Are you stuck like a deer in the headlights behind the start line of your home décor project? If you are overwhelmed with more questions than answers, our one-time pick-our-brains consultation may be just what you need. Whether you are nearby, we can offer these in your home, but homeowners all over North America can get the benefit of a one-time consultation over zoom.

If your room just not welcoming you with joy when you enter but instead only is a painful reminder of a lengthy list of to-do list and adds to your stress rather than bringing you joy, you may be ready for a meeting with a pro. Don’t worry, if you need more help than that, we can book a follow up session but you would be surprised what we can achieve in just one meeting.

A short while back, I shared a few of our most recent consultations with you, but when you see the sketches and ideas like that, it’s easy to forget there’s a long and detailed process required to bring it to life.

This week, I want to take you back to the very beginning, where all of our projects start, and many end… with a design consultation.

How to get the most from your Design Consultation

We like to think of the consultation as a self-serve opportunity for you to gain access to our education, our experience, and or unique expertise all in one information packed meeting. We pack these with ideas and answers to your specific dilemmas to help you make the most of your home. Sometimes we suggest purchasing a few things, other times the homeowner spends no money but we make suggestions to rearrange things in the room to make it more polished and pleasing.

The design consultation is the 90 minute, jam-packed meeting that kicks your project into gear!

We meet you in your home if you are local, or online if you are not. So what are we jam-packing into that meeting? And how can you make the most of this value offering? Let’s dig into that…

What Does the Design Consultation Include?

We pack it with real stuff, no fluff. We provide a professional sounding board for you to bounce your ideas off. Don’t worry, we will have lots of ideas to add to the conversation.

Here’s a few suggestions for what you might want to ask us about:

  • Discuss your project goals & get clear on the best way to approach your project
  • Review the room(s) for suggestions on what’s working what’s not
  • Talk about the project’s scope and your budget & realistic expectations to achieve your goals
  • Start problem-solving right away with sketches, ideas, and plans
  • Create a project roadmap to help you get to your destination
  • Consider any inspiration photos you’ve brought to the meeting to see which will be best to  guide you
  • Talk about furniture placement
  • Furniture styles and sourcing
  • Discuss colour suggestion
  • Artwork placement
  • Area rug size and placement
  • Window treatment ideas
  • Styling ideas to bring your room to life

How to Make the Most of Your Design Consultation

The better prepared you are, the most we can make of our time together.

Here are some great ways we suggest you prepare for our meeting. These will help us to add value to our design session.

1. Bring a (realistic) budget

Be honest about your budget and come to the consultation with a number in mind. We’ll discuss that number with you and set some realistic expectations around what you can achieve with it. Establishing a starting point gives us the proper direction for quality, sourcing, and scope.

2. Eliminate distractions

If you have children, pets, etc. please find the best way to occupy them during this time. This will allow you to make the most of our time. If you have cell phones (I know you do…), please put them on silent.

We love giving you and your project our undivided attention, and we can offer the greatest benefit when you do to!

3. Give thoughtful consideration to your space

Before you meet with us, put some thought into how you currently use your space, how you want to use it, how you want it to look, and what your goals are. Whether you want a magazine spread worthy living room, or just a cozy place to curl up with a book, we need to know your goals.

4. Honesty is your friend

Maybe you don’t want us to know that you pick up toys 8x per day… but there’s no judgment here. Part of designing a home that you find beautiful and supports your lifestyle comes from knowing what that lifestyle is… exactly as you all are. What we mean here is don’t keep secrets. Don’t clean up before we meet. We need to know the truth in order to know how to address the problems.

5. Do your homework

Straightforward enough! We want to hear your goals. The more prepared you are with a complete list of questions, the better we can help answer them. We are great at designing beautiful spaces … not so great at reading minds. Lay it all out for us. We are good listeners.

6. Create a vision board

The more you can inform us of what the dream looks like, the better we can help you achieve it.

Collecting images of spaces that you (and your partner) love will help us get a feel for your style. Even if you think a particular look will never happen for you, or if you are drawn to more than one style, include them. We learn a lot from these photos and can identify common design threads between them.

7. Send us a list of your favourite home décor stores

Where do you love to shop? We’re all ears. These clues help to give us a better sense of your style, and budget. Ps where you shop for fashion helps us understand your style too.

8. Send us any floor plans of your space…

…if you have them.

9. Send us photos of your space

We have a handy guide to photographing your space that will really help us get exactly the information we need. Just ask.

Keep an open mind

Being receptive to new ideas can be the secret ingredient to an amazing final design. That’s why you reached out to a designer after all. We will bring new ideas you may not have considered. You will get the most out of our time if you are open and ready to consider ideas or compromises that you may not have considered. A designer’s point of view can create a dynamic and unique space, but only if you let us…

And we hope you will!

If you think you would like to get some creative input on your project, reach out to us here! 

We can’t wait to help you get unstuck. 

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