Good morning, wonderfuls. It’s a beautiful bright and shining morning where I am, which means I’m all refreshed from the weekend and ready to give you the next step of the Design Process. This week, we’re talking about the Consultation, probably the most common and well known stage of the design process. The Consultation is the last step in the vetting process in deciding which designer to choose for your project, and determining the complexity of the project before you. It’s also where you will provide your potential designers with the five sweets of your project: Location, Scope, Inspiration, Budget and Timeline (you know, those 5 things you need to have before starting your design project). How the consultation is conducted and all the details of the information you share with the designer is a bit different for each designer, so I’m just going to go through the main parts of what you should expect from the designer, and what you should be prepared to contribute as the client.

The Designer Perspective: The consultation is the time to determine the complexity of your project, check on expectations of the project, and provide you with a loose framework of what it would take to complete that job being proposed. It’s usually scheduled for about two hours to give time to review as much as possible. Let’s say you’d like to update your kitchen, for example. The designer will review the details of your scope for that project, ask additional questions if needed, and see if the complexity of your project is in alignment with the budget, timeline, location, and inspiration. If you’re looking to have an island, but don’t have sufficient space for it, the designer will review that with you, and may propose exploring an alternative or potentially making other changes to potentially achieve the look. What I want to make clear right now is that these things are all subjective. At this stage in the process, nothing is set in stone, and things will continue to change as you move forward with the design process. The designer will take the information you provide and present a proposal to you regarding the details of proposed work. You may also receive a contract immediately, depending on the agreement made in home, but we’ll hold off on those details for another post.

Ok, so let’s pause for a moment to discuss consultation fees. Most designers will charge you for this stage in the process, and the reason is simple: they are performing a service, using their time, knowledge and expertise. I’ve found that there are many clients out there who are reluctant to pay a fee at this stage because the designer may not work out or because they don’t see any work being done at this point. Let’s look at our kitchen example again: in the example above, an island is being requested, but the designer recognizes that there isn’t sufficient room based on how the client has proposed the design. Through the designer’s education and knowledge, he or she knows that change won’t work, and discusses the possibilities for an alternative. In addition, the designer uses his or her time to put together a final proposal/contract with all the details of your project. No matter how you flip it, work is being performed. If you can pay a plumber $100 just to come and look at your sink for 5 minutes, you can pay a designer for two hours. Ijs.

The Client Perspective: The consultation is the time to verify that the designer is able to complete your project based on your wants and needs. You’ll provide the designer with your five categories and work through the process there. In the scenario of the kitchen, does the designer have what’s needed in terms of resources to provide what you the look you want? Are they able to provide you with a custom color or detail in the island you would want? As you discuss all the details, be specific about the parts of the project that you are open to changing and the parts that are non-negotiable. Once discussed, you’ll be able to review the final proposal to see if the you are in agreement with the proposed work and details. Don’t forget to be open and ask questions specific to your most valued needs. Those needs could fall into one or more of the five categories. What’s most important for you during this process is to identify what’s most valued in your project, and make the decisions on how to move forward based on that.

That’s all for today, folks! I’ve got more stuff on the design project to come, so stay tuned, and I’ll see you next time!