Picking up where we left off....
The clients decided that the REALLY bold option was a bit too out of their comfort zone - which is completely fine! We settled on this overall color palette for the space.
Here's a look at some of our initial inspiration photos...a little bit edgy, a little bit moody...but with fun, bold colors, unique lighting, and great spaces for entertaining. These images were borrowed from Ryan White Designs, Mallory Mathison Inc., Jenny Keenan, and the beautiful Spectator Hotel lobby in Charleston, SC and are not our design work. Inspiration photos always help a client start to picture the potential for the space, and help guide us as designers before we begin sourcing furnishings. Clients are able to point out things they like and don't, and it's a fun kick-off to the rest of the process.
The majority of this project was actually completed remotely! That's right - this client's home is in Utah and our design studio is now based in central Florida. About 10 days after finalizing our color palette and reviewing inspiration photos, we were ready to present the design for the space. During that ten days we're usually mapping out rooms, reviewing project notes, ordering samples, pattern and color mixing, finding the perfect furniture and lighting pieces, checking stock and pricing, and making sure the scale for each piece is just right. Next, our clients got a fun box in the mail full of labeled fabric and wallpaper samples that we reviewed together during our virtual design meeting. Some things, like fabric and wallpaper, you just have to see and feel in person - so we make sure even our remote clients get to experience that. Here are a few of the samples that went out in the box!
Along with the samples, we like to present something that shows each element of the room in one place to help clients visualize everything together. Sometimes that is a rendering, an elevation, a sketch, a digital image, or a moodboard. We want our clients to be so excited for each space we design that they can't wait to live in it, and we understand that sometimes that will mean a few reselections to make sure every piece is just right. For this project, the client approved the following moodboard and digital image.
Once most of the design elements had been finalized, the clients received a detailed invoice for each item showing the specifications, pricing, and lead time for the piece. We always hope to be transparent with pricing from the beginning so there are no surprises! Each piece is approved for order. While stocked items usually arrive in about 2 weeks, custom furniture or drapery orders have typically been ready within 8-10 weeks, but this year we're seeing lead times as long as 8 months. While those timelines are frustrating for everyone involved, we do the best we can to get things here on time from weekly expediting to working with quality vendors. Fingers crossed that by next year we'll be seeing some better numbers!
Furniture can go a long way, but we can't forget about our contracting and building partners...most of our projects have some element of construction! While contractors are great at what they do, their job is very different from ours. They likely will not be able to help you select finishes - that is where we come in. For this project, and most, once we've finalized the majority of design decisions we'll prepare a Finish Specification Packet for the contractor, builder, or architect on the team. This packet will specify paint colors, light fixtures, tile, flooring, trimwork details, and more so that we're all on the same page and can refer to this document as construction progresses.
That brings us through most of the design process - we'll share the last few steps and final photos of the space next! Here's a sneak peek of the space shown in the moodboard above...
