Now that you’ve made the decision to hire an interior designer, you’re likely wondering what comes next.

Preparing for an interior design consultation can be a daunting experience if you’ve never worked with an interior designer before, but fear not, we’re here to help! We’ve created a handy reference guide of questions and conversations that you can expect during your initial consultation with Bungalow Interior Design.

K N O W Y O U R G O A L S

Is this your forever home? Are you planning to sell next year?

Is your family growing? Downsizing?

Do you do a lot of entertaining? Does your family need more space?

These are just some of the questions we may ask you when we meet with you the first time. We need to know how you plan to use the space now and in the future so that we design to meet your needs.

D E T E R M I N E Y O U R B U D G E T

Often, people are hesitant to tell us their budget for fear of us spending every last penny. In reality, knowing your budget allows us to design within your means. YOU have control over your budget. We design based on a myriad of factors: your goals, how you currently live and want to live in your space, your specific needs, your likes and dislikes, and we cater all of this as best we can to your budget.

Knowing your budget also allows us to determine whether your expectations are reasonable. A healthy budget means that we can usually meet all of your needs whereas a very small budget usually means that we’ll have to trim your wishlist. Having a larger or more flexible budget means that we can offer you more options, solutions, and products for your space, opening the door to ideas that we wouldn’t be able to consider otherwise. Remember, a smaller budget doesn’t mean we can’t provide a spectacular result, just that we may not be able to fulfill all of your requests.

Finally, knowing your budget helps us to navigate not only the design but the construction. Can you do the whole renovation at once or do we need to divide the project into phases/stages?

C O N S I D E R H O W Y O U L I V E I N T H E S P A C E

Is this a formal or casual space?

Who uses this space? How do they use it?

Are there hobbies or specific activities that these spaces need to accommodate?

What is your current routine in the space? What do you want your routine to be?

B E S P E C I F I C A B O U T Y O U R N E E D S

Do you have young children that regularly spill? We need to know.

Do you have trouble reaching something in its current location? We need to know that too.

Do you enjoy entertaining and find yourself reaching for the roasting pan but have to keep it in the basement due to a shortage of space? Tell us so that we can find a solution.

Does your partner work nights while you work a 9-5 so your sleeping arrangements are tricky? Let us know.

No judgement. We need to know your personal habits and routines so that we can design effectively. We may ask you questions that seem strange but that inform our process and your design. For example, we can’t tell you how many times we’ve gotten odd looks when we’ve asked people how they want to be able to use their shower. Are we designing for one or two people in the shower? We can’t design a large walk-in two person shower unless you tell us how you plan on using the space.

M A T E R I A L P R E F E R E N C E S

If there’s something specific you want us to include or take into account, tell or show us. We want to make sure that the things that are important to you are considered and included in your home. Let us determine if a desired material or specific request can fit into the overall design aesthetic and your budget.

E X P L O R E Y O U R L I K E S A N D D I S L I K E S

Pinterest is super helpful when trying to understand your likes and dislikes. Show us what you’ve curated! This will help us get an idea of what you like. With that in mind, anything you see on Pinterest needs to be taken with a grain of salt as local building codes need to be kept in mind and many things you see online may only work in that jurisdiction.

Similarly, we need to know your dislikes so that we can work around them. Don’t be afraid of coming across as “picky”, we actually like when you know what you want! And, once we design something for you, if you don’t like it (it doesn’t happen often, but it DOES happen!) please tell us. We can’t fix or change it without your honest feedback.

D E T E R M I N E T H E D E C I S I O N M A K E R S

Who’s involved in this process? We like to involve anyone that has a say in the budget, function, and aesthetic of the design project to be involved from the beginning. Single clients sometimes ask a trusted friend or family member to sit in on design meetings to aid with decision making while others prefer to go through this process on their own whether they are single or part of a couple. Things run more smoothly and end with a happy result when all parties that have a vested interest in the project are part of the design process.

P R E P A R E T O B E D I S T R A C T I O N F R E E

We love kids, but we recommend occupying them elsewhere so that you can be fully present and focused on our meeting, and free from distractions. Want your kids to be involved? Absolutely, but we need to talk to you first to determine a baseline and parameters for the project.

Interior design consultations are intended to be in-depth conversations about your space, act as an information gathering session, and allows us to get to know each other. Residential interior design consultations are intended to be less formal and more conversational, so at the end of the day the best advice is to just approach the meeting with an open mind and honest feedback. As your interior design professionals we want you to feel comfortable with us and with our design process, and welcome your questions too. We want you to be 100% on board with us as we take the next steps in preparing the design proposal and beginning our working relationship together.