FAQ

You have questions. We have answers!

How long will this take?

It depends on the service! Designer on Demand hours are good for three months. Typically, we finish within six weeks. Full-service design projects take an average of 3-8 months to complete. Renovation and new build projects will depend on your contractor and a number of factors. Depending on the scope, those can take anywhere from 3-15 months to complete.

How do you work? What’s the process?

Every project starts with an Initial 2-Hour Consultation. From there, we decide if you want a client-led design experience where you can be more involved, like Designer on Demand  service, a designer-led experience with a much smaller time commitment on your part, like our Full-Service Design service.

How will we know which service makes sense for me?

This is why we start with the Initial 2-Hour Consultation! After talking through your ideas, we’ll cover a wide range of questions about your project scope, purchasing preferences, and your desired level of design involvement in order to better identify the right service for you based on your specific needs.

How often do you communicate with me throughout the project?

You will receive a weekly progress update email that details everything we’ve worked on over the past week. If you have any questions, please reply to the email or call us. We want you to be as informed as possible!

How will you figure out my aesthetic?

The short answer is: we ask a lot of discovery questions during the initial consultation, and take really good notes to better understand your needs. Generally, at an initial consultation, you’re going to be doing most of the sharing. Some of our clients have a very obvious preference toward a particular design style. Sometimes, we use a process of elimination to learn what you DON’T like, which helps us to then figure out what you prefer. During the consultation, we will also show you photos of other designs we have created to discuss what you like and dislike about each of them. If you have a design inspiration board (magazine pages, Pinterest, etc.), we would absolutely love to see these.

How will you source colors and patterns that suit my taste?

We’ll have a color and pattern conversation! To start, we will ask you questions about what’s in your home and if there are colors or patterns you love. Do you like that polka dot pillow? How do you feel about your current vintage dining room rug? Are there any colors currently in the house that you want to get rid of? What are your favorite colors to wear? (And before you ask, yes – this often does translate into what colors you’re going to want to see in your home!)

Why can’t we pick paint colors first?

There are so many paint colors to choose, so the sensible thing to do is identify other colorful elements of the room first: the fabrics, rugs, artwork, etc. Once the palette comes into focus, it’s a simple step to select paint colors that coordinate. Flipping the order and designing a whole room around a specific wall color will both take a lot longer and will limit what we can do with your space.

Do I have to throw out everything in my room? Will you work with some of my existing stuff?

We always encourage our clients to keep anything that is meaningful and has value to them. We encourage holding onto family heirlooms, gifts, and treasures found while traveling. We love to incorporate your special things into your overall design.

I’ve heard horror stories about designers sweeping in and doing whatever they want in my friend’s home, and my friend hates it. Is that going to happen to me?

Remember all those questions we asked during the consultation? This is why! Our core mission is to make YOUR home something beautiful that reflects YOU. Working with our clients is not about us or a designer’s ego. This is why you’ll see so many different looks in our portfolio – through the process of working with our clients, we get to know each client and design for their unique taste.

What if you design something and I don’t love it?

We include revisions in our full-service contract. If there’s a specific element you don’t love, we’ll find a replacement – no problem! Most contracts have five revisions allowed and, in all honesty, the most we’ve ever had was two. One of the reasons we start the process in such an inquisitive way is to avoid missing the mark with your design and we get your approval and permission every step of the way.

Can I buy things online myself, instead of through you?

If you selected our Designer on Demand service, you will be purchasing everything yourself from online retailers. The selection will be limited, and you’ll be managing all the purchasing and delivery. If you selected our Full-Service Design service, our team is your retailer, and we will be doing all of the product procurement and delivery management for you. We are a store without a storefront and work directly with manufacturers and suppliers to offer you a huge array of products that you can’t find online.

What’s so great about custom window treatments? Why not just get something online?

Ready-made panels—the ones you can buy online or in a retail store—only come in specific lengths and widths and often do not fit most      residential windows correctly. Those that are 84” are too short, and the 96” panels are too long. Which means, they’ll either be highwaters or sloppily pooling on the floor. Additionally, these ready-made panels are usually not lined, so they will fade from sun exposure over time and they don’t block out the light the way you might expect. There are also a limited number of fabrics available for ready-made panels which limits your options. Not so with custom! There are hundreds of thousands of fabrics out there, and we’ll find the one that’s perfect for your home.

So your job is just to pick out pretty things, right?

The way we see it, making things “pretty” is only 20% of our job. The other 80% is about making your home functional. Our design mission is to make sure everything in your home is comfortable and fits your lifestyle and needs. If you have back problems, we’re going to find the most ergonomic cushion available for your sofa. If you’re super tall, we’re going to take the seat height into account. If you have four kids and three dogs, you bet we are going to recommend cleanable performance fabric for your busy family-friendly lifestyle. Function is always our top priority. Making a home “pretty” is just the cherry on top!

How can it possibly take you 3 hours to pick out one sofa?

It’s not about picking out one sofa because it looks nice – it’s about identifying the perfect piece just for you. To do this, some customization is often needed to ensure your furniture is both aesthetically appealing and suits your unique lifestyle. Finding the right dimensions for your space, your height, and how you like to lounge; combined with picking the perfect fabric with both the right level of sturdiness and the design to complement your room; selecting the leg finish, nail head color, so on and so forth… This is about creating a piece that not only lasts but is exactly what you want and need.

Will you hang my artwork and drapes for me?

We partner with professional, accredited window treatment installers and art hangers who will hang everything for you. A good interior designer knows what experts to bring in for every aspect of the project.

What’s the fee structure?

Our design rates are clear and transparent:

An Initial Consultation within 20 miles of Hudson is $375. An Initial Consultation outside of 20 miles from Hudson will require an additional fee, depending on the distance traveled.

Designer on Demand:

  • 15 Hours: $3,500
  • 30 Hours: $6,500

Full-Service Projects:

Design services fees vary based on your project needs and how long it takes to do the work. The product investment will depend on the scope of the room, but generally the minimum full-service product expenditure is $20,000 per room, in addition to design services fees, which are billed at $190 per hour.  All products are purchased through Lindsey Putzier Design Studio and products are paid 100% at the time of purchase. Shipping is included in the cost of products. White glove delivery is extra and will be charged at cost.

Does Lindsey Putzier Design Studio have a minimum project size?

Yes. Our smallest Designer on Demand package is 15 hours. Full-Service projects are a minimum of 30 hours, or $5700, in services fees for one full room.

How do I know I should hire an interior designer?

If you are afraid of making a costly bad design decision while renovating, hire an interior designer. If you know what you like but can’t quite seem to put everything together, hire an interior designer. If you have zero free time to dedicate to enhancing your home but are really sick of living like you’re still in college, hire an interior designer. If you think you have no taste but want a beautiful home, hire an interior designer.

What if I have no idea how much things cost?

That’s ok – it’s normal. And honestly, there are some cable networks out there dispelling some pretty ridiculous budget information. If you’re doing full-service design with us, we’ll come back after our Initial Consultation with a Good / Better / Best price sheet for everything in scope for your project. There will be sticker shock. Chances are, you’ve never added up the total of every item in your room. That’s also completely normal!

What is a receiver?

A receiver is a warehouse that receives, inspects, and stores items. The receiver lets us know if anything comes in damaged, and then we submit a damage claim. Most often, you’ll never even know if something was damaged since it’s our job to ensure it’s fixed and ready for installation.

What is white glove delivery?

White glove delivery consists of a team of professional movers who load all of your items from the receiver into a small delivery truck, deliver the items inside your home, set up everything exactly where you want it to go, removing and discarding all packaging, and dusting off the items, if needed. Lindsey Putzier Design Studio is always present to oversee the white glove delivery team.

Why can’t I just have everything shipped right to my house?

If you’re purchasing through Lindsey Putzier Design Studio, we have accounts direct with manufacturers. Manufacturers ship furniture and other large items in large freight trucks that require a loading dock for delivery. Many times, these trucks are too large to fit down residential streets. Residences also don’t have loading docks, so your furniture would have to be thrown down from the truck.

Also, you’d have no warning as to what time the truck would be arriving, and everything would be delivered piecemeal from the various manufacturers. There are some exceptions: small lighting, some small furniture items, and smaller rugs can sometimes be drop-shipped, which means delivered right to your home. There is often a drop-ship fee for this service, however.

How do you track your time?

When we start working on a client’s project, we hit a tracking button in our project management software. When we stop, we hit it again. It’s that simple. We record all of our time in your Time Tracker, which you have access to look at any time you want in your Mydoma project portal.

Why don’t you want me there during installation day?

Installation day can be hectic. Coordinating several delivery people as well as the window treatment installer and sometimes an art hanger, can seem really overwhelming to an observer, and our goal is to give you a peaceful environment – not something steeped in chaos.

When we’re finished with the entire installation, this is when you get to see your new space for the first time.

Looking for more detail or the opportunity to chat? Click below to contact us.

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