Welcome Guide

WELCOME

It is a pleasure to welcome you to this chapter of your design journey. Thank you so much for your approval of the design proposal and for entrusting me with your interior design project. Your decision to invest in this process and work with me means a great deal and I am delighted to help bring your vision to life.

This is an exciting milestone of the design process, where we can move forward to Stage Two, Concepts & Schematics. During this stage, I will be conducting extensive research and compiling an abstract overview of design ideas, including mood boards, concept images, initial schematic sketches and space planning recommendations.

I am committed to delivering exceptional design, ensuring that every detail is taken care of, supporting you through the process and making your experience seamless and enjoyable.

I look forward to our creative journey.

 

INTERIOR DESIGN PROCESS

Your project is currently in Stage Two of the design process, Concepts & Schematics.

WHAT TO EXPECT

I adhere to the systems and processes as outlined in your design proposal to effectively manage the project’s design, investment, and timeline. Throughout the process, I ensure that each of these three key elements is given thoughtful attention, providing you with regular updates and deliverables as detailed in your design proposal.

DELIVERABLES AND UPDATES

At the end of each stage, I will be in touch with you to organise presentation of the key deliverables. These presentations will require approval, along with prepayment of the next stage, to enable us to keep moving through the design process. As detailed in your design proposal, there is one round of amendments to the design documentation included at the end of stages four and five if required. During the entire process, you can expect to receive weekly or fortnightly updates via email, depending on the complexity of each stage.

TEAM INTRO STAGE

If your project is a renovation, you can expect various trades to be visiting your site, to review concepts and validity, assess costs and discuss any structural requirements and time frames. Throughout the process, there will also be other days required for contractors to visit the site to take measurements and enable assessment of costs, so regular access to the site is imperative.

If your project is a new build, you can expect regular meetings, ongoing throughout the process, between myself and your architect, builder and all relevant trades, to review plans, concepts and designs, assess costs, and discuss any structural requirements and time frames.

For any construction, cabinetry making and installation, electrical, plumbing and other specialist trades, the contractual relationship is between yourself and the relevant trade. Part of my service is to be an intermediary, working on your behalf between the builder and yourself, to help facilitate a seamless and enjoyable experience.

FAQs

CAN YOU REMOVE STAGES FROM YOUR PROCESS TO REDUCE DESIGN COSTS?

Unfortunately no. Each stage of the design process is carefully structured to ensure nothing is overlooked and that every detail is thoughtfully considered. My design approach is comprehensive, guiding the project from concept to completion. Skipping any stage could compromise the successful outcome of the project and lead to potential issues, delays and extra costs during the design or implementation stages. The process is in place to deliver a cohesive, smooth and well coordinated experience, ensuring every element is handled professionally and without compromise.

CAN I ADD ON TO MY PROJECT?

Yes, absolutely. However, whether we add to the current project, or start an entirely new one, depends on the scale and complexity of the addition you would like to incorporate. Therefore, each request is assessed on a case by case basis to ensure that the changes or additions align seamlessly with the existing design and project timeline. This approach helps maintain the integrity of the design and ensures a smooth continuation of the work.

HOW LONG DOES THE DESIGN PROCESS TAKE?

This really does depend on the scope of works and the scale of the project. At the start of each stage, I will provide an estimated time frame, plus during stage three, I develop a draft design program for you, which will provide a clearer idea of the overall time line of the process.

HOW INVOLVED DO I NEED TO BE IN THE DESIGN PROCESS?

At the end of each stage, I provide a presentation to you. This is an opportunity for you to provide your thoughts and I build upon ideas as I receive feedback from you, to ensure the final design package meets your expectations and results in a design that is both functional and beautiful. However, if you prefer for me to make all decisions, I am also able to accommodate this, selecting all specifications and ensuring that every detail is taken care of, taking the entire interior design process off your plate, allowing you to reclaim valuable time.

ARE THERE ANY SHOPPING TRIPS INVOLVED?

There can be shopping trips involved once specifications have been completed, to enable you to see those selections in person, such as stone slabs for a kitchen benchtop. However this is completely optional. I am happy to oversee the entire process, taking care of all selections and ensuring that no detail is missed, allowing you to focus on other priorities. These shopping trips are dependent on the type of project and it’s location.

CAN I SPECIFY AND ORDER MY OWN ITEMS SUCH AS FURNITURE AND LIGHTING?

Your input is highly valuable throughout the entire design process, however, to facilitate a smooth and seamless experience and ensure that no detail is overlooked, all specifications are handled as part of the design process, and will be listed in your selections schedule. This is also to ensure that all specifications are suitable in terms of aesthetics and dimensions. Once all specifications have been approved by you, during stages six and seven, I will coordinate quotations from trusted suppliers. These quotations are then invoiced to you directly, where you can make payment direct to the supplier.

DO YOU OFFER TRADE DISCOUNTS?

I have spent many years cultivating strong relationships with trusted suppliers and gaining extensive knowledge of their product offerings. While I am sometimes offered a trade discount, this is not guaranteed. As all quotations are invoiced directly to you from the supplier, it is ultimately at their discretion whether any trade discount is extended to you. As a result, the availability of any trade discounts is beyond my control.

WHO DO I PAY FOR ANY INSTALLATION OR CONSTRUCTION?

As part of stage three, if relevant, a builder and their team of trades will be introduced to your project. Then during stages six and seven, final quotations are invoiced directly to you from these teams. You therefore pay the builder and relevant trades direct.

CAN YOU WORK WITH MY EXISTING BUILDER AND TEAM OF TRADES?

I welcome the opportunity to collaborate with any builders and trades whose standards align with the high level of quality and processes I uphold. Depending on the location and scale of the project, I can recommend my trusted team, or leverage my network of peers to discover reputable builders and trades within the location of your project.

WHAT ABOUT WARRANTIES?

All warranties for any products supplied are handled direct with the supplier. For installation and construction, any warranties are covered by the respective builder and tradespeople. Since your contracts for these services are with them, they will manage the warranties for their work.

WHAT IF DEMO IS REQUIRED?

Once we move into the implementation stages, if any demolition is required, please ensure all relevant areas are clean and cleared of personal belongings. If you reside within the project location, depending on the scale of the project, it may be advisable for you to vacate the site temporarily, to ensure safety and minimise disruption. Further detailed discussions about any demolition requirements will be had once we are closer to this stage, so you will be well informed and prepared in advance.

DO I NEED TO BE PRESENT DURING INSTALLATION?

Your presence during any installation or delivery phase of the project will be evaluated on a case by case basis, depending on factors such as the scale of the project, the location and if you reside at the project site or not. Further detailed discussions and appropriate arrangements around this will be had in the lead up to the implementation stages, to ensure everything runs smoothly.

 

PAYMENTS

There are various stages throughout the design process and each stage requires prepayment, as outlined on page four of this welcome guide and in your design proposal.

My services include selecting either stage one to five only, or selecting all nine stages. You do not need to select stage six and onwards up front, as this can be decided upon towards the end of stage five.

Stages one to five are flat fee services, while stages six to nine are an hourly rate.

Everything in stages one to five, from the Concepts & Schematics stage through to delivery of the Design Documentation, is quoted and invoiced at a fixed fee, for prepayment. Fixed fee inclusions, for stages one through to five, are outlined in the scope of works listed in your design proposal, and include one round of revisions at stages four and five. Items that will be added at an hourly rate, on top of the fixed fee, are at any time during stages one through to five when there are new additions to the scope of works, when there are further revisions beyond the one round of revisions at stages four and five, and when there are further specifications made to the FF&E after approval of stage five.

Everything in stages six to nine for Implementation & Design Project Consulting, is invoiced and charged at hourly rate of $100 incl. GST, in blocks of 20 hours, for prepayment.

Prepayment for each stage is required before any work for each stage will commence and invoices are payable within seven (7) days of invoice. Subsequent works may be suspended if any prepayments are not received.

Payment options include card, PayPal and EFT.

 

COMMUNICATION

Please always feel welcome to contact me should you have any questions, via email at:
hello@elomouinteriors.com.au
or via phone on 0414 700 421

To ensure that I can best execute your requests, the preferred method of contact is via email, along with online forms I will occasionally send via the Elomou Interiors website. Please note, to ensure clear communication, any contact via any other method such as phone, voice mail, text or social media message, will be reiterated by me via email, to confirm conversations and keep all correspondence collated.

Elomou Interiors design studio operates Monday to Friday 8am to 5pm. All personalised responses to any enquiries, along with site visits, will occur within these hours. Presentations of each stage, and other key meetings, can occur outside of these hours to suit client availability, depending on the project and the location.

 

NEXT STEPS

Once you have completed your onboarding questionnaire, we move to the exciting stage of Concepts & Schematics. This will provide you with an abstract overview of design ideas and some initial schematic sketches. I also closely examine the functionality of the spaces, with some initial space planning analysis, to ensure that the final designs will not only be aesthetically pleasing but also highly functional. This stage can take a few weeks to complete, so I appreciate your patience during this part of the process.

Your decision to work with me is deeply valued. I am committed to delivering exceptional design and making your experience seamless and enjoyable.