FAQ

We will create and maintain Google Sheets of your budget. The budget will include furnishings separated by room, and monthly design fees.

Most interior design projects will take anywhere from 3–6 months depending on the size.

If you are on a tight timeline, we will do everything in our power to complete your home as quickly as possible, but please let us know at the beginning of the process. Because custom furniture is often built-to-order, items can take anywhere from 6 to 12 weeks to arrive (sometimes more, sometimes less). Our vendors appreciate knowing in advance that this will be a rush job and can sometimes accommodate our schedule, but please note that rush charges will apply.

We promise not to take it personally! Please just tell us what you don’t like and why, and we will fix it at no charge whenever possible. It does take a little extra time at the beginning of the design process to get to know your taste. If you are having trouble visualizing the final outcome of your home, we can do photorealistic 3-D renderings. These really let you “try before you buy.” We aim to make our clients very happy.

We utilize a wide and varied group of antiques dealers, to-the-trade-only showrooms, local workrooms, and retail stores around the World and surrounding areas. It is entirely up to you whether you would like to see items in person. Many of our clients never see the furniture until it shows up in their home. Just let your designer know your preference.

“Shipping” (or freight) charges are incurred when an item travels from the manufacturer to our receiving warehouse. Under the umbrella of “shipping” fees are “crating” fees that are sometimes incurred for items that must be packed into wooden crates to be shipped safely. “Delivery” charges are incurred when the delivery team brings the completed items from our receiving warehouse and places them in your home.

Generally, you can anticipate about 10-15% of your total budget allocated to freight, shipping, crating, and delivery costs.

We prefer to have all of our items shipped to our commercial receiving warehouses. They are trusted professionals who unpack and inspect every item, note damage or turn away broken items, and safely store until installation day. If you accept the shipment yourself and something was damaged in transit, is it very difficult to get the vendor to refund us. For larger items, you must also be available during certain hours to accept, unpack, and inspect the item, and often the shipping company will not place the item in your home where it needs to go. For these reasons, many vendors require that their pieces are shipped to a receiving warehouse rather than to a private residence. Note that when your items are sent to our receiver, you may incur storage costs after 30 days. These are typically $100 per month. Which is why we strive to time our purchasing phase accordingly to avoid long storage timeframes.

It is not always possible to accurately quote freight or shipping costs before an item is ordered. Most likely we had not charged you for freight or shipping yet. If there is a new charge related to the item, the invoice will say “upcharge” with an explanation.

While every project is different, after over a decade in business, we can give you an accurate estimate of what you will need to spend to achieve your desired outcome. We will also work with you to create and stick to a budget based on your project’s scope of work. Some things to consider when creating a budget include how involved in the design process you want to be, how quickly you can make decisions, and if pursuing a remodel, how involved in project management you would like us to be.

We do not have a standard mark-up. Instead, we make sure that our prices are never above the retail cost, that they are fair to you as our client, and that they fit your budget.