If you work for a new home builder or condo developer, or if you’ve ever thought of hiring an interior design professional to help you with a personal project or renovation, this article is for you.

If you’re going to be working with an interior design professional, understanding some of the steps that will need to be undertaken will help the whole process run more smoothly. Many people don’t realize just how many details go into an interior design project. Knowing what’s ahead of you and the step-by-step process of project planning makes life easier, trust me!

Read on to learn more.

Working Well with an Interior Design Professional Step 1: Establish the Scope of Work

Although there are a lot of details that go into an interior design project, my team and I at Crystal Collinson Interiors work hard to make sure that the process is as smooth and simple as possible.

Also, we make sure you know exactly what you’re getting into and what to expect by giving a clear outline of the various steps of an interior design and project planning process. When you know what to expect, everything runs smoother and there are no surprises.

First things first. Here’s Step 1, and everything that’s included in it.

Step 1

✨ We start off with an interview with you, the client, to determine the “What,” the “Where,” and the “Why” of the project. What are we designing (a model home, a sales centre, an amenity space, your living room?), where is it, and why have you hired us to do this work? What goals are you looking to achieve?

✨ We conduct a strategic needs analysis which is determined at the intake meeting.What are the functions required of the space? Let’s make sure we’re all on the same page so we can design something that works for you and your end goals.

✨ Next, we undertake a site/project review. We want to see what we’re working with and to see if there are any obstacles or opportunities we need to know about. It’s all about the details!

✨ If applicable, you/the client will next provide us with any inspiration images. What are you envisioning for this space, do you have a “look” in mind? What styles, colours, materials, layouts and so on inspire and excite you? Inspiration images can be via shared via Pinterest board, Houzz Idea Book, Google images emailed, magazines, etc. We’re flexible!

✨ Next, we make sure we’ve got a signed letter of agreement. We like to dot our i’s and cross our t’s to make sure all the details have been accounted for and that we’re all on the same page about scope of work, expectations, timing, etc.

✨ We also make sure that our interior design retainer deposit has been received. That’s it for Step 1, and we can now get started on Step 2 of the design process – moving on to the actual design.

Make sure to catch my next article to learn more about Step 2!