What is Full Service Design and is it Right for You?

Full Service Design is traditionally what people think of when they think about Interior Design services. And for good reason, this service is where we have total control over your project. From the initial design ideas to the final installation. We map out and handle every last detail. This service is perfect for the client who isn’t able or doesn’t want to handle their project, needs design help or simply wants that designer touch.

Is Full Service the right fit for you? Let’s talk about what you need to consider prior to hiring us (or any designer) at the Full Service level.

Do you have the budget?

• A lot of clients love the idea of handing over their home to a designer and moving on with their lives until they eventually come home to a beautifully installed space. But good design isn’t cheap, remember, design is an investment that will pay you back over and over and over again. However, designers trade their time for their rate. When they give hours to a project, they are taking them away from other projects. This is important to remember as you move forward with a designer. There is a lot of confusion about why designers charge what they do and why, but a simple way to grasp this is to think about how much time YOU have spent online looking through Pinterest or shopping for a specific item, debating if it will work in your space, reading reviews etc. You are now trading that with a designer - and we all know that takes time!
  

• Because of this, most designers have a minimum budget for projects. These generally do not include Design Fees. This ensures that we are making the most of our time and are able to give our best foot forward to projects that require a certain amount of attention. If you’re curious if your project fits this mold, simply send us an email to discuss. If it doesn’t - no worries, you would likely be a great fit for our Design In A Day service (more to come on that) or a Consultation which will give you design ideas and direction but allow you to shop retail and save money on design fees and other fees associated with Full Service.

Do you have the timeline?

• Full Service jobs generally take a significant amount of time (we are talking about months). Designers are balancing multiple projects at once and are at different stages of each. On top of that, we work with vendors who also have their own timelines and processes and manage many other moving parts to get your project done. Patience is key as well as reasonable expectations regarding timeline.

Are you willing to release control?

• This is a big one and likely the biggest headache for designers and clients. If you like the idea of hiring a designer but are not willing to release control of the project or trust the designer (remember, you hired them for a reason), then the project simply will not work. Designers have their own systems and processes in place to make projects move efficiently and when a client inserts themself too much into the process, it sabotages it completely. Make sure your intention is to hire a designer to take home design off your plate, not to support your own interior design choices and ideas.

Full Service Design is one of the most rewarding experiences for a designer. To have a vision and see it come to life. To really support and help your clients with creating their home. It’s so much fun, so much work and so worth it. If you feel like this is right for you, we would love to talk more about your project and see if we’d be a good fit to create your dream home.