What’s it Like to Work with an Interior Designer?

So you’re considering hiring a professional interior designer, but you’re not quite sure where to start? And how, exactly, do interior designers bring a project to life? If you’ve ever found yourself wondering how interior designers work with clients, and what do interior designers do, exactly — we’re here to help.

The goal of an interior designer is not only to create a cohesive look for your space, but to also manage the logistics required, so that you don’t have to. From sourcing furnishings, fabrics, and colors to the minutiae of scheduling electrical work, tiling and plumbing, we’ll walk you through the full process of what it’s like to work with our Boston-based interior design team to shed light on what interior designers do to create the home of your dreams.

We kick off each new project by meeting with our clients to get better acquainted and fully determine the scope of work required. We discuss our clients’ lifestyles, functionality requirements, and design needs to understand the type of space(s) we can help create. We pride ourselves on being good listeners — and we make sure we listen carefully during this step of the process. 

1. Scoping

The scope of each project widely varies depending on whether our team is involved in a new build, renovation, or is simply needed for interior design services, but this part of the process helps us determine where on the spectrum we’ll land.

2. Schematic Design

Here is where the fun begins. We source visual examples of fabrics, shapes, colors and styles that our clients are most drawn to. Then, we collaborate to pinpoint our clients’ signature style.

From there, we meet to ensure we’re on track and aligned aesthetically. At the end of the project, our goal is to create a space that feels true to our clients’ interests and lifestyles. When working on a renovation or new build, we work closely with the architect to develop the design plans from the beginning.

3. Furniture Layout and Lighting

During this phase, we discuss our clients’ lifestyles and requirements, such as the number of people that should be seated comfortably in a room or at a table. We use this information to determine the ideal furniture layout and lighting program to best suit individual needs.

4. Sourcing

Next, we present our clients with options for furniture, lighting, and accessories. From there, we either finalize our plans, or explore alternative selections for review.

5. Pricing and Purchasing

We price everything that has been selected, from wall coverings and fabric to furniture and lighting, to come up with a realistic accessory budget. This phase consists of finalizing details and ordering goods. All items related to a project are stored at our designer warehouse until the installation process begins.

6. Installation

All items related to a project are delivered to our client’s home at the same time and installed at once. Depending on the scale of the project, this could take anywhere from one day to one week. We strive to have every last detail — including furniture, artwork and accessories — perfectly placed and ready to be enjoyed.

Ready to get started on your design project? Reach out to our design team here.