Here you will find the answers to some of our most asked questions.
Our consultation fee of $750 allows us to dedicate quality time to understanding your needs, discuss preliminary design ideas for your space, and craft a detailed and comprehensive scope of work and fee proposal. This initial step ensures that we’re aligned and fully prepared to bring your dream space to life.
1. We’re experts: We know what makes a sofa comfortable, what finishes hold up over time, and which “performance fabrics” actually perform. We also know things like how much space you need to comfortably pull-out a dining chair, what a Wyzenbeek rating is (and why it matters), and how to beautifully layer textures and color to achieve luxurious but homey feel. In other words, we do this all day, every day.
2. We save you time: No trips to look at sofas or fabric or hardware required. We gather all the materials and present them to you in a single, easy-to-follow format. Once you approve the design, we take care of every step of the process until the furniture is in your living room, perfectly steamed and styled, and ready for your family movie night. And you won’t have to listen to customer service hold music even once!
Good news! Having a beautiful home and having kids and pets is not mutually exclusive. We are experts in selecting durable finishes that stand up to everyday life. And, with 9 kids, 5 dogs and 2 cats between us, we use the same design principles in our homes that we’ll use in yours.
Our team is your unbiased expert resource - your advocate who is the liaison between all your various services: architect, contractor, and trades people. We communicate the information on the who, what, where and how of your home to the appropriate parties
We dig deep before we start because we want to get to know you on a deep and intimate level. To get there, we have this meeting with the intention of establishing direction through inspirational elements. In this meeting we ask lots of questions and listen hard to your answers – because your answers tell us who you are, and what you care about. Your answers tell us what you love, what’s sentimental to you, and what you want to express about yourself. After we get to know you, and through detailed consideration, we integrate images that communicate our ideas into a new vision for your home.
That’s generally not part of the equation when we work with clients. Our experience has shown us that the key idea of working with an interior designer is to have one person steering the ship. This lets the original design vision be executed seamlessly, effectively and in a way that is truly service oriented for the client.
Imagine baking a cake and having someone else trying to add ingredients at the last minute or frosting it in a style that isn’t in keeping with the original intent. The cake won’t be as the baker, or in this case, the interior designer intended. It’s tempting to do your own shopping to save money, but in the end, we find that it costs our clients in scale and quality mistakes which means that they end up buying items twice and experiencing frustration from the extra costs.
If you want to do your own purchasing, that is fine as long as we know that prior to beginning the project. We ask that you show us your selections before purchasing, and if we don’t believe the item fits, we’ll let you know. You are responsible for delivery, installation, freight damages and time spent coordinating all of the services.
Calling it “Reality TV” is really a bit of a misnomer, because it’s not “reality.” You’re seeing results, not a process, and the process is a big part of any design practice. Reality shows are based on months and months of pre-planning, which is probably the only place where the processes do overlap, but they can’t show that prep work in thirty minutes. So, what you see is the big, flashy and fabulous reveal. But it’s not real-time and it’s not real life. For your home to have the big wonderful reveal certainly is possible, and it certainly is our goal but based in real-time, which is often six months out, or more. Someone else is paying the salaries, design fees, and materials used in the project
The budget is where the realistic picture of your project begins, and we won’t start a project without one; budgets typically start at $220/sq ft for furnishings, light fixtures, decorative materials, accessories, and design fees. A budget is a map that shows us how we can do the best job for you. We will walk you through the process of budgeting based on our extensive experience with interior design. We find that our clients may know how much they want to invest, but may not know what is a reasonable budget for furnishings and fees for a project like yours. We guide you through this process. Here’s a link to a website that provides resources about interior design so that you can be more aware of typical budget guidelines. What you choose to invest in is your choice. Perhaps your comfort level is less than what Home Trust suggests. Our goal is to work within your investment range.
Absolutely not. You cannot offend us by saying you don’t like something in our design. Again – this is your home and we want you to love it. While we may try and get you to step out of your comfort zone (that’s our job!), we’ll never require it. Plus - your approval is required for every major purchase we make on your behalf.
If you’re ready to take the next step, please reach out through contact form so we can learn about your project and determine if we are a good fit. We look forward to working with you!
Sincerely,
Lisa and The Laliberte Interiors Team
