Inside The Design Process With Little Green House

If you have been following me for a while, you have likely seen some of my work. Whether it has been in my own house, or on other projects. You may have thought that you like what you see and would love to work together, but you have never worked with an interior designer before and want to know more. Well, I’d love to tell you more! I’m here to tell you what you can expect when you hire me. 

In the last year, I have really homed in on my processes. When I first started out, my goal was just to design. I hadn’t yet directed my focus to the experience that I was creating for my clients, I was more focused on the output. It actually wasn’t until I started working with Karima Creative that I noticed I was lacking a really cool process that would make my clients feel like their time with me was more than just receiving a design but receiving an experience.

After working with Karima, I instantly signed up with Honeybook, which was a God send because it is the hub for which I create a rich client experience. It is the combination of Honeybook, Flodesk, and Canva that I am able to create a completely consistent, branded, and rich experience for my clients. I have received nothing but amazing feedback since developing my new process, and that is why I wanted to share it with you. I am confident that after reading this post, you’ll want to be a part of the Little Green House experience too. 

When you hire me, this is what you can expect:

A Discovery Call

I begin every service with a free discovery call. This is actually your first step in hiring me. When you flip through my service offerings and decide which service suits you best, you will have the option on my website to instantly book a discovery call. This call is where we go over the scope of your project, your goals, budget, and more. This is also where we decide that the service fits your goals and that we are a good fit. A free discovery call is included with every service, whether you end up booking or not. 

Access to your very own client portal

Once we move through the discovery call and decide we are a good fit, I will provide you with your very own client portal. This is where we will be communicating throughout the design process. Communicating through client portal keeps are communications neat, and all in once place so they are easy to access and refer back to. Here you can upload files, make payments, sign contracts, and fill out questionnaires. Client portals are also included with all services. 

A fun and customized questionnaire

Before moving forward with any service, I have all of my clients fill out a questionnaire and upload any inspiration photos/Pinterest boards into their portals. Although we have made it past the discovery call at this point, this is still a necessary step to make sure our styles align, your budget is realistic, and we are on the same page. All of my services begin with a questionnaire. 

In-Home Consultation

Now that we have established that we are a good fit, it is time for me to come out to your home to give a more in-depth consultation, take pictures and preliminary measurements, and go over some preliminary samples to get a feel for your likes. This is a long and in-depth service, and so there is a charge for this service. During the service, we will go on a home tour, and I will deliver a custom presentation of the project scope, an outline of my process, a sample project, and detailed scope of work. This service is the start of my full-service design. If you book a mini-service that requires an in home visit (color consultation, lighting consultation, consulting session, one-day styling session), you would receive an altered version of this service in addition to your final deliverables. 

A custom design proposal and outline of services

After your in-home consultation, I will deliver a proposal to you. Your proposal will be a reiteration of our in-home consult in addition to pricing, payment schedule, project schedule and more. This essentially a more easy-to-read break down of your contract that will follow your proposal.

A polished contract

Once you give word that you agree to your proposal, I will send a polished, customized contract along with an invoice for your first installment (entire payment for mini-services). I put contracts in place to solidify process, timelines, and payment schedules, and also to protect all of us through the design process. 

Site measurement

If you opted for full-service design, our first step after your in-home consultation will be to schedule your site measurement. This is where I grab more detailed and specific measurements so that I am able to create accurate plans and design documentation throughout your project. This is actually a very important phase of the project.

Your first mood board for approval

Now that we have made it through all the red tape, we are ready to get started with the fun! Your first deliverable is custom mood board constructed to convey the mood of your space. Your mood board will feature your desired color palette, along with photos to convey the mood and emotion that we are going for. Your mood board is completely preliminary and not a suggestion of products or items – it is specifically to nail down a desired “mood” and will become the baseline for which we will be working on your project. 

Your floor plan

The floor plan is an essential part of the project because although your mood board is a baseline for your mood and color palette, your floorplan is a baseline for the layout of your space, and how you will fill it. Your floorplan dictates your space planning and tells us what type and size furniture should go into your space so that it flows nicely. Once you’ve approved your floorplan, we’ll start choosing your furniture, fixtures, and equipment. Floorplans are included in my full-service design and virtual design services. 

Your first concepts for approval

 Once your mood board is approved, we move into the concept development phase. This is where we source FF&E options and become more detailed in the project plans. This phase requires more attention as the choices made here are what will contribute to your overall design. 

Your design selections for approval

This is a more in-depth phase of your first concepts. Now we have chosen specific furniture, fixture, and equipment items, so we have to document and source all of your chosen items. These are put together into a polished presentation for your easy viewing.

Design Documentation

Depending on the project, design documentation could be hand drawings, floor plans, CAD drawings, or 3D models. The design documentation phase of the project is really project specific. The purpose of design documentation is both to create visuals for the homeowner, and to convey design specifications to builders and contractors where applicable. 

Procurement/Shopping list

Depending on your chosen service, we are either moving into the procurement phase of your project, or your curated shopping list. If you are a full-service design client, your procurement phase is detailed by myself and my team placing orders and coordinating deliveries either into your home or through a R&D service while your contractors are working on the design implementation. If you are a virtual service client, your final deliverable will be a perfectly curated shopping list finished with sourcing, pricing, and links to order all of your chosen products for your comfort and ease. 

Install

We have finally reached project completion and it is time for you to see your custom design come to life. Leave it to the Little Green House Team to unpackage, arrange, and decorate your FF&E into a polished design. We handle all of your furniture moving, trash disposal, and complete install while you are out of the house. Then, when you come home, you enter into a fully installed designer space. 

Photography

For our very special projects that we just can’t part with and must feature in our portfolio, we hire a photographer to come out to your home and take professional photos of your custom-designed home.