The design process is no "one size fits all". Because each project is unique and each client is unique, there are variables that will affect the outcome of each design project. With over 10 years of experience, we know what to expect in most cases, and we have refined a process that we know works for the best outcome. We are very diligent about transparency, communication, and setting expectations upfront, so that we are on the same page, and no surprises can creep in. Nothing catches us off-guard.

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We created this as a resource page for our clients and prospects to visit at their own leisure, and get a good understanding of what to expect during the design process.Our "How We Work" page also has a step by step guide of how we navigate each project to keep things on track.

 

The Initial Contact

 

The initial email you send us or phone call you make to us is a great opportunity for us to get to learn a bit about your project and what you are hoping to achieve. It is somewhat of an interview process, where you are assessing if we are the right fit for your project, as well as our assessment of whether your project is right for our firm. We pride ourselves on being flexible and working with all design styles, different budget ranges, and different personalities. Of course you are welcomed to book a free 30 minute discovery session where we dig a bit deeper into your vision for your project. We do offer in studio consultations that you can also book. They are also free, however, we ask for a payment of $87 to secure time on our calendar, and that is fully refundable as long as you honor your appointment scheduled. 

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The Consultation (usually 2-3 weeks of the initial contact)

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The in home consultation is a very important part of the design process. In fact, we don't ever skip this step on full service projects. It is our opportunity to see your home first hand, and start the conceptual process. It is an information filled session where we provide you with our best ideas and expert insights for your project. This is why we ask for a fee to cover the time and expertise we invest in this step. We also take this time to talk about the design process, and what to expect. All our design advice happens onsite verbally, and our obligation ends at the end of the meeting. However, you may request a written outline of our design advice at an additional fee. Click here for more details on that. We also send you a Fee Proposal to initiate the process of working together on your project

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The Fee Proposal (usually 2-5 days from the consultation)

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The Fee Proposal is very much like an estimate, where we provide you with an outline of the scope of work and the minimum estimated number of hours it will take to complete the work. The scope is based on what we discussed during the consultation. It is nearly impossible to accurately estimate the number of hours your project will take, but we pull from our past experience with similar projects and the pace at which we know we work to make our best guess. The number of hours we estimate within the proposal is the minimum we will bill you for. However, if we do go above these hours, we will continue to bill at our standard rate. We basically will notify you as we are nearing the end of the estimated hours, and will provide you with a new estimate of the time remaining to complete your project. That must be paid in full once we invoice you. In order for us to begin the design of your project, 50% of your design fee is due if your design fee is $5000 or above. If your fee is less than $5000, 100% is required to get started.

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The Site Measure and Planning Day (Usually 2-3 weeks after the Fee Proposal has been approved and fee advance received)

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Once we receive the deposit on our design fee, that signals the start of the project. We then arrange to have all the trades people that will be involved in the project meet on one day in your home. We typically stagger the time they arrive about 30 minutes apart. This is a brainstorming and ideas session, where we are exploring ideas and concepts to make your design the best it can be. You don't have to be present. They typically take measurements and pictures and will provide us with their written estimates later, after we have provided them with drawings and design concepts. Our trades people are a major part of our team, many of whom we have worked with for many years. They offer our firm a discounted rate from retail (what they would normally bill a consumer). Whatever discount we receive from our trades people, we will split 50/50 with you. This is a major benefit to you, because not only are you getting the benefit of us working as a team for the best outcome of your project; you also get it at a price less than you would if you had hired the same trade person on your own. The term "Trades" refers to carpenter, painter, installer, wallpaper hanger, building contractor, upholsterer. Their written estimate is included as part of the budget breakdown that we will present to you at the Presentation Meeting. Please note that it is an estimate at this time. There is typically another meeting with the trades person, you and us to review the plans and make any necessary changes you may request. Changes usually means a change in cost. 

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The Presentation Meeting (Usually happens 3-4 weeks after the site measure)

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There is a lot of work leading up to this meeting. Here is where we are showing you the exact design; every single item that we would like to implement in your home. This means many hours of research, drafting, sourcing, communicating with trades, trips to our design centers, ordering and waiting for samples, tweaking and perfecting. This is also happening in a very tight timeframe. But we love a good challenge. The aim is to address all your functional and style needs. We obviously want you to love it, so we only give you one option, but it is our absolute best option. We feel that the best approach is to spend time perfecting one brilliant option, versus 3 average options (as some firms do). We are also providing you with the initial budget breakdown. Why initial? Because a lot of times we are estimating some costs because there was not adequate time or information available, or it is something that we cannot predict. This is especially true for freight charges, installation charges, receiving charges, delivery charges, and other miscellaneous things. We still include a line item to cover these estimated costs in the overall budget. We also will ask for a contingency budget on larger projects (usually 8-10% of the overall budget). It acts as a retainer for unforeseen expenses, and is fully refundable if it is not used. Any additional costs are applied to the contingency budget, and any balance is returned to you after installation 

 

We require a minimum of 75% of the project budget for procuring goods and hiring trades. 100% is required if more than 50% of the furnishings will be procured through retail sources. This may also mean a higher design fee ($50 more per hour) 

 

We typically call a budget review meeting later on in the process. We find that the best way to manage a project is to not bill continuously and not returning to you for more and more money during the process. Our billing process is very simple. It is as follows

 

50-100% of our fees at the signing of the Fee Proposal

The balance of our design fee at the Presentation Meeting

75% of the project budget at the Presentation Meeting

The 25% balance of the project budget 2 weeks before installation

 

If we go over estimated design time - 100% of the estimated fees for remaining design time once we invoice you

 

Any cost adjustments to estimates happen one week after installation 

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Revisions (Usually within a week of the Presentation Meeting)

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One round of revisions is included in your design fee estimate. Revisions mean a few changes to the original plan. Any major changes will add more design time and additional fees will be assessed. We will meet again to review the new plan including revisions and the new budget breakdown

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The Procurement Of Products (Usually within a week of receiving your deposit on the project budget)

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The project management phase begins. This phase typically involves creating tons of purchase orders. One product can mean 3 or more purchase orders due to the components involved. For example a sofa with 4 pillows would most likely include one purchase order for the frame, one purchase order for the main fabric, and at least one purchase order for the pillows and trim. Multiply this by the hundreds of products we are ordering for you, and you will get an understanding of what is involved in getting a space from the "before" to the beautiful rooms you see in our portfolio. In addition, each vendor sends us an acknowledgement that they received our order, then a sales order, then a shipment acknowledgement. Each one requires that we double check, pay for the product, and then track the order until it arrives. Most products go to our warehouse where they receive, unbox, inspect and note any damages or flaws, re-box or assemble anything that arrives unassembled, and then notify us of the arrival. Products do arrive damaged more times than you would expect. They are shipped on 53' trucks that are packed to capacity and damage can happen during transit. We do notify vendors of damages and either a new item is sent out, or we make arrangements to fix minor damages locally. Of course, we are often ordering custom, so custom pieces arriving damaged can seriously affect our timeline. You will be notified of any change to the timeline due goods arriving damaged, but these issues are typically resolved in the initial timeframe.

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Fabrics for custom drapery, local upholstery and custom pillows arrive to us. We inspect and tag item and prepare all the necessary paperwork for custom work. We then deliver to our workroom for fabrication and check in on the progress every couple of weeks.

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When we procure permanent finish materials for a kitchen and bath remodel, this typically means slab yard visits to choose the slab for natural stone, verifying colors together before ordering and choosing grout colors. We also make site visits to verify materials that were delivered on site and check that materials are being installed to our specifications.

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We typically procure items through our trusted "to-the-trade" vendors. To the trade means that they only sell to designers and architects - some to online retailers as well as local retailers. We frequently go to Markets such as High Point Market, Las Vegas Market and Dallas Market to get acquainted with these vendors and their products, so that we can confidently specify them. We try to have a range available because we deal with a wide range of budgets. Each vendor provides us with an MSRP (manufacturer's suggested retail price), as well as our net price. The MSRP is the price that we can sell the product for, with any fees, delivery charges, and sales tax added to it. We however, have made it a company policy to not sell at MSRP, but instead we split our discount with our clients for any products where our discount is more than 20%. This means that you are always paying less than retail whenever you purchase products through us. That is a significant savings - especially on larger projects

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We will sometimes run into items that are on back order. In this event, we make the decision whether to wait for the item, or re-select another item. Many times we will recommend waiting if it is expected within a reasonable time frame or because  of the unique nature of the item. This can present an issue later if there are further delays with the back order. We make decisions regarding back orders that will be in the best interest of the project and the timeline we have established

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Discontinued items is also another reality of the procurement phase. In this event, we will check with our vendor to see if there is any stock available. In some cases, that is a possibility, but we typically need to re-select another item. We try our best to check stock on items before presenting them to you, but we don't always know about discontinued items, or back orders until we place the actual orders.

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Initial Installations (Usually 6-8 weeks after initial orders)

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Certain finish items obviously must be installed prior to our official installation day - wallcoverings, millwork, carpeting and custom drapery. Custom drapery requires attention, and we therefore schedule installation about 2 weeks prior to the official installation day, where we focus only on just that part of the project. We are usually onsite for the duration of the installation along with a representative from our workroom, and of course, the installer.

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Installation Day (Usually two weeks after initial installations)

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Installation day is the culmination of all our ideas and hard work coming together for a final, beautiful finish. There is a lot that leads up to installation day - coordinating our installers and warehouse personnel. Typically we receive reports from our warehouse as items arrive, which we check off our master list. Once everything is in, we send our warehouse delivery instructions, a list of the items to be delivered, and  schedule a delivery date. We also visit the warehouse the day prior to installation, after all items have been pulled, to conduct our own quality check before items arrive at your home. We notify you immediately of the date. We send you an installation day checklist, as there are things you may need to do to prepare for the big day. We prefer if you are not home for the delivery, because it tends to be a very overwhelming scene before the pretty happens. Our warehouse personnel places all items and we then clean up and style to perfection. 

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Styling items, which are the small items used to style shelves and table tops, are usually purchased a few days prior to installation day. This means that you have not seen and approved these items beforehand. We try to use any meaningful accessories that you own first, and then fill in with the small styling items. We typically include an estimate in the original budget for purchasing these styling items, but we may spend more than we have in the budget to make sure we have enough of a selection on installation day. Because these items are smaller, we usually have to try them out in place to decide if they will work with the overall room design or not.  

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Reveal And Walk Through (Usually happens the same day as installation)

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We will call you home to see your beautiful new space following the installation. This is an exciting, and sometimes emotional moment. We will give you time to take it all in, but we will also take the time to do a room by room walk through, where we will give you information like - how to care for your new furniture, any special features you need to know about, and for you to point out any flaws that you may notice etc.

 

This is also a good time to point out any of the styling items (that you did not approve ahead of time) that you don't care for. We are happy to remove those items. We however understand if you need a day or two to live with these items before deciding. If you decide to keep all styling items, we will bill you for any amount that exceeded the original estimated budget. 

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Curing Deficiencies and Closing Out Projects (Usually within 7 days of the walk through)

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If there were any issues observed during, or even after walk through, we will make a punch list, and arrange for those issues to be resolved. We need to coordinate with the schedules of our trades people, so this process usually takes a few days. Typically there are no issues, because we run several quality checks along the way, but no process is ever 100% perfect.

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Project  Closure and Final Invoicing (Usually a week after installation)

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This is where we mark your file as being complete; meaning that all items have been delivered and you are happy with your finished project. We will also present you with any final invoices, or process any refunds. We typically include an estimated amount for freight and delivery, and installation costs as part of the original budget. This is usually enough to cover the final invoices we receive from our warehouse and installation crew. These are unforeseen costs that we don't know until after the installation. We bill you at our cost. We will refund any excess.

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At this point, we would love for you to write us a testimonial or review. You can simply go to Google and type " Casa Vilora Interiors" in the search field, and you are able to leave us a 5 start review at the bottom right hand corner of the screen. Here is the link to leave us a 5 star review

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Photography (Usually within a week of installation)

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This is a very important part of our process. We rely on professional photography of our projects for our overall marketing plan. We will of course coordinate our photographer to come to your home to shoot the project. You are welcomed to be there, but usually we try not to get in your way, or inconvenience you, so most clients usually take the day away. Often times on smaller projects, we will do our photo shoot on installation day. The shoot can take a few hours depending on the number of rooms. We sometimes bring in additional styling items just for the photos, which we will remove after the shoot. We do this because rooms translate a bit differently on camera than they do in person.

 

We will never disclose your name or exact address without your written permission

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We sometimes submit our photos to local or national publications, or enter them into design awards competitions. We will notify you of any features or awards received from your project photos

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Timelines

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The timelines we provide in the beginning of the project are estimates. We try to account for any potential delays, but we cannot be sure what delays will occur and for how long. We will communicate with you along the way, especially when there are delays

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The normal timeframe on each project varies depending on the amount of construction, and custom work involved. Here is a breakdown of a typical timeline not including construction

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THE INITIAL CONTACT - 2-3 weeks later - THE CONSULTATION - 1 week later - THE FEE PROPOSAL SENT - 1-2 weeks later - THE SITE MEASURE - 3-4 weeks later - THE DESIGN PRESENTATION - 1 week later - THE REVISION AND NEW PRESENTATION - 1 week later - PROCUREMENT - 6-8 weeks later - INITIAL INSTALLATION - 2 weeks later - FINAL INSTALLATION - 1 week later - RESOLVE DEFICIENCIES - 1 week later PROJECT CLOSURE AND PHOTOGRAPHY

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This is roughly a total of 24 weeks from the initial contact

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Here's a breakdown of the procurement phase which takes roughly 6-8 weeks

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• Purchase order is sent to vendor

• 1-2 days later an acknowledgement is sent to us usually via email. We verify all information and confirm the accuracy with vendor 

• 1-2 days later a sales order is sent to us and payment submitted. Order is official

• 1-2 days later we will be notified of back orders or discontinued items. Sometimes this takes longer. We have no control over this

• Fabric orders are usually received two weeks later. We take 2-3 days to verify and send fabrics where they need to go for custom fabrication. To our workroom for custom drapery and pillows, to our upholsterer for re-covering upholstery pieces, to our upholstery vendor for custom construction of upholstery pieces (time in the mail is additional). Our workroom takes about 4-6 weeks to fabricate custom window treatments and pillows, our upholsterer takes about 4-6 weeks, and our upholstery vendors take up to 6-10 weeks. Once production is complete, they notify the freight company that they are ready for pickup. The freight company takes about 3-7 days to pick up. The freight company takes about 1-3 weeks to get items to our receiver

• Casegoods take about 4-6 weeks from the time we confirm and pay for the order. They can take longer if the finish is custom.

• Accessories take about 3-4 weeks from the time we confirm and pay

• Hard window treatments like shutters take 8-12 weeks from the time they are ordered

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Communication Between Us

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This best way to communicate with us is through the client portal which we will send you an invitation to. This way, we can track all conversations in one place. Emailing us is also an acceptable way, as well as calling us. We do accept text messages, but we do discourage it as much as possible on items that require action from us. In most cases, we are out and about and cannot act on text messages, and they tend to get forgotten a lot easier than an emailed message. We will respond to messages during business hours only M-F 10:00 AM to 6:00 PM. Please do not hesitate to call if you an emergency arises.

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We will send you once weekly status emails through the client portal about the progress of your project. We may call other meetings as needed to review or go over certain items in person. Because we value the fact that you have entrusted the project into our capable hands, we will not overwhelm you, or bombard you with minor details that we can simply make the right decisions on, unless you specifically prefer for us to get you involved.

 

  

Use Of Drawings and Plans

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The plans and drawings that we supply are for conceptual purposes, and all measurements must be verified onsite. We own all our design drawings and plans. They must not be reproduced or used in any way without or expressed permission. 

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Our promise to you is that we will make the design process a lot easier for you. There are many moving parts, and a lot of details that need to be considered and covered. Mistakes can happen easily, but our diligence, experience, professionalism and resources ensure that we are always ahead of the curve. We know what to expect because we have seen it all after 10 years.  Our role is to take on all the issues that can arise so that you don't have to. 

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We welcome any questions and concerns you may have about the design process.

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We look forward to working with you

 

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