Design Fees. They can be so confusing because there is no industry standard for designer billing. One charges hourly. One charges a percentage. One charges a Flat Fee for the project (this is my favorite because you know up front exactly what you’ll pay and can budget the fee in from the very beginning.) There can also be a combination of billing methods for different phases of your project. This means you might pay a flat fee for the Design Concept and go to hourly billing for implementation.
You also may be experiencing a bit of sticker shock after inquiring about Design Fees. Interior Design and Decoration is considered a luxury service, so one would normally to hire a professional when a certain income level is reached - much like trading up the Chevy for a Mercedes when the time is right.
Today we’ll peel back the curtain and have a look at what goes into Design Fees so you’ll feel comfortable about the whole process and what is actually happening behind the scenes.
There are three basic stages to a Full Service Design project, and each phase has a series of tasks that must be completed to keep your project moving forward as efficiently as possible.
Phase I - Design Planning
Phase 2 - Implementation
Phase 3 - Installation
Today, we’ll talk about Phase I - the Design Planning.
Successful rooms require equal parts Creativity and Planning. If you end up with a room that looks good but doesn’t function for your particular needs, your money is not well spent. On the other hand, if your room works well enough but lacks that “wow” factor, your room will fail to delight. Now add in your budget requirements and your personal preferences and we’ve got a fairly complex road to navigate!
It’s imperative to get the functionality and flow down first. We can always make it pretty once we get the space properly laid out.
So we start with measuring your room. Each wall. Each window. Each door. Ceiling height. Fireplace dimensions.
Next, we’ll need photos and measurements for any pieces you already own that you’d like to retain in the new design.
Once we have these measurements, we go about laying out the space for proper functionality.
Once a good workable layout has been established, we begin sourcing specific furnishings for your space. Sounds like fun, right? Sure it is, but it’s also time consuming because product specifications must be researched to ensure that they’ll fit your space. And fit your personal style. And work within the budget. So yes, sometimes you have to kiss a lot of frogs before you find your prince!
Great - we’ve found our perfect sofa! Now we’ll just need to select things like leg style and finish (or skirt), arm style, cushion fill, whether or not we want casters, nailheads, cording and if we do want any of those things , in what finish? Oh, and we’ll need to make a fabric selection. (We’ll carefully check the specs on the fabric selection too, as we’ll need something durable and stain resistant.)
Now we’ll go through this entire process all over again for every piece of furniture for your room. Every chair. Ottomans? Cocktail and end tables.
And pillows. We’ll want to go custom on a few of those. So we’ll need to research and then spec dimensions, fabrics, trims, edge finishes, and fill. But first, swatches and/or fabric memos may need to be ordered to ensure we’re going to end up with a cohesive color story.
Next we’ll look at window treatments. Are we doing drapes, shades, blinds or shutters? Maybe just a top treatment? Again we’ll source and edit down fabric and trim selections, window treatment styles, lining, pleat styles, drapery hardware styles and finishes. Going off of our measurements, we’ll get with our local drapery workroom to get an estimate for your window treatments that works with your budget. Again, we’ll order fabric swatches/memos before your Design Plan is presented to be sure we’ve made the best possible selection for your budget and for your style.
Rinse and repeat this process for your lighting (overhead, sconces, table lamps, and floor lamps), rugs, and accessories.
While all of the above is going on, we’re developing a personalized color palette that will reflect the mood you’re trying to create in your room. So we’ll look at paint colors with our fabric selections and other design elements. And we’ll be mindful of creating a proper balance of color in your room too!
After some rethinking, trial and error, and second (third?) looks at other options, we finalize the Design Plan that was created especially for you!
Next, we’ll gather all of our materials and swatches, run the numbers, and put together a Design presentation that we will personally deliver to you so we can go over all of the fine details and answer your questions.
If you see a few items you don’t like, we provide up to 3 single item revisions at no additional cost to you!
All we’ll need is your approval and we can go on to the next phase of your project - the Implementation phase!
All of my research, creativity and planning for the Design Planning phase of the project is covered by my all inclusive Full Service Decorating by the Room flat Design Fee! The Flat Fee also covers the Implementation and Installation Phases, which we’ll go over in my next blog posts.
I hope you’ll check back to learn more about what the Implementation and then the Installation/ Styling phases of a Design project look like!
The Green Room Interiors is currently accepting new projects for Spring of 2020. Fill out our Contact form and tell us how we can best serve you!
