For those not familiar with interior design, or remodeling, it may not be entirely clear how a project like this is undertaken. The more knowledge that you are equipped with, the more intelligent the questions you can ask. As a result, your project whether a kitchen, bathroom, living room, bedroom or anything else, will be more likely to meet your expectations.
The typical process of any project tends to go like this:
Concept Development
Detailing
Estimation/Revision
Construction
Decor (Optional)
Let's define these a bit deeper.
Concept Development
This is the early stage of the project. This is when you’ll share with your designer, Stephanie, what your goal is, review imagery, and concepts that you like. We will then take the gathered information to develop a floor plan and general concept that works for you, your lifestyle, and space. At this point in design, there are many different tradeoffs. For example, materials, flooring, cabinet lines, hardware, and other building products are constantly changing to new styles or availability. We work from big picture down to details, so at this stage, we are looking to put together the “idea” of your project, the overall feeling of your space. A rendering of what your kitchen could look like is typically what is worked on. Once the concept is agreed on, detailing it is then possible.
Detailing
During this stage, everyone should understand the goal of the project and what is trying to be achieved as this is the stage where concept moved into reality. The imported Carrara mosaic tiles that were selected, they’re out of stock for 12 weeks. Or we could reselect to a widely available Carrara brick stack or wait the 12 weeks and delay the project.
Detailing is where the real life constraints of availability of materials starts to be put inland the renderings and concept get updated to match that.
Estimation/Revision
This step can often happen right alongside detailing. As the detailing is happening, you may find out that a flooring that you are equally happy with is much cheaper than one that you had in the concept. So you revise the design. At S. Donnelly Interiors, we are big on understanding budgets because that helps deliver the best possible designs as it allows for smart tradeoffs to be made. It can't be said enough how important it is to know the price range you are willing to spend. Shifting that number changes everything about a design and the approach to it.
This phase may repeat a few times until you are happy with the design, the price, and the room that is to be delivered in time.
Construction
This is the part where the actual design is turned into your new space. It includes tearing out what needs to go, building the new elements, as well as installing all the new pieces that need to go in. This stage also includes any tiling, painting, electrical, lighting, and so much more.
At the end of the construction stage, you will have the space you've dreamt of!
Decor (Optional)
This stage really depends on the room. When doing something like a living room, decor makes up much of the design of the space, however, for something like a kitchen, the design may end after construction. This really depends on your space and what you would like the designer to do after construction is done. Generally, this would be included in the concept as well, and then decor would be found that fits, similar to the detailing stage for construction materials.
That's the Interior Design Process in a nutshell. If you have questions, please reach out to us. We're always here to help, and if you have a project we'd love to help you with that too!
