Tell me if this sounds familiar:
You’ve been dreaming up a big change for your home – maybe it’s a renovation or furnishing or adding on – and you’re finally ready to pull the trigger! So exciting.
Your next thought:
Can this be done, like, tomorrow?
Perhaps you catch yourself and realize that a giant change probably will take a minute. So your next question is…
How long will this project take?
That, my friend, is why we’re here.
And as you might imagine, there’s no one-size-fits-all answer here, because all projects are different. The main differentiator is SCALE.
It stands to reason that a bigger project would take longer than a smaller one. But how much longer? And to that point, how long is long?
We’re going to break down for you what a typical timeline looks like, from the Kick Off meeting to styling your bookshelves, for small, medium, and large projects.
Translation – how long can you expect to spend in the Planning (design meetings, selections, decision making) and Execution (contractors, disruption, all the dust) phases before we can call this DONE and you enjoy your new space?
We’re going to break this down in detail in this next section, but if you’re a “get right to the point” person, scroll to the bottom for quick snapshot timelines of typical small, medium, and large projects.
For my detail people: let’s talk timeline. Each project consists of two main phases: The Design Phase, and the Execution Phase. For best results, a la assembling furniture, you don’t want to start the next step until you’ve finished the previous one.
DESIGN PHASE
First things first, we design. The Design Phase can be broken down a bit further into 3 steps: Schematic Design, Design Development, and Documentation.
To put that into everyday words, basically we start by setting the Design Direction, then Design alllll the details, and then Document them so they can be built and/or ordered.
This phase usually takes 4-6 months. Here’s how that breaks down:
Schematic Design: 3-4 weeks. We will develop a working budget, share several layout options in 3D, and create Mood Boards that help us set the overall style direction, capture everything on your wish list, and set our foundation going forward. This can typically be accomplished in 3-4 weeks after we first meet. Then once we better understand your hopes and dreams, we put them into action.
Design Development: 4-8 weeks. We take that foundation that we started with and flesh it all out. We’re talking tile, paint, appliances, light fixtures, plumbing, cabinetry design, details, trimwork, etc. Every single thing you see in your home (and many things you don’t see) are all designed in this phase. During this, we take the time to show you what everything will look like together both in 3D and in person. Because this step has a lot of moving parts and pieces, we will typically meet with you more than once to allow us to present what we have been working on and then make any changes to get things just right.
Documentation: 4-8 weeks. All decisions made, we now button these up into Construction Documentation and Specifications for construction projects, and into furniture proposals, quotes, and orders for furnishings projects. We want everything on paper so you can get an accurate price AND so nothing falls through the cracks.
We get it, spending 4+ months planning and not executing might sound like a lot, but trust us it will be worth it.
See how fun this is?!
EXECUTION PHASE
This phase is where there’s the most variability based on your project size and can take anywhere 2-12+ months. I know, quite the range. Here’s how that breaks down:
Preparation + Procurement: 2-8 weeks. This looks different depending on your project, but this typically involves getting a final bid from one (or multiple) contractors, obtaining permits, and preparing orders for alllll the things we’ll be putting in your house.
Construction: 3-12+months. Construction will be the longest phase of this entire process. For a smaller renovation, it can be a few weeks to a couple of months. If we’re remodeling your whole house, adding a second story, or starting from scratch, we are usually looking at 6 months or more. This process will have many different elements all happening at once, and between us your Design Team and your General Contractor it will all be juggled skillfully like a 3 ring circus, only with fewer elephants and more dust. Rest assured we don’t leave you alone during this phase; we will be there every step of the way with regularly scheduled meetings to walk through and make sure as things are completed, done to high quality, and execute the design vision. We call this Construction Administration, as that is essentially our role to be an advocate for you and work alongside to the contractor to ensure everything is carried out to plan.
Install & Style: 1-4 weeks. This is the icing on the cake and where everyone is the most excited…INSTALL DAY! Or days plural depending on how many rooms we’re furnishing. We will either come in along with our trusted delivery and installation vendors (bless them and their muscles and power tools) and install furniture, art, window treatments, and accessories to bring it all together. For larger projects, we typically break this down into 2 waves – furniture and rugs in the initial installation, followed by art and accessories on a different day a week or so later. You can factor in 3-4 weeks of time with us (after construction if applicable) to get things all set.
Checking it twice.
If you’ve been tracking along with the the math, you are likely looking at 8 to 12 months from our first hello to our victory dance when we turn your now stunning space back over to you.
We get it. That sounds like quite a commitment, I know. TV has led us to believe this can all be done in a few weeks, but designing and executing every detail of your project takes a bit of time. And honestly, you want it to. Transforming your house deserves more than a rush-job. And it is OH SO worth it!
Take a look at some of our past projects below and how long each of these took to complete, but also look at how much was accomplished and those before and after photos that make it totally worth it!
For our “just the facts” friends, welcome back! Here are some quick visuals on long you can expect for small, medium, and large projects to take from start to finish.
BEFORE
AFTER
BEFORE
AFTER
BEFORE
AFTER
Hopefully this gives you a bit more insight to the timeline for an Interior Design project. And of course, these are just guidelines and project lengths can vary, but this will help you plan for your project and know when to reach out to a Designer to get started (pssst…as soon as possible so you can get things started!).
So if you're ready, give us a shout and let's get started!
And if you want even more information on how to plan ahead for your project, download our Project Planning Guide!
