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The Design Journal

What do Interior Designers even do?

By September 15, 2023February 13th, 2024No Comments

When & how to work with us

Whether you’re working with White Label Interiors or not, I’m outlining helpful information for you right now. If you’ve never worked with an Interior Designer before, we’ll define our services. If you have worked with a Designer before then I’ll clarify the services that White Label Interiors offers!  

The truth is – no Interior Design firm is the same so it’s essential to understand what we do, what we offer as services, as well as when and how to work with a Design team. Much of this information is universal but we all run our firms a little bit differently. You’ll want to have a one-on-one conversation with the Designers on your list of considerations.

As an Interior Designer with 25 years of experience working in the luxury home market, I can definitively say that our services go beyond selecting furniture and decoration. Our role involves creating a cohesive, functional, and MOST IMPORTANTLY – aesthetically pleasing living space that meets your specific needs and wants within your home. 

There’s a lot of information below that warrants explanation, so click on a bullet point to skip ahead if you’d like, or skip to the TLDR list here!

Interior designer Stacy reading in a kitchen

Here are an Interior Designer’s top five responsibilities:

  1. Client Consultation and Concept Development:

This is universal – a Designer should always start with this step – every single time. Our first responsibility is to meet with you via Zoom or in-person to understand your project, your vision, your preferences, and your lifestyle. We’ll ask you questions about the functional requirements of your home, budget, timeline, etc. (Shocker: This involves active listening and asking relevant questions to gain insight into your tastes and expectations.) Here at White Label, we have a Client Questionnaire, too, that is in-depth and addresses every room of your home. It’s a proactive study of your needs.

Based on this information, we’ll begin to develop a design concept that aligns with the bespoke luxury you desire and fulfills your aspirations.

  1. Space Planning and Layout:

Both new construction and home remodel projects can involve significant spaces with multiple rooms and functions. As the Interior Designer, it’s up to us to devise an efficient and effortless space plan. The layout should facilitate ease of movement and ensure that each room serves its purpose effectively. 

A space plan review session for White Label Interiors might look like this: With your floor plans in front of us we’ll review how you move through the home; walking pathways, window and door locations, where should cabinets be placed, how are appliances arranged in your kitchen, consider the views outside, and your lifestyle needs. We’ll consider the plumbing and electrical areas, too, as well as preliminary furniture sizes and arrangements, then delegate areas of importance vs. areas of simplicity. It’s all about how the spaces will be used. This process is incredibly educational for the next steps.

  1. Materials & Fixtures Selection:

These two categories of selections are a part of nearly every White Label Interiors project. Selecting materials & fixtures are the first layer of the interior design within your home (we use the words materials and finishes interchangeably). Take a look around the room you’re in now – those are all materials and fixtures that someone selected. 

White Label Interiors will be responsible for curating design schemes that elevate the overall aesthetic of your home. We’ll work with you and then collaborate internally to present to you design schemes that create a sense of bespoke comfortable luxury for the whole home. We never look at selections in a vacuum – it’s always a cohesive study. Attention to detail and an eye for balance, color, texture, and craft are essential in this aspect of the job.

  1. Curate Furnishings:

With our incredibly clear furnishings process, we’ll learn from you what you like and dislike and revisit the needs and wants of your home, specifically for your furniture! We’ll then source ideas, fabrics, and study layouts. Our team will then present our whole home (or whole room) ideas to you and we’ll collaborate further. There’s going to be some minor tweaks to our presentation because you’re going to learn about your preferences as we go through the process.

Luxury home projects often deserve bespoke, custom-made furniture and furnishings. We’ll have our best-skilled artisans and craftsmen* design unique pieces that complement the overall theme and resonate with the client’s preferences. These custom elements add a personal touch and exclusivity to the interior.

*Custom furnishings, contrary to popular belief, don’t have to mean more expensive.

Do you already have a finished home and just need furnishings? No problem. We have a specific furnishings-only process! White Label Interiors then orders each item, tracks the order, inspects & verifies the items as they’re received, and arranges delivery to your home. It’s the best white glove service. We also offer additional services for our vacation home Clients, to get their second (or third) home ready to just LIVE in. You’ll want for nothing.

Suncadia bedroom

  1. Project Management and Coordination:

During your building process, we, as your Interior Designer, will be a  central point of contact for various project team members, including you, the Client! This includes Builders/Contractors, Architects, and the Trades that work within your home. Effective project management and coordination are vital to ensure the smooth execution of the design plan. This includes collaboration on setting project timelines, budget management, supervising installations and ensuring that all aspects of the design are executed to perfection. Because that’s what you deserve.

Overall, as your Interior Design team, White Label Interiors has many responsibilities for your home project. We go above and beyond having design skills; we use strong clear communication, organization, and management abilities to deliver an exquisite magazine-ready home.

Because building your Dream Home shouldn’t be a nightmare, we’re here for you.

The Contemporary Sanctuary kitchen

Straight to the point: 

  1. Client Consultation & Concept Development:
    1. Meet in-person or via Zoom
    2. White Label Interiors learns about your home needs & wants
    3. You learn about White Label Interiors
    4. We’ll share our favorite proactive Client document, The Client Questionnaire, so together we can consider every room. 
    5. Design starts!
  2. Space Planning & Layout:
    1. White Label Interiors will create an efficient & effortless space plan for your home.
    2. Focus on walking pathways, cabinet locations, appliance locations, etc.
    3. Define areas of plumbing and electrical work.
    4. We’ll preliminarily outline furniture sizing.
    5. Utilize all of this important information to guide the next steps.
  3. Materials & Fixtures Selections:
    1. Materials & Finishes = Flooring, tile walls, cabinet colors, countertops, paint, millwork, etc.
    2. Fixtures = Plumbing like faucets, sinks, pot-fillers, showers, bath accessories, etc.
    3. White Label Interiors will create design schemes for us to review together.
    4. Only need furnishings? No problem, we’ve got a process for that.
  4. Curate furnishings
    1. Furnishings = the final layer to your home, after the Builder has given you the keys!
    2. Discover, together, what you like and dislike regarding home furnishings.
    3. White Label Interiors will source ideas, fabrics, and verify sizing of each item for each room.
    4. Our team will present whole home or room design schemes to you!
    5. We manage each order for you; we track, inspect, verify, store, and deliver your items. 
    6. When your project is ready – you show up and start enjoying your home.
  5. Project Management & Coordination:
    1. White Label Interiors is a central point of contact for the Project Team.
    2. We’ll collaborate with the team regarding the timeline, budget, install instructions, etc.*
      1. *We do this with our Presentation, Specification Schedule, & Drawings – more info upon request and coming to a later (less long:) blog post!
    3. You deserve a smooth project.
    4. We go beyond Design, because building your Dream Home shouldn’t be a nightmare.