​Let’s say you have a clear vision in mind concerning a commercial or residential design project. It could be completely new construction, a remodel, an addition or simply the refreshment of an existing environment with which you are satisfied.  You have consulted several trusted associates about feasibility and practicality, and are excited to get going.
 
You have speculated about how to move ahead, you have looked at financing, and you have even debated the degree of outside help you actually want, could afford, or need.  Could you manage it alone?  How would you start?  Do you know where to begin?
 
Learning exactly what is involved in becoming your own project coordinator is a very important consideration at this juncture.  The process of turning a dream into reality can be daunting; realizing in the middle of a project that you are in over your head can have serious ramifications.

​When a commercial or residential project begins to take shape in your mind, and your vision of the finished environment seems clear, inevitable questions come up:  How to begin?  How much will it cost?
 
Of course, those are not the only questions, but they are pivotal, interdependent and paramount to realizing your vision.  If you can get the foundation of a desired project off on the right foot, the process that follows can move smoothly, affordably and efficiently.
 
To help a good beginning get better, first do your homework.   Spend some time thinking about your likes and dislikes in very specific ways.  Are there styles and features you have seen or read about that have appealed to you?  Are there environments where you have felt comfortable or perhaps where the colors and lighting were especially appealing?

​It is important to build a team that best fits the project needs.  Your professional designer will look at the project needs from several angles when selecting the specialists who will be bringing the job in, on time and as you envisioned it.
 
Of course, skill levels and experience are highest on the list of qualifications.  However, those features alone will not insure a place on a team.   That’s the key word: team.
 
When your Certified Interior Designer is also your Project Coordinator, he or she will be screening the future participants on your project for many other qualities and aspects of experience aside from their specific skill focus.  Individual characteristics, habits and reputation will be very important considerations.

For those who have a lot of experience envisioning, planning and executing design projects, the value of access to the relevant network of services is appreciated.   They know at the beginning what is needed and where to find it!
 
When it’s all new to you, and the design project you have in mind is all about breaking into new experiential ground, it is a challenge of an entirely different stripe.   Perhaps your smartest first action would be to speak with a professional in the field of interior site design who can help you get an overview of what lies ahead in your project path.
 
Consider beginning with a low-cost, in depth consultation wherein you describe your design vision, your desired timeline and your budget parameters to an appropriate design professional who will shed light on what you can expect – and what is needed.
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Wouldn’t it be great if we got some kind of an automatic, magical “heads up!” when information is wrong or misleading, when the experts aren’t, when advice goes against our own vision or your investment is in jeopardy?   Yes!
 
But, No!   That is not how it works.   Misinformation has power, and when it is used as a tool of deception in the delivery of services or goods, we all are on the losing end of things.  We all know the adage: If it seems too good to be true it probably is!  And that goes for almost everything from timing to cost.
 
Professional designers and their venue-related associates are constantly aware of problems concerning the compromises that often try to happen with materials, pricing, compliance integrity and goods.   There is always a source that promises cheaper, faster or easier!

​Just as each project is unique, each project‘s principals develop unique relationships, from concept through completion.  The experience of journeying with a client through all the stages of a design project is an experience that might never be repeated.
 
This special communicative relationship develops its “personality” through many stages of focused interaction.

​Factors naturally encountered on the interior design project path include, and delve deeply into, personal taste and preferences, color and light dynamics, past exposure to comfort and discomfort, bad impressions, good hopes and many other elements.
 
An astute design professional is skilled to listen, hear and translate the information behind a client’s expressions, reactions, speculations and questions.  Through the investigative stage of the creative design concept process, a unique relationship begins to form.