FAQs
Do you have questions? The answers to our most common questions are below. If you need more information — or your question wasn’t on the list — please get in touch with us so we can help!
Why Should I hire an Interior Designer?
An Interior Designer will save you money and time by getting it done right the first time. Having a designer on board will save your precious time and make the process stress-free. Her/his expertise and experience will help you avoid costly mistakes that could require correction, or a design workaround in the future. She/he can manage the entire project for you, coordinating with contractors, purchasing items, arranging the room, etc., so you don’t have to!
And because of their knowledge of materials and building practices, Interior Designers will find creative solutions to design challenges. They can help you maximize and repurpose what you already have, and help you feel confident to make bolder choices.
Do you have a minimum?
We require two or more rooms or spaces for full service design.
How do you bill for your services?
We charge a flat fee for design based on the scope and an hourly rate for the project management that is required during the execution of the project. There is also a minimum product spend through Raashi Design for every project, based on the scope of the project. These charges will be detailed in the proposal we send to you after the Discovery meeting.
Are you willing to do a big project in multiple phases?
Yes, we can modify the scope of work to be performed, or break it down into separate projects to better fit your financial situation. To do this, though, we will require a separate agreement to be formalized before the start of each project because a lot of things can change — for example specified materials get discontinued or a new product in the market might be a better fit for the project.
How do I get started?
The first contact with a client is typically via a 15 minute complimentary phone conversation to get an understanding of your project needs. If we are both interested in moving forward, a Discovery meeting is scheduled.
This paid Discovery meeting is held in person and on-site so that we can discuss the scope of your project in detail. Our goal is to understand your desired outcome. We’ll talk about your budget and a realistic timeline for the project.
If you choose to hire Raashi Design for the project, then we will formalize our engagement and begin work. Learn more about the steps involved in a typical interior design project by clicking here.
Can I sit on a sofa or chair before buying it?
Most seating options are made to order and therefore not available to sit on. But we specify the frames that we are familiar with and have tried out or used in other projects.
It is overwhelming to do a big project. How do we know the order of work and all the decisions that need to be made?
Tackling a big project can be overwhelming for homeowners. There are so many moving parts. We keep you informed and guide you through every step of the process.
How long does the project take to complete?
Each interior design project is unique. How long it will take depends upon the scope of what you want to accomplish — window treatments for a room or a kitchen remodel are two examples of projects with vastly different completion timeframes. Also the length of time it takes for the client to make decisions, site conditions, availability of materials, or unforeseen circumstances can impact the duration of the project. When we meet for the design consultation, we will discuss a timeline that will be realistic for your project.
How frequently will we be in contact during the project?
We do our best to return all phone calls and emails within 24 hours on weekdays and 48 hours on weekends. When we formalize our working agreement, we will determine the timeline for status meetings, the frequency of which will depend on what the project entails.
Do you provide drawings?
Depending upon the service offering chosen by the client, we provide the appropriate drawings, layout/plan, elevation drawings, 3D drawings, and electrical drawings.
What’s your personal style?
Before beginning each project, we take the time to learn about the client’s needs, wants, personal taste and lifestyle, so that we can design their spaces accordingly. We don’t impose any specific style and most of our projects have blended styles to deliver a very unique and personalized design.
Why do you have a minimum spend?
We create a design that is unique to your space. Every interior has a different story that is unique to the occupants. In order to achieve this, we rely on the relationships built over the years with quality resources where we can custom make, customize or source pre-made product lines. We work with a collection of vendors, manufacturers and resources who are reliable and trustworthy. This enables us to select the appropriate resources for the project in hand and control the flow of work. These vendors work with and support us because of the volume of sales and the investment we make in properly supporting their products. The client prices we offer are fair and competitive and we take care of all the logistics like managing purchase orders, regular follow-up, receiving, troubleshooting, claims, etc.
Do you work with our budget?/ How do you determine the budget of a project?
We are a mid-high end firm. Based on your needs and the areas you want to work on, we can determine if your budget is appropriate. We will help you in determining the way forward – reducing the current scope, doing it in phases, or increasing the budget.
Do you provide contractors?
As we are a design firm, we don’t have any subcontractors on our payroll. But we have good relationships with a network of contractors that we have been working with for so many years. We can refer them to you in case your project needs one. Working side by side with these trades for many years we understand what is expected of each other and communication is easier. The contracts and payment with these trades will be done by the client directly.
Will you work with our contractor?
If you have someone that you want to work with, we are happy to work with them as long as they are professional, experienced, and good with communication. We would like to be kept in the loop for the project/client’s sake and any changes that are required on the design should go through us. This is to maintain the integrity of the design and to make sure all the specifications are met.
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