Yes, you read that right! Working with a design team is a relationship that can span from 6 months up to 2 years per project, and it's best for all involved to be working with people you enjoy and align with throughout your project's timeline. If we jive on our discovery call and seem like a good fit for each other during our initial consultation, that's great - we're more than happy to collaborate. If not, that just means you're one step closer to finding your right fit, and that's perfectly good too.
If you're thinking about a renovation or full new build of your dreams, today I'll lay out whether our design services align with your own requirements and expectations and reasons why we may not be the best designer fit for you. Are you ready? Let's dig in...
Reasons Why We May NOT Be the Right Design Team for YOU
You Want In-House Contracting Services
If you're looking for a firm that includes design, architecture, and contracting together as services rendered, you'll find the NLI method to be a bit different than what you're expecting.
At Nancy Lane Interiors, we have a roster of contracting companies that we have worked with and can recommend, but if you have a contractor in mind that you're already comfortable with, I am happy to collaborate with them as well. Your comfort around knowing you've assembled the right team for you and your needs is the highest priority. That is also why I personally suggest meeting with at least three contractors from our list of recommendations if you haven't found the right contractor for you, and really see if you all mesh and understand each other.
You Have Unrealistic Timeline Constraints
Good, long term renovation decisions take time - as I said above, 6 months to 2 years are normal timelines for projects, depending on the scale of work. For my own peace of mind, and the sake of our current roster of clients, we won't take on any job that doesn't come with realistic timelines for project completion.
Just as an example, it is not unheard of that a client will reach out about design services for a newly purchased home a few weeks before they prefer to move in or they're in the middle of construction and realized they desperately need design help.
Rushing a job never ends well, and the choices made to meet an unrealistic deadline will most likely not last in terms of quality (and aesthetics), so you will be revisiting the same work three to five years later anyway. I make sure to have this conversation with you on our discovery call, hopefully to set you up for success as you move closer to finding the right designer for you.
What We Can Do:
I'm happy to do a one time consult if you've picked everything out on your own and have samples of your selections, based on your contractor's vendor recommendations. I'm happy to point out any glaring mistakes that I think you're making, and maybe make some suggestions about other places you can go on your own to look at additional options. Procurement and management would be up to you, but you would have the input of a design professional steering you in the right design direction to help you move forward in your DIY project.
You Would Rather Be Hands Off
Some clients know that they are indecisive, and relish in working with a professional that can make big decisions on their behalf, and create a beautiful space.
That's not exactly the case with NLI - we want you to be a part of the conversation. We don't design cookie cutter or copy cat spaces, or rooms that fit a specific theme. We create bespoke designs for each individual client, and it's about combining every element to create a home that feels unqiuely yours. Translation: we want and need to get to know you in order to translate who you are, what you love, and how you live into the home (or space) of your dreams.
You get homework from the beginning, and we craft the vision of your home together, through a series of questions and meetings designed to get you really thinking about how you would use your home day to day, and what finishes, artwork, and color would make that day to day interaction the most smile inducing, comfortable, and functional home it could be.
You Would Rather Hold Back on Your True Budget
It's very common in a new build to blow the budget on construction, and not have enough left over for the furnishings. This is why having honest budget conversations from the beginning is crucial. Not disclosing what you can realistically spend on your project will be wasted time and energy, possibly in the name of "seeing what you come up with."
We probably overdeliver on budget information at the beginning of projects, but it is very important for us to be transparent with you about how much certain rooms cost to rebuild or refurnish.
It hurts both of us to come up with a full design plan and not to be able to execute it because the budget wasn't actually firm and in place from the beginning. If you can't move forward with the design plan we've created, you'll be trying to achieve the look yourself, with lesser quality items and more headaches in the procurement stage.
If you're not sure where to start, for our onboarded clients, we include an interactive digital budget template that calculates what you want by level of furnishings to give you a realistic budget for your dream features (not including the design fees). We're always open to discussing realistic investment amounts, because these numbers can be tough to swallow if you aren't buying furniture or handling this process every day.
Are You In?
So, what are your thoughts? Did this all jive with you, or have you running for the hills? Either way, we genuinely want you to find and have the best designer fit for you, and create the home of your dreams.
If how we operate resonates with you, please feel free to reach out to us about your upcoming project!
