"Full-service interior design" is a phrase that gets used frequently in the industry, but what it actually means varies considerably from firm to firm. For some, it means providing design direction and a shopping list. For others — including us — it means taking complete responsibility for every aspect of the interior from the initial concept through to the day the home is styled and ready to live in.
This piece explains what full-service interior design looks like at JAC Interiors: every phase, what happens in it, what you're responsible for, and what we handle on your behalf. If you're considering hiring a full-service firm and want to understand what you're paying for and what to expect, this is the honest version of that answer.
Phase 1: Discovery and scope
Every project begins with an introductory conversation — typically fifteen to thirty minutes — in which we learn about your project, ask about how you live, and understand what you're trying to achieve. We'll ask about your timeline, your budget, your architectural situation (new construction, renovation, existing home), and what you've loved and not loved about past design experiences.
If the project feels like a mutual fit, the next step is a paid initial consultation, during which we visit the home or review the plans. This visit serves multiple purposes: it gives us the spatial understanding we need to start thinking about the project seriously, it gives you an opportunity to experience our process and point of view firsthand, and it establishes the basis for a realistic scope and fee proposal.
After the consultation, we develop a written proposal that outlines what's included, how we'll work together, our fee structure, and the projected timeline. This is the document that governs the engagement — everything is clear before anything begins.
Phase 2: Space planning
Before a single material is selected or a piece of furniture is specified, we develop the space plan. This is the foundational document of the interior — it defines how rooms are used, how furniture is arranged, how traffic flows through the space, and how the interior relates to the architecture.
Good space planning is invisible when it's done well. You move through the space effortlessly, rooms feel right-sized, and everything seems to be exactly where it belongs. When it's done poorly, no amount of beautiful furniture or fine materials will save the result — rooms feel awkward, circulation is frustrating, and the home doesn't work the way it should.
We develop multiple space plan options for each major area, present them with clear explanations of the trade-offs, and work with you to arrive at a plan that serves the way you actually live — not a theoretical lifestyle, but the actual rhythms and patterns of your household.
Columbus Way
Phase 3: Concept development
Once the space plan is approved, we develop the design concept — the overall vision for how the interior will look and feel. This is presented visually: mood boards, material samples, colour palettes, and preliminary furniture selections that collectively convey the direction we're proposing.
The concept presentation is a conversation, not a delivery. We'll walk you through the thinking behind each choice, explain how the pieces relate to each other, and listen carefully to your response. Some things will be immediately right. Others will need adjustment. The concept phase is where we align on direction before we move into the detail work, and it's much easier to make changes here than later in the process.
For larger projects — full home renovations, new construction — the concept phase may involve multiple presentations as we work through different areas of the home. For smaller or more focused scopes, it may be a single presentation that covers the entire project.
Phase 4: Design development and specification
With the concept approved, we move into the most detailed phase of the work: developing every specification for every element of the interior. This means:
- Furniture specification — every piece selected, with dimensions, finish, fabric, and COM (client's own material) selections confirmed. This includes both purchased and custom-designed pieces.
- Material and finish selection — flooring, wall treatments, tile, stone, paint, hardware, and all other surface specifications, presented in the context of the complete palette.
- Lighting design — fixture selection for every room, in coordination with the electrical plan. This includes ambient, task, and accent sources, with specifications for dimming and control systems.
- Custom millwork — detailed drawings for any built-in cabinetry, shelving, panelling, or other custom woodwork, coordinated with the contractor and cabinet maker.
- Window treatments — fabric selection, operating system, and mounting specifications for every window.
- Soft goods — rugs, bedding, cushions, and other textile elements specified in full.
- Art and accessories — guidance on art acquisition and, where appropriate, sourcing of accessories and decorative objects.
This phase produces the complete specification package — the document set that everything is ordered and built from. It's also where the largest portion of the design fee is earned, because it's the work that requires the most expertise and the most time.
Frances
Phase 5: Procurement
Procurement is the phase most clients are surprised to learn is part of full-service design — and the phase where working with a full-service firm delivers some of its most tangible value.
We handle the complete purchasing process: placing all furniture and material orders, managing lead times, tracking production and shipping, coordinating delivery schedules, conducting receiving inspections to confirm everything is delivered correctly and undamaged, and managing any issues that arise — damaged goods, incorrect specifications, production delays — on your behalf.
This is genuinely complex work. A full-home project might involve thirty or forty separate vendors, with lead times ranging from eight weeks to six months, across furniture, fabric, stone, tile, hardware, lighting, and custom pieces. Managing all of that — keeping it on schedule and on budget, catching problems before they become crises — requires systems and experience that most clients don't have and shouldn't need to develop.
Working with a full-service firm also gives you access to trade-only vendors and pricing that isn't available to the public. This doesn't mean the work is cheaper — quality has a cost, and our clients' budgets go toward exceptional pieces rather than discounted ones — but it does mean access to a wider range of products and better relationships with the vendors who make them.
Phase 6: Construction coordination
For projects involving renovation or new construction, we serve as the design voice throughout the construction process — reviewing contractor submittals and shop drawings, making site visits to observe progress and catch deviations from the design intent, answering contractor RFIs (requests for information), and coordinating with the architect and other consultants.
We don't replace the contractor or the architect; we work alongside them. But our presence throughout construction is what ensures that the design survives the build process intact. The gap between what's drawn and what gets built — without active oversight — can be significant. We close that gap.
Phase 7: Installation and styling
Installation day — or, for larger projects, installation week — is when the project comes together. Furniture is delivered and placed. Window treatments are hung. Rugs are laid. Lighting is commissioned and adjusted. Art is hung. Accessories are arranged. The kitchen is stocked with the basics. The beds are made.
On the day we hand a home back to its owners, it's ready to live in. Not almost ready, not ready except for a few things — ready. That's the standard we hold ourselves to, and it's what distinguishes a genuinely full-service engagement from one that leaves the last mile to the client.
Fox Hills
What full-service design costs
Full-service interior design is a significant investment, and it's worth being direct about that. The value it delivers — time savings, access, expertise, and the certainty of a result that's been professionally managed at every step — is real, but it has a cost.
Our fees are structured as a combination of a design fee (covering the planning, concept, and specification work) and a procurement markup on furnishings and materials (standard industry practice that aligns our incentives with yours — we do well when the project is executed well). We present these structures transparently at the outset so there are no surprises.
For full-home engagements, we typically work with clients whose furnishing budgets start at $150,000 and go significantly higher for larger homes and more complex scopes. For more focused engagements — a single floor, a master suite and primary living areas, a complete kitchen and bath renovation — the scope and budget can be sized accordingly.
Is full-service design right for your project?
Full-service interior design makes the most sense when: the project is large or complex enough that managing it yourself would be genuinely burdensome; you want a result that's cohesive, professional, and complete; you value your time and prefer to delegate rather than manage; and you're investing enough in the home that the cost of a design error — a sofa in the wrong scale, a floor that doesn't work with the light, a layout that frustrates how you live — is material.
If you're curious about whether full-service design is the right approach for your project, the best place to start is a conversation. Book an intro call — we'll ask the right questions, give you an honest answer, and let you decide from there.
