What the heck is “redesign”?
Redesign services are called different things, depending on which decorator is doing it and who trained them: redesign, staging, tweaking, one-day decor, no-cost decorating, use-what-you-have decorating, re-decorating. There’s a show on HGTV (both US and Canada) called “FreeStyle” that’s all redesign before-and-afters; this service has also been featured on “Decorating Cents” and “Oprah”, and in numerous newspaper and magazine articles (most recently, Real Simple’s May 2008 issue).
Essentially, redesigners use the principles of interior design to help their clients redecorate in a single day without buying anything new. Redesign clients may be blending families, merging households, welcoming a new baby, downsizing to smaller quarters, moving to a new home, preparing for a big party, or just feel like they’re having trouble pulling a room or rooms together. Staging a home for the real estate market is a subset of redesign, as well.
Typically, the designer meets with you ahead of time to see the rooms you want done, thoroughly interview you to determine your needs and tastes, and ’shop’ your home for furniture and other treasures that might be used to complete your redesign. The overarching goal of this interview is to get a feel for your unique personal style, and to ensure that much loved items are incorporated into your redesign.
On the day of your redesign session, you and your family will leave for a few hours while the team completes your redesign. (At ecoDomestica reDesign, we prefer that our clients are not present during the redesign process, to allow us to work efficiently so our cost is kept low, and to give our clients the special gift of a TV-style unveiling of their completed room. A friend or neighbour can be present during the redesign if it makes you more comfortable.)
While you’re away, the redesign team will move furniture, re-hang artwork, edit, and arrange accessories, using the principles of interior design to create comfortable, functional, inviting rooms. You’ll return at the end of the day to find your rooms transformed, reflecting your needs, lifestyle, and personal style, without buying anything new.
If you choose, we may also provide our recommendations for paint colours and a shopping list of any items that could improve your room’s design and function.
If, for any reason, you are not fully satisfied with your redesign, ecoDomestica reDesign will work with you to resolve the underlying reasons for your disappointment.
Like most redesigners, ecoDomestica reDesign charges a low flat rate based on standard room sizes for our service. However, every home is different, so the final cost will vary depending not only on the square footage, but also whether additional assistance will be required for moving heavy items or cleaning, and which optional services (such as personal shopping or a recommendations report) you may choose. Before any work has begun, we will discuss the budget as well as fees and a deposit is held. When the work is completed the remainder of the invoice is paid in full.