We’ve come to our final post on the What to Expect Series! Today we are discussing that big day that all our clients look forward to, the culmination of all the decisions, demo, tradeswork, design work, contractor work etc. to come home to a final finish: Styling and Installation Day.
Let us walk you through it.
STYLING: WHAT IS IT AND WHY SHOULD I DO IT?
Investing in decorating is something we always encourage our clients to do when completing a renovation. We have seen situations where this service is not budgeted for, and then when the renovation is done… it doesn’t quite feel like a complete space. When there is no planning for furniture, decor, or accessories etc., the space can feel cold until it is decorated completely.
Styling and accessorizing is an additional design service we offer in order to provide our clients with a fully finished space; one they will enjoy for many years. Styling can be done with the client’s existing items but is often supplemented by new product sourced by AMR Design. Our design team “shops the city” to source accessories (such as small artwork and wall decor, vases, throws and decorative objects, etc.) for the completion of the project. These accessories, along with the furniture, are delivered to the jobsite on installation day and the design team places each item strategically either in the afternoon or the following day. There may be other installations prior (like cabinetry, countertops, tiles, wallpaper etc.) to the final styling day, but we aim to get the final styling done in two days.
THE DAY OF
The first day. we will often book drapery installation in the morning and we arrange to have furniture delivered later in the day. We will also focus on getting artwork hung up using a professional art installer. We try to space the timing so everyone is not stepping on one another during this busy time. We also kindly ask that you are not home during this process as it gives us time and space to do what we do best. The second day (or on the first day in the afternoon if the space is on the smaller side), we will place all the product and accessories where they need to be based on the furniture plan. When you return to your home later that day, you are able to walk through the space at your own leisure and take it all in as a whole.
While we always aim to have the installation happen all at once, we do find that there are times when furniture is delayed and we need to make multiple installation dates. Rest assured, that we will always communicate any delays with you prior to installation day.
AFTER STYLING
Shows like the ones on HGTV do no service to our industry’s client expectations. After that final reveal, it would be amazing if we could just walk away and talk about how fabulous the space is before getting in a car and driving off into the sunset… but we often still have some work to do after that “final” day. This includes:
Returns: We find that most of our clients keep 80-90% of the styling material we place in their home. Our designer will come and meet you in your home a few days after the styling and installation day to go through your house with you room by room, noting any deficiencies (see below) and gathering any items you may not want to keep. We will then take the items you want returned and do this on your behalf.
Deficiencies: There are often final deficiencies still being worked out at this time. Things like a chip in a cabinet, touching up paint in one spot, or replacing any damaged goods all can happen after that final delivery day. We will take care of all of these aspects on your behalf.
Delayed Delivery: As is the nature with custom, some items may take longer to arrive. We do our best to schedule styling and installation when all products are in, but we wouldn’t want to hold off on installation if we were waiting multiple extra weeks for one or two items. We book our installations based on when the majority of the items will arrive and we always let our clients know if there will be something arriving at a later date.
2022 Update: Supply chain issues are a new normal in our world and we are frequently having back orders and delayed shipping across the board. For more information on these issues, check out our post The Waiting Game: How The Pandemic Has Affected THe World Of Furniture Production
FINAL THOUGHTS
We hope you enjoyed our What to Expect Series and found it helpful and informative. Below are the links to each session in the series.
WHAT TO EXPECT SERIES LINKS
