FEASIBILITY STUDY PREPARATION
W H A T Y O U C A N E X P E C T . . .
Properly preparing for a Feasibility Study will create the most efficient and unambiguous design process both the designer and the client will appreciate. Completing just a few simple tasks, prior to this meeting will lay an invaluable foundation from which to build. Here are just a few things to consider:
Set A Goal: While this may seem trivial, we do encourage clients to know what it is they want. While you do not need to understand furniture selections or layouts, it is best to define the objective as a whole. Is it just one or more fully completed spaces? What about the hallways and stairwells? Am I wanting to invest in completely custom pieces or am I okay purchasing mass produced pieces that are readily available? Be sure to walk through your entire space and have an idea of how much you want to accomplish.
By giving us parameters, we will be able to process multiple spaces at once, in an effort to create cohesive design between adjacent rooms. Additionally, having a fixed goal in mind will help manage "scope creeping"--when clients want to add ancillary assignments along the way--which can disrupt the design process or even frustrate comprehensive schemes. Know what you want to do and it will be our job to get you there.
Decide on a Budget: Projects will not move forward without a guiding budget. This is so important to us as your design team. We have such a respect for budgets and what money can accomplish. And although we can spend thousands within seconds, we are overly mindful of accomplishing the most, within the budget given. NOTE: We can offer suggestions, based on our experiences with similar design aesthetics and spatial arrangements, but it is our clients who will give the final allotment.
These budgets assist our projects in so many ways. For instance, this allowance will first guide us to which vendors to source. Having thousands of vendors to choose from, and over a million SKUs to consider, we save valuable time by going directly to specific manufacturers from the start. Also, budgets help us consider how many pieces we can add to a room and how much should be divided amidst each piece. Lastly, budgets let us know how to properly prepare a client for the reality of our transformative business. Too often we have seen and heard clients wanting more than what their budgets will allow. By having these conversations upfront, expectations can be managed, and the process will be more sharply defined.
Gather Inspiration: This is key! As we always mention to our clients, "it will be our job to think like you...and eventually, I will have to think for you." And because there is such a limited amount of time to gather all of this information, we find that imagery can not only speed up the process but it also heightens our awareness for what the client will like to attain, without them saying it.
Be sure to look up images of any and everything. You can find rooms that inspire color aspirations or ones that help evoke a mood you'd like to achieve. You can find rooms that have a single item that you'd like to consider or rooms that you'd like replicate in full. We are even open to images of hotels, resorts, fashion, landscape, artwork, wildlife, make-up--anything that helps represent how you want the space to feel--we want to see it!
Consider the following sources for inspiration: Pinterest, HOUZZ, Instagram, Facebook, other designers' pages, photographers, architects, magazines, etc. There are no limits and no restrictions on which inspirations and how many to collect!
And if you're not sure how/where to amass all of these great images, just send them our way! We're happy to create a folder with just your inspirational images!
Prepare to be Honest: One thing you will learn quickly about us is that we are nothing less than honest. Although we have to work hard at our tact, we can often fall short with hopeful intentions of providing the best information we can with each and every client. Within our firm, we have a list of Core Values that our team lives by...and the first is Walk in Integrity: This is the practice of being honest and showing consistent and uncompromising adherence to strong moral and behavioral principles and values--even when no one is watching. It is about being honest and truthful in all your actions--no matter the cost! Yes, we practice this even when no one is watching--it is who we are and it is who we ask our clients to be, in order to be transparent, to be understood, and to be wholly accepted.
We are not easily offended, nor are we looking to offend. We are, however, looking for raw, unbridled, lively conversations that lead to explosive creativity!
Remain Open-Minded: Our job as a design team is to create spaces that our clients never knew they could have. To do so, we have to offer ideas/suggestions they never have...or ever would...consider. That's the goal! We intend for every room to be an elevated version of our client, whether that's in bold expression of color and pattern, or more serene and zen-like than the house would normally exist. The objective is to create a space that is beyond what the client knows is conceivable.
Not to be misunderstood, we love when clients have clear ideas about what they want to do in a space, even if it's down to the specific shades of color and texture. But in the midst of all of that, we still ask all clients to keep an open-mind, just in case we come across something so fantastical that we don't want you to miss out.
These are just some of the ways you can prepare yourself for our meeting. And with all of these preparations underway, we are confident that you will be properly prepared for the Feasibility Study.
If you have any questions, comments, or concerns in the interim, do not hesitate to reach out to anyone on our team! We are all so excited to see you soon!!
