This stage includes in-person meetings, phone calls and emails, plus all of us pinning inspiration images to a shared Pinterest board. During programming, we are also looking at the architecture of your home and any rooms that will not change, and making sure there is a relationship, a conversation between what you (and we) will be adding, and what is already there. This stage is where we refine the nuts-and-bolts parameters of the project in terms of defining your specific needs and details, whether this is space planning, lifestyle needs, or personal desires.

Now, in Phase 2, we apply our expertise to creating the design for you. During this phase, we show you options. We arrange one (or several) meeting(s) and present you with two well developed and different sets of ideas for your space(s). Complete with fabric and finish samples, tear sheets of furniture. Each set is assembled together in its own design tray, or we may attach these pieces to boards (hence the name “design boards”) or arrange them in boxes. The purpose is to have you experience the colors, shapes, weights, and textures together, and respond. For clients who want more help visualizing how all the pieces will fit together in the space, we may create a computerized 3D rendering.

Phase 3:  The Waiting (quotes, proposals, orders). Compared to the bustle of Phase 2, Phase 3 can feel… slow. During this part of the design process, we are selecting items and ordering. So…  Expect that high-end products and fine furnishings take time to make, and deliver. The Programming and Design phases (Parts 1 and 2) are one aspect of the time the whole process takes, but there is also the time it takes to custom-make or hand-make your items, and have them shipped to you, and installed.

Phase 4: The Rush (Installation, The Reveal)

This is it! The grand finale — the moment we are always waiting for, that we fast-forward through design-shows on our DVRs to get to (what, you don’t do that?)…

This phase is all about installation day. And as much as we might think we know what that entails, here are a few things that clients are sometimes surprised to learn