When taking on a full renovation or building a custom home, the process can feel overwhelming. With years of professional interior design experience, I’ve refined my project process for optimum expediency, quality and transparency. My goal with every project is to leave clients entirely in love with their new home, while making them comfortable and excited about the process throughout.
We receive dozens of inquiries a month, so I wanted to create a tell-all guide of what to expect while working together. Every designer has their own system and it’s important to consider not only the type of work they do, but the way they do their work. By providing a detailed outline of my design process, I hope to clarify questions you may have, address any initial concerns and lay the foundation for a seamless and pleasant experience together.
1. Inquiry
Here at Lexi Westergard Design, I believe our client process begins from the moment you first submit your interior design inquiry. After years of experience, we’ve refined our initial inquiry form to cover the basic foundation of your interior design project, whether it be new construction, a home renovation or a full service interior design project. Our design inquiry form guides you through the questions we need to best understand your project such as your desired timeline, budget and aesthetic preferences. There is even a place to submit existing space photos and upload floor plans. Once you’ve submitted your inquiry form, my team will reach out shortly to discuss your project in more depth and being the on-boarding process.
2. Consultation
Once my team and I have received your design inquiry, we’re ready to sit down with you and learn more about your project, the way you use your space and your overall style. We want to understand how your family lives, what colors you love, and what styles you would like to stay away from. After booking your design consultation, we’ll walk through your home together, look through any existing floor plans and elevations. Additionally, I will sit down with you to discuss the design process, so you have a clear understanding of what to expect for your unique home.
3. Proposal
After our initial consultation day, I will work with my team to evaluate your full project scope. For example, for our new construction projects, we act as the liaison between the architect, builder, contractors and our design team. Our full-service design clients often won’t need an architect, so the scope of work differentiates. Further, we analyze your list of wants and needs for your home. We’ll additionally assess your project budget and estimate the number of hours required to complete the job. Finally, we'll present you with a formal proposal, outlining our professional cost estimate for our design services.
4. Trade Day
Trade day is one of my favorite days of the entire project, because it’s the official kick off of the project. We'll meet at your house to take all necessary measurements, capture photos of the different spaces in different lights, take extensive notice how the space changes throughout the day, and most importantly, we’ll meet with any trades people to get bids.
5. Planning
Once my team has a thorough understanding of your home, we’ll dive into the heavy workload. To begin, we'll execute the new floor plans with the new layout and create detailed elevations showcasing the design plan. During this phase, we’ll make all the selections of hard surfaces, furnishings, fabrics, and fixtures - everything that turns an empty house into a warm and welcoming home. During this planning phase, we'll price out every aspect of the project to have the final project investment outlined.
6. Presentation
With the conceptual direction of your home created, we’ve already carefully curated the design details including flooring, cabinetry, fixtures, wallpapers, furnishings and artwork. I’ll carefully craft a detailed design presentation to walk you through all of our selections. You’ll have the opportunity to view samples, touch swatches, compare quality materials and view our design plans. While presentation day can traditionally feel overwhelming, I’ve solidified a planning process that is both efficient and strategic. After the presentation is complete, I’ll make any necessary revisions to your preferences to finalize the project’s design plan.
7. Ordering + Management
Once the design is approved, my team will handle ordering all the materials and furnishings for the project, so you can rest at ease. During construction or renovations, we’ll also be communicating the finalized design to your builder. What makes our process truly full service, is I’ll be the point of contact for all vendors during your project, using an advanced client management software. My team will track all orders, notate all contractor schedules and contact details as well as keep an itemized budget up to date. Finally, we'll coordinate delivery to personally check for any damages or incomplete orders upon arrival.
8. Site Visits
To keep things running smoothly and ensure the highest quality final product, we’ll schedule periodic site visits to check the progress of the build or remodel. During our site visits, I’ll answer any questions the architect or builder may have, speak with contractors, and ensure designs are coming to life as planned. We take the headache out of a renovation or new build by ensuring a superior quality of work is maintained by all parties involved in the design.
9. Installation
As an interior designer, install days are my absolute favorite. After months of construction, this is when I get to take hundreds of hours of planning and bring your home to life. My team will handle all details of install: we'll coordinate the movers and handymen to arrive early in the morning, we’ll unbox and position furnishings, hang artwork and style every final detail. Depending on the square footage of your home, installation can range from one to several days. Post-installation, we’ll facilitate any returns, close out invoices and sign off on trades people.
10. Reveal
AKA - The best day ever. After every detail is perfected, we have the immense honor to welcome you into your new home! This is the first time you'll see the full design process come to life. After we present your new home, we’ll bring our professional photographer to document the final designs. After our project together is completed, we're always available for updates in the future. I establish long-lasting friendships with my clients and love when their family reaches a new chapter in their lives and is ready to work together on a new design plan.
Ready to work together? View our portfolio of work and start the process by completing our inquiry form here and tell us about your project. My team will reach out shortly to set up a consultation and we can begin creating your dream home.
