Interior Design Project "Play by Play" Steps

Scenario A: You want to be an interior designer, and you're learning the technical rules of design, like Color Theory (discussed in this video) and you're learning the software tools needed, like Sketchup. But now what? How do you take your new skills & apply them once you get your first project?

Scenario B: You are learning more about interior design because you know you have an eye for it & really want to take control of your own spaces. Where do you start? What do you do to ensure a fully thought out project & smooth process?

I did a video on this recently, you can watch it Here. But I thought it would be a good idea to put it in writing. We're just going to go over the basic steps, not detailed explanations of each steps...steps :) For that, you definitely want the Degree-less Design Course.

Step #1 - Download the Pre-Designer Checklist. You can access the free PDF Here. (For the template that you can put your own branding on, you can get that Here.)

The Pre-Designer Checklist is a helpful tool that ensures the client has thought out all they need to before bringing the designer on. So whether you are the client, or you are providing this to a client or potential client...this is an important step to walk through that could save time & energy later.

Step #2 - Get the project expectations clear. Outline the budget, the timeline, and the scope of work. (AKA how much are you doing? Do you need renderings? Are you purchasing? Do you know exactly how many spaces or what parts of the spaces? What spaces need what? What the user experience needs are in this space being designed?)

Step #3 - Set the design style expectations. In the video I explain how it's not enough to simply ask what style. Different descriptive terms mean different things to different people. When asking what style, be sure to pull up examples on Pinterest & confirm that that is the style they are looking for. You can also get the style by asking for descriptions of feeling, and showing pictures as examples of room designs that give that feeling.

Step #4 - Discuss Pricing. Make sure you are on the same page before you send out an official proposal with your fees, so there are no surprises. For more info on how to price, read this post. And use the Pricing Estimator Tool to estimate project fees for larger projects that won't be hourly.

Step #5 - Send out your proposal. This should include a breakdown of the project scope, the estimated timeline, the agreed upon project budget, your pricing & payment schedule and the description of the design direction in terms of style.

Step #6 - Design ideation. This is where you work on building out the design project. This is an inhouse step. You don't send it out until you're satisfied it meets all the needs of the project & your own personal brand.

Step #7 - Design direction approval. Here is where you send out your final design ideation for approval. This needs to be presented professionally, so it should be checked for details, uniformity & overall visual appeal. There may be some back and forth changes with the client, go through steps 6 & 7 until you get approval.

Step #8 - Layout, spec & apply. You take your design direction & apply all the design decisions to all of the design aspects of the space. The materials, the furniture, lighting & other fixtures, decor etc. This includes finalizing the layout & creating any drawings required. You make sure that you have everything organized on the back end so that when you send whatever you have to send to the client, contractor, sub or other vendors, there are no mistakes. You also make sure you don't miss any detail. Every inch needs a decision or five. (To learn how Charles Interior - my company, did this, access The Bible - the 35page policy & procedure internal team document we used for every single step of our projects.) *In this stage you are also usually getting quotes from contractors, vendors & subs. Sometimes that requires a Step #8A - Readdressing the budget with the client to make sure everything is still approved.

Step #9 - Purchasing. If applicable, as it isn't always with all designers, projects & firms...but if your scope of work includes purchasing...you handle that here. That includes tracking, sometimes respecs when something is out of stock or the lead time doesn't work, and sometimes returns. Our purchasing tracker was custom created to solve a lot of the stress back end in this stage - highly recommend.

Step #10 - Project management. Again, if applicable, not always a part of the scope of work. You'll be monitoring progress of construction, custom orders, any questions or issues that come up, site visits to ensure quality & that your design instructions are followed.

Step #11 - Install. With construction complete, you'll now install the furniture (or manage the process) & decor! Don't forget to have a professional photography take photos of your spaces. One of my biggest regrets was not doing this on my projects - it really does make a difference when it comes to new clients.

Wishing you the best of luck! As always, if you have any specific questions, feel free to DM me or put your question in the comments.

This posts golden nugget is telling you that this post has a freebie to download :)

Xo

Shira