Want to schedule a design consultation? If you live in the Galveston Bay Area and are thinking about home renovations or new ways to style up your space, book a discovery call. It will help us determine if our services will suit your needs.
XO,
