Factor in that all personal service providers work differently- questions to providers are both natural and encouraged. To get you started, here’s what you can expect from The Refreshed Home:

1. We speak

Beyond scheduling and process details, being a good fit with your design professional is important. Whatever your situation, TRH is here to help you get things done: Moving on, moving in, or moving forward.

We want to be in the same place of understanding and that you’re comfortable with what will happen. It’s important that trust and respect become the cornerstone of our relationship.

Whatever your hopes or concerns are, our conversation will ease your mind. It’s all good! I’ll have questions, and you should feel to ask about whatever is important for you.

2. We meet

If it’s a fit, we schedule a consult that’ll pick up where the conversation left off.

The goal is to help you plan and make your own best decisions.  This time is tailored to you, your needs, and circumstances; so each consult is a unique mix of talking, on-the-spot fixes, and actionable follow-up tasks. If we can find solutions then and there, we will!

Design and listing prep consults have differences, but on-the-spot fixes for each can include: repositioning furniture, lamps, and art; also preliminary work on color palette.

• For design work, there’s more focus on function, aesthetics, and expectations of time, costs, and processes.
• If you’re selling, more time is spent on priorities, process,  preparing for listing photos, and how to live in the house while it’s being shown. Often, we’ll demonstrate fast and easy photostyling techniques for beds. baths and tabletops.

If it’s early on in your planning, sometimes the initial is to help you sort out, define/refine your goals and expectations, as well as the scope of your project.

3. We (or just you) implement

We believe in an on-demand philosophy that allows you to manage the process and control costs as you wish.  Our consults are detailed and thorough, with 75-80% of our clients taking the reins from here on out.

Others may want some help initially, or even later in the process. You may need to purchase or rent some items,  or you may want help in working with other tradespeople on your behalf. We discuss how that could work in our meeting, and we always keep the proverbial door open for you.

And that’s it!  A flexible process that works around your needs and expectations. We bring the expertise and as much help as you need to feel confident and in control.

FAQs

It’s just about the look, right?

Our work is more than delivering a pleasing aesthetic. We discuss your thoughts and reasons for the change so we can best support you and your family, so that all are comfortable with the process as well as the result.

Are design and home staging the same thing? 

There are similarities and overlaps of skills, but they are different.

• Design work creates a better space for you. It’s circuitous. There is back-and-forth between the client and designer as ideas are fleshed out, discarded, or held in reserve. It’s a fluid process that evolves.
• Staging, aka listing prep, gets you, and your property ready for the market. It’s more linear and pragmatic. Time and costs are weighed against ROI and the property owner’s needs, abilities, resources, and inclinations.

What are the costs?

How it works regarding costs comes up early.  Most potential clients are surprised at the autonomy they are given with TRH! Clients control cost by the amount of time they choose to have The Refreshed Home actively involved in their project. Here’s our business model:

Initial call

• 15 minutes +/-. We explain the process, and each asks and answers questions.  Then, are we a good fit?  Do the philosophy, timing, needs, and expectations align?  You may decide to hire us right then, or you may want to think about it. Either way works, and there is no charge.

Consult:

• TRH works by the hour, and that starts when we arrive. What the client wants/needs/chooses determines cost. We’ve found that most single-family homes average 2-3 hours for a full on-site consult.  You can take notes, even record our time. Written recap notes are available and billed at the same rate as a consult. Helpful for extended projects or multi-person implementation.

Implementing:

• Post-consult, the door is always open.  We give clients wings and are their guardrail. Clients could run with the plan,  circling back if they get stuck. Or they may know early on they need help in managing it. Again, the point being, the client controls costs via their decisions on if and how they want TRH actively engaged.
• We define actively engaged as any time spent thinking, researching, sourcing, communicating, doing, or otherwise engaged in work that represents the best interests of the client and their project.

Do you have to come to my home for the consult? 

Not if it’s inconvenient! Orange Boom is TRH’s digital sister company.  Launched in 2011 for those with challenging life/work schedules, those in the beginning stages of planning, or who just want some basics from the comfort of their own sofa. We’re happy to set up a virtual consult for a time that suits you.

Online sessions are great for quick and specific information like how to pick the right size rug, measure for a sectional, and the correct height for light fixtures. Also really good for process-oriented things like budgets, prioritizing, or talking you through products like upholstery or flooring. We can also start working on broader projects like color direction and space planning.

My partner can’t be there for the consultation. Is that a problem?

Not at all. We can cover what we need to do on-site, then have a conference call to re-cap the high points with the remote decision-makers.

Can I take notes?

Yes! Note-taking is encouraged. Recording the consult is fine, too, it’s whatever works best for you.

Do you provide reports?

We provide written reports on request. Not generic checklists but thoughtfully prepared documentation that connects all parties to the conversation, ideas, and solutions.

These reports are helpful for extended projects where several people are involved.  They are sometimes necessary if selling is part of a legal settlement.

Our reports take time to create, so we include this in our billable time.

Are you affiliated with any third party, service provider or product? 

No. TRH works for you. We are your consultant and guide. We take the position of a fiduciary, working with people you know/hire, and don’t benefit from the sale of any product or service we recommend.

How do you get paid?

Completed consults are payable at the time of service, and a retainer is requested for any research or reports you’d want. TRH accepts personal checks or Venmo.