thesavvyid.com | mcdonough, ga

WHAT TO EXPECT DURING THE INTERIOR DESIGN CONSULTATION: BEFORE, DURING, AND AFTER

You may be wondering, why do I need to book a consultation appointment before starting my design project. How should I prepare for something like this? 

BEFORE YOUR CONSULTATION: HOW TO PREPARE FOR A SUCCESSFUL MEETING WITH YOUR INTERIOR DESIGNER

After you complete your preliminary online questionnaire and submit payment to secure your appointment date; it’s time to prepare for the design meeting. 

At TSID, we have our clients do 3 of the most important things prior to a consultation appointment. This pre-work ensures our time together will be productive and keep the schedule on track without you paying for additional design time. The in-person meeting is only an hour, and it will go by extremely fast. Completing the pre-work prior to our arrival is key to keeping things running like a well-oiled machine. Nice and as smooth as possible!

  1. Go to Pinterest, Houzz, and/or Instagram to find design inspiration for your project. Be prepared to make notes about what you like or dislike about each image. Choose between 3-6 inspirational images to share with your designer
  2. Then create a sample budget for each room where you need design help, by downloading The Budget Calculator from TSID. Make a list of all the furniture items needed for your space(s). Visit your favorite online furniture store (our personal favorites are RH, Arhaus, West Elm & CB2) to help you build a realistic budget so we can discuss during your meeting.
  3. Finally, be sure to write down all your design questions, goals, needs, wants, and desires for your new space(s) because we will need to document it all during our time together. 

DURING YOUR CONSULTATION: THE PURPOSE OF THE IN-HOME (OR VIRTUAL) CONSULTATION MEETING

The design consultation is the starting point of the entire design process and usually takes about 1 hour. During this initial meeting be prepared to discuss: 

  1. The scope of your project in great detail
  2. Your design style and all the things you dislike about your space
  3. Your lifestyle, storage needs, and how you intend to use each room
  4. Your timeline to get started and how much you want to investment in your dream design project

Your interior designer will walk you through the entire full-service design process for the first half of the meeting. The remaining time will be spent on the property walk-through, so we can talk about your ideas. During this time, we will take copious notes to help us prepare for your design proposal after the visit. At TSID, we also like to take a few before images to share with the team and use as a point of reference when customizing your design proposal.

AFTER YOUR CONSULTATION MEETING: WHAT YOU CAN EXPECT NEXT AFTER SPENDING TIME WITH YOUR DESIGNER

Since the consultation meeting does not include any physical design work such as rearranging furniture or styling etc., you will be provided with a written proposal within 2-3 business days outlining the scope of work to be completed, the estimated time it will take to complete the project, the flat rate design fee and the required advance on that design fee which is required to get started.

The last thing left for you to do is: 

  • Review your proposal
  • Sign your contract or letter of agreement
  • & Pay your design fee retainer

Then your designer will take it from there. If you are ready to start your interior design or home decorating journey and need help, click here to Book A Consultation with our principal designer at TSID. Good luck!

Want more design help, click here to read other related blog posts. As always, thank you for supporting our small but mighty interior design business at TSID

Until Next Time,

Katherine

THE SAVVY ID Home Staging & Interior Design

I help women like you elevate your spaces at home and work, so you can live your absolute best life now!

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