Lisa Scheff Designs is a comprehensive home interior design firm located in Longmeadow, MA. Our firm manages projects on any scale from a new home to a single room makeover. Allow us to walk you through the process of home interior design.
The Process of Home Interior Design
The first step in the home interior design process is for you to call and tell us about your project. Some projects are small and quick and others take many months. When we book you an appointment, we will establish the type of interior design project.
Comprehensive Interior Design Project
Many clients are looking for help on a large scale project such as putting an addition on their home, building a new house, updating the furniture in an entire room or remodeling a kitchen, bathroom or other space.
These projects are comprehensive and involve a lot of detailed decisions. These home interior design projects usually take at least six months to complete, and the larger the scope of the project, the longer the time frame will be.
Initial Consultation
We will provide you with a welcome packet explaining our services, products, and procedures. The purpose of this meeting is to establish the scope of the project and to discover your personal style.
This process involves asking a million questions in order to learn more about you, your wants and needs, your loves and hates and your lifestyle. We want to learn what’s meaningful to you; what you want your home to say about you; and how you want your home to feel.
Scope of Work
After establishing the interior design scope of the project and your personal style, we will develop a plan together.
Back in the office, we will write up a proposed Scope of Work. This document will outline a budget for the home interior design project (both for product and design time) based on your goals for the renovation/redesign.
Once we have agreed on a plan and budget, you will sign and return the Scope of Work, and we begin our design process.
The Design Process
First, we develop your initial schematic designs including floor plans and design boards. (Occasionally, drawing floor plans has to happen before the Scope of Work, so that we can determine what your project needs.) These will help you visualize the plan.
Through this process, we design your palette which will give you a glimpse of your materials, finishes, and colors, your millwork, custom cabinetry and much more.
Fabric, wood and paint samples, as well as pictures of furniture and sketches of custom items, will be provided.
We will meet to review these initial plans and make revisions. Typically we plan for two rounds of revisions within our estimated time budget.
Learn more about the custom design process
Procuring and Executing the Design
Once you approve the design plan and layout, we move to purchasing, ordering, shipping, receiving…and inspecting. Because when something arrives broken (and something always does), we’re there to take care of it.
Concurrent to items being ordered, received and inspected, is construction. During this phase, we are your project manager.
We oversee and coordinate your process from construction, electrical, plumbing, lighting installation and every other imaginable facet of construction.
From the ground up, we’re keeping an eye on your “punch list,” constantly reviewing and updating it, always ensuring that everything is being done correctly and beautifully.
As pieces arrive, we are gathering them at our receiving house to make sure that it is all inspected, organized, and ready for installation.
Installation
When it is time for installation, we show up with truckloads of your goodies. We take care of all the big heavy lifting. (Well, we have fabulous strong guys who take care of all the big heavy lifting).
The Big Reveal. Time to come back into the space and see the concept come to life.
There’s nothing as rewarding as seeing our client’s faces when they walk into the room of their dreams. Check out this video to follow a project from start to reveal!
> Learn More About Comprehensive Interior Design
Quick and Dirty Project
If you are only looking for a few key products (window treatments, a sofa, a rug, a paint consultation, etc.) for your home interior design project, we fondly refer to that type of project as a “quick and dirty” because it will only take 1-3 appointments, and will usually be installed and completed within 10-12 weeks of the first appointment.
Before Your Appointment
In order to make the first appointment productive, we often ask that clients send us pictures of the window or space so that we can pull some initial fabrics if custom fabrics will be part of the project.
Initial Consultation
We will provide you with a welcome packet explaining our services, products and procedures.
The purpose of this meeting is to establish the scope of the project and to discover your personal style.
This process involves asking a million questions in order to learn more about you, your wants and needs, your loves and hates and your lifestyle. We want to learn what’s meaningful to you; what you want your home to say about you; and how you want your home to feel.
Scope of Work
For window treatment only appointments, decisions are often made in this first appointment, but for other custom orders, we will develop a proposed Scope of Work. This document will outline a budget for the project (both for product and design time) based on your goals.
Once we have agreed on a plan and budget, you will sign and return the Scope of Work, and we begin our design process.
For most quick and dirty projects, it only takes 1-3 appointments after the initial consultation to finalize the design and get ready to order your pieces.
Once decisions are made and a deposit is placed, product is ordered.
Installation
When your product arrives, our professional installers and receiving house deliver and install your products so that you don’t need to do anything but enjoy the space.
> Learn More About the Products We Carry and Produce
413.567.8541