Process
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1. Design Consulting
The first step with a new client is meeting to collaborate and review expectations for the project. This is where clients can download all of their plans and ideas, even if they feel disorganized or unclear. Carol will provide integral design consulting and work out creative solutions. These meetings are how she helps each client nail down their individual design style. Floor plans will be reviewed in detail, and copious modifications will be made to them over the course of the consulting process - always with the desired end result in mind.
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2. Create Sketches
After the floor plans have been set, the selection process begins. This is when things like the plumbing, electrical locations, cabinetry and lighting get chosen and finalized. After this, Carol provides clients with sketches so they can visually understand the possibilities that their residential or commercial spaces hold.
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3. Coordinate Subcontractors & Vendors
Once the sketches are approved, Carol begins the process of coordinating the work for all relevant subcontractors, like the painters, window treatment specialists, and flooring installers. She coordinates with the builder, subcontractors, and vendors. Carol’s role is to act as the middleman between the builder and her clients. This gives clients confidence that their vision will be accomplished, and that everything the builder does aligns with the final plan.
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4. Finalize Interior Finishes
Next, Carol determines and specifies the interior finishes by utilizing the comprehensive list of manufacturers that EDC collaborates with. This means choosing the style of doors, hardware, light fixtures, Finished Selections paint colors, and much more. Then Carol gets down to the granular features, like crown molding details and stair railing designs.
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5. Furnishings and Accessories
Finally, it’s time to focus on the furnishings and accessories that bring every space to life. Every piece of furniture and decor gets selected. Custom pieces get designed and ordered. Carol has a receiving warehouse where the pieces can be sent and stored. Then, Carol installs every piece of furniture, hangs every piece of artwork, and finalizes every detail.
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6. Enjoy Your Newly Designed Space
From start to finish, every design project is managed with this final step in mind - when the space Carol and her clients have dreamed up together finally gets to be loved and enjoyed.
FAQs
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Yes. Carol is a member of the American Society of Interior Designers. This means you need a design degree from a certified university and have to pass a national qualifying two day exam.
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Carol works with building materials all day long and innately knows price points for all the different lines. She attends trade shows and knows exactly what’s current, new and interesting, and can expedite the process thanks to her working relationships with top architects, contractors, manufacturers, and other designers throughout the mid-Atlantic region. In both residential and commercial design projects, she has found that she often ends up saving her clients more money than they spend on her design fees.
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It would be helpful to have a list of the things you do and don't like about your space, as well as any pictures or links to ideas you already have. Don't worry if you don't know where to start — that's what Carol is here to help with!
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View Carol’s process above.
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Carol charges an hourly design fee but the scope of each project varies widely based on the client.
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Carol likes to work from the ground up. The sooner she can get involved with your project, the better!
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As an interior designer with a degree, Carol is able to provide elevations and drawings. She is familiar with codes for accessibility, sizes of doors, universal design, and more.
Interior decorators are the icing on the cake to everything that came before it.
