The Interior Design Process

Stefani Stein, Inc. offers a variety of residential interior design services that will help you achieve your interior design dreams. Working with clients in Los Angeles and throughout California and nationwide, our detailed process and structured workflow keep our clients’ projects organized and on track. It helps keep decision-making clear and project execution manageable. Projects can be as short as 6 months or as long as several years, depending upon the project scope of work.

Discovery

This is the first phase of any design project. Discovery is the process of gathering information and insight into our clients’ projects + preferences. It includes components such as the initial call, new client consultation, project proposal, and executed agreement. Discovery concludes with our new client intake + style guide questionnaires.

Project Launch

Once the project commences, we share a detailed breakdown of our studio’s process and get our various client portals and systems launched internally. During this time, we are also introduced to key members of the clients’ household, staff (house manager, personal assistant, nanny, etc.), business managers, or any other parties that may be part of the communication, coordination, and approval processes. We confirm priority areas + walk through the deliverables, presentation phases, and targeted timelines with the client. We also schedule time for any needed introductions with the rest of our team + outside consultants, such as architecture or construction teams. The design team also coordinates to obtain as-built measurements + site visits for various essential trades such as painters, wallpaper installers, electricians, or window-treatment fabricators at the appropriate juncture. Each trade takes their own measurements, which are used to later provide quotes.

Concepts

Once we clearly understand your project priorities and scope, we begin exploring creative concepts (or mood boards) that we will work with and reference throughout the design process. While the ideas presented during this phase are often high-level, they provide the inspiration for the more concrete design decisions that we will make during design development.

Design Development

Here we go from the more conceptual & abstract down to specifics. We refine the design direction specific to your scope of work. Design presentations could include plans, elevations, room mock-ups, design boards, or sketches. Construction-related design elements are always determined in advance of any furnishing & decoration items, which is a separate phase in the process. This may entail floor plans, cabinetry elevations, surface material selections, appliances, plumbing, hardware, and more. Coordination with other contractors, such as the general contractor, architect, or landscape designer, also happens during this phase, ensuring a cohesive result. Design-related elements are approved & finalized at the end of this phase and before proceeding.

Construction Documentation

For light renovations or smaller scale projects, our package from Design Development is finalized with the necessary construction details and passed along to the General Contractor. If needed, we coordinate with a structural engineer directly. For larger-scale projects or new construction, we coordinate with the architect, as needed, to verify details or incorporate our package from design development as part of their drawing set. We answer and refine any questions the architect & general contractor may have and participate in a final review with architecture and construction teams.

Construction Administration

This phase includes site visits & construction meetings. During what can sometimes be a lengthy and overwhelming phase for clients, we serve as a trusted ally and advocate for our clients throughout the process. During construction administration, we also review and comment on shop drawings prepared by General Contractor or specialty trades. We prepare any additional design details that may be needed by the construction team or fabricators as a result of the inevitable questions that may arise in the field. We perform a punch-list walk-through with General Contractor or Construction Supervisor at the end of the construction phase.

Furnishing & Decoration Design

Typically, furniture and decoration interior design services are offered in conjunction with home renovation or new home construction projects. However, we also provide stand-alone furniture & decoration interior design services. This might fall into what is more traditionally known as interior decoration. However, it sometimes accompanies light renovation work such as repainting, relocation of lighting, or addition or removal or limited built-in cabinetry.

This phase of the process includes the development of presentations based upon initial questionnaires, concepts, and construction plans (if applicable). Presentations may encompass interior design plans, mood boards, sketches, floor plans, elevations, color palettes, finish specifications, and interior furnishing designs & details. We cover all aspects of furnishings & decoration, from custom furniture to fabrics to antiques and accessories. Seating, tables, rugs, pillows, lighting, artwork, and accessories are all designed and sourced by our team.

At the end of this phase, we have presented you with a comprehensive design package for your approval before proceeding to procurement.

Procurement

A procurement service is implemented as part of our full-service interior design package. A detailed furniture budget is created & approved during this phase, based upon the actual designs.

At this time, we also submit estimates for the cost of every item that will be specified in your project. When the designs are approved, the costs and fees for all goods will be approved and paid in full.

We extend to our clients the benefit of all discounts we receive (as a reseller + member of the design trade) and apply procurement fees to the net pricing. Our procurement service includes confirming all specifications, submitting payments, and tracking orders. We coordinate with our white-glove receiving facility for the storage of goods and inspection for damages. Everything is held at the receiver’s warehouse until the project is ready for installation.

Installation

We coordinate and oversee all aspects of the installation of furnishings, soft goods, artwork, and accessories on-site. This is done for the entire project on a single, predesignated date (or over the course of several days to a week for larger projects). We respectfully request that our clients are out of the home for installation so we can work swiftly and efficiently to present you with a beautiful and complete space upon your return. When working on a primary residence, often this occurs while clients are on holiday.

Photography

Since launching, in 2015, Stefani Stein, Inc. has created spaces for clients that have continued to receive recognition in local, national, and international publications. Our work has received editorial features in the likes of Architectural Digest, AD Italia, Elle Decor Spain, Home & Garden UK, House Beautiful, The Los Angeles Times & more.

A significant amount of time and care goes into creating the homes we design & execute for our clients. We strive to create editorial-level spaces for each client and to document the finished result. Adding projects to our portfolio is an essential part of our process, and we appreciate our client’s grace and permission to do so.

Having said that, we also understand & respect that some clients may prefer to keep their homes private. We simply ask that clients notify us of this intention at the onset.