Excelling at New Construction with Stephanie Mahaney

[00:00:00] Speaker A: Foreign. [00:00:04] Speaker B: Hi. Welcome back to the Interior Collective. I'm your host, Anastasia Casey, and today we're diving into the art of bringing a new construction project to life. Our guest is Stephanie Mahaney, founder of Stephanie Ray Interiors, most known for designing functional custom residential projects and elevated commercial spaces. With a background at Kemble Interiors and a deep understanding of the building process from her collaboration with Keating Moore Construction Style, Stephanie brings a unique perspective on integrating design and construction seamlessly. In this episode, we're going to cover how to collaborate effectively with architects, builders and contractors, project management strategies to keep designs on track, the communication skills that every designer needs to navigate challenges and ensure a smooth process and balancing aesthetics and function to create homes that are both beautiful and livable. For many designers, custom new construction projects are the dream project and Stephanie is breaking down just how to ensure they run smoothly. Let's get started. Here's my conversation with Stephanie Rae. We are so excited to invite you to dive deeper into the Interior Collective. Podcast episodes now on Patreon unlock access to in depth analysis, helpful downloads and worksheets created with each podcast episode. Subscribers gain behind the scenes access to additional resources like examples and screenshots of guest spreadsheets, construction documents, and so much more. Your subscription also gets you immediate access to our private community of interior designers and our team of industry experts ready to answer your questions. Subscribe [email protected] the Interior Collective or linked in the show Notes Join the Interior Collective Patreon community and let's continue this conversation. If you've been listening to the Interior Collective for a while, you probably have heard all kinds of software recommendations and maybe even tried a few. But if your system still feels kind of all over the place, I totally get it. That's exactly why I wanted to share Materio that's M A T E R I O. It's an all in one platform built just for interior designers from concept to install and everything in between. You can try it for [email protected] and Interior Collective. Listeners get 50 off their first month. Hey Stephanie and welcome to the Interior Collective. I'm so excited to get you on the show. We are chatting all things new construction today because I feel like, especially as a designer, like just getting their feet wet. That can feel like a very unattainable kind of like threshold to cross over. And also once you start doing new construction, you're like, well, do I still get to do renovations? And like, do you end up pigeonholing yourself? And I just want to kind of talk through the Logistics of it's not as scary as it sounds and you have more control over things than you think you do or you don't. And you'll tell me if that's incorrect. And I just am excited to hear all about your process with new construction. But before we dig into that, I'd love if you could walk us through your journey into interior design. But from your time at Campbell Interiors to founding Stephanie Ray Interiors. [00:03:01] Speaker A: Yeah, so I was, I was so lucky. I was, I always knew I wanted to do something creative in the creative field. So I tried out a whole bunch of different things from like acting to painting to all of everything in between. And I was at a place where I was acting and I was working at a restaurant in Palm beach and I just decided, you know, I think I want to do something I have a little bit more control over and something that's really creative. But I have, you know, I see, see more of a, a career path with. So I, I saw Campbell Interiors, had an internship available and I jumped on it and I interned there for a few months and then they offered me a full time position as an assistant. And within three months I was doing my own projects, which I was really grateful for. I got really lucky and I became a lead designer within that first year. And yeah, I worked there for a while, leaving my own projects, my making amazing connections, learning so much through Kimbell and their way of designing. Like they design from the art of design and they, their, like the, the relationships with workrooms and with artisans and all of that is so strong there. And I'm so grateful that that's where I started and that's where I learned. But yeah, then I, I decided to open my own firm because I had an amazing client and she had some projects up in Buffalo and I wanted to get out of Florida for a little while, so we moved to Boston and, and I, and I just went off on my own. And it's. Since then it's just been a journey. [00:04:29] Speaker B: Wow. I'm so glad to hear that you had a wonderful experience starting at a design firm. First. I feel like a lot of times the story is I worked for someone else. I hated working for them, or there was a terrible situation or they didn't ever get a promotion or anything like that. So it's really refreshing to hear that you had a great experience and that really put you on your current career trajectory. [00:04:53] Speaker A: Yeah, I know, it was awesome. [00:04:55] Speaker B: Just curious, how long did you. Were you at Kemble before starting your own? [00:05:00] Speaker A: I was there. I can't even remember now, it was at least three years, so. Like, three or four years. Yeah. And I met some of my best friends there. I think there's so much confidence at Kemble and with the designers at Kemble and Mimi and Celery, and they know sort of that the people who are working for them are potentially going to leave and go off on their own at some point. So they're pretty supportive relatively. I'm sure they're sad to see certain designers go because. Because you create such amazing relationships. But they really are confident in their own stuff that they have going on. So I think that's part of it. [00:05:32] Speaker B: That's so beautiful to hear that designers of that caliber can be creating, engaging, developing designers coming up and be totally okay with them going to do their own thing and knowing that there will be new talent that comes into their firm. So you were hired as an intern, then you became an assistant, and then quickly you were a lead designer. Were there any, like, key moments or key things that you felt you did that allowed yourself to have that trajectory that like, really made yourself stand out, or was it more someone left and it was like the perfect time, right place type of situation? [00:06:10] Speaker A: I think for me, I worked with an older lead designer as, and she sort of trusted me from the get go and started giving me more and more. And then a client came in and she and I really connected and she loved what I was showing her. And she was like, I want you to be my designer. And. And that's sort of what happened. And so it was kind of a combination of both, like, right time, right place. But also I. I mean, I used to live there. Like, I got there at 8 in the morning and I would order dinner there almost every night. And I worked until 9. So, like, I worked. I loved it, but I worked so hard. Like, I knew I was learning all new things and I knew I needed to like, dot my eyes and cross my T's to make sure I made no mistakes just because that's in my nature. It's just my personality. [00:06:57] Speaker B: What key lessons do you feel like you really learned from your time at Kimball and how, looking back on it in hindsight, how important was it for your career to start at another firm? A lot of people, I feel like, especially post Covid, kind of like go right into having their own firm because they did their own house or they did a few projects kind of on the side and never worked somewhere else. So talk to me about your advice on that and what you feel you really got out of It. [00:07:26] Speaker A: Yeah. So I feel like when I landed at Kemble, I was landing at a firm with so much experience behind them, because Mimi worked at an incredible firm before she started Kemble. So, like, there were, like, decades and decades of experience that I was. I was landing in sort of unknowingly, but, like, the connections with subs, how to talk to your workroom, just how, like, what different types of fabrics are. I learned what different types of fabrics are. I learned how to. How scales can come together. I learned what fabrics go in what place. Like, you wouldn't use a sheer on a. On a chair. Like, I learned all of these things because I had these incredible older women designing around me and the experience that they also brought from. Learning from all these previous designers. So I think it was a. It was a unique experience. Mimi, again, she didn't go to design school. She learned from previous designers as well. So I look at it more of like, an art that's being passed down rather than like, something that you're getting a license for, which I know this is like a. A hot topic in design. But for me, I'm just so grateful for learning from all these. And some of the women there were licensed designers, and, like, it wasn't. Everybody wasn't the same, but everybody was sort of sharing from this massive pool of knowledge. [00:08:55] Speaker B: That's amazing. On the. On the business side of things, what did you most admire from your time there? Because just hearing how you speak about them after going on to launch your own firm is just really lovely. I don't hear that a lot when I'm talking to people about their past experiences. So was there any, like, key takeaway that you'd say that? Like, I know I'm going to run my business this way because that's how I saw it done. [00:09:20] Speaker A: Yeah. And I. And I've changed sort of along the way because I'm 14 years in now to my own business, so. So I. I've. I learned so much, like, what percentages to mark up. You know, there's this concept of wholesale to retail markup versus a setting, a set percentage. And I really think it depends on the. On the project. But I learned so much from Kemble. I mean, like, everything I. I used to do all my own estimates. So, like, at Kemble, when I was there, I did everything from sourcing everything to estimating it the way they taught me how to do it. So, like, I learned that side of the business, too, which I'm so grateful for, and relationships with your reps and being transparent with your clients. Like, I saw a lot. I saw a lot of good, you know, clients at that level expect a lot. So they expect a really high quality experience as well as product. So. So I learned sort of, I saw what maybe not to do and what it, what worked really well. And I'm grateful for that too. [00:10:22] Speaker B: Yeah, absolutely. So fast forward to today. Give us a little lowdown on like, what, who comprises your studio, what is your team like? Just before we get into really talking about new construction so we have a clear picture of what 14 years later looks like. [00:10:36] Speaker A: Yeah, yeah, I've gone up and down. It depends on, you know, where I am right now. It's. My husband and I are the main part of our team and we have a bookkeeper who works all, all the time. She's amazing. And so it's the three of us mainly and we go. My friend started a company called Design Assisted. She's amazing. And so if we feel like we need to delve into, you know, having an assistant to do all the purchasing and procurement, then we'll lean on her for that. We have had full time assistance in the past, but we just, we moved to Maine a year ago so we kind of wanted to get settled here and, and rooted before we figure out do we need an assistant in Florida, do we need an assistant in Maine, do we need somebody to go between the two places? So, so that's sort of where we are and we do a lot, but we also have hands and eyes on everything. So I think it takes a little bit less time than it might if I was. If I had to communicate with somebody who was not in the room with me. [00:11:36] Speaker B: Yeah, absolutely. So that, that company was Design Assisted. [00:11:39] Speaker A: Yeah, perfect. [00:11:40] Speaker B: I'll make sure and link that in the show notes for everyone. But it's brilliant idea for someone who's like, doesn't necessarily know if they have enough new projects coming in to hire that person full time to go ahead and outsource that. So thank you for sharing that. That's super helpful. One other thing I wanted to talk about before we kind of like bridge the gap to new construction. Talk to us about your collaboration with Keating Moore construct, how that really started your understanding of the building side of interior design. [00:12:08] Speaker A: Yeah, so I was lucky. When I was at Kimbell, we did a project with Keating Moore. They did a renovation with us and I met one of the key people at Keating Moore. Keating Moore. It was kind of cool because at the time it wasn't just construction. They had, I mean it was, but they had Somebody who worked for them, who did all the selections with the clients if they did not have a designer. So somebody who would go to the kitchen meeting, the tile meeting, all of that stuff. They weren't picking out for furniture, but they did understand there was a need for clients to have somebody bounce ideas off of with cabinetry, mill work, all the selections that you see in a new construction or renovation. And so she and I got along really well and decided, you know, why wouldn't there be space in the market for Keating more to have, you know, a studio where we. And it worked really well for a little while. I was young. I was 26 at the time when I started it, and I worked there for, gosh, it must have been two years. And we did amazing projects really well. It was just on. On the business side of things, things were going on that I didn't really know about. And. And I won't go too much more into that, but it was a little bit taken advantage of, which one could imagine. You know, I was young and. And knew what I knew. But. But, yeah, so. So that happened. But I'm. I am, again, like, I'm really grateful for my time there. I learned so, so much about construction, and I learned what contractors need from their designers because I was literally in the same room as them. [00:13:39] Speaker B: Well, perfect, because now we're going to pick your brain so you can teach us all of those things without us having to go through the same time and experience that you did. So, first and foremost, what do you feel are the most critical first steps when an interior designer is brought onto a new construction project? Like, what are we starting with? [00:13:59] Speaker A: Yeah, you. Definitely one of the most important. I think the first thing you have to do is figure out who the team is. Who's the architect, who's the designer, who's the contractor, if there's anybody else that's been picked already, any subs that have been picked already? You know, it's. It's just you have to get the lay of the land first and foremost, because you don't want to be doing double work and you don't want to be getting into, like, kind of a sticky situation along with that. Like, you need to know what the contractor expects to order and what you know, and so what you're picking not and what. And what you may be expected to order. On the flip side, we will get. [00:14:36] Speaker B: Into that in more detail. And we have a couple of episodes, one with Brad Levitt, who talks about who orders what because it's a gray area, and I have found that it seems like every builder is different, and the higher caliber builder you work with, who has the more experience, the more they want to order. So we will dig into that. In your experience, when do you want to be brought onto the project and how are you communicating that to a client? Because conceptually, it feels like, oh, someone's going to do a new build and they're like, great. I get an architect and a builder and they're like, I don't need a designer yet. But where do you want to be brought into? [00:15:10] Speaker A: Oh, like as soon as possible. Maybe even before they have an architect, to be honest with you. And every project is different. Every client comes to seeing that they want or need a designer at different points. So it's not always perfect, but, like, right now in Florida, I'm working on a new construction and the architect is daily Jansen. They're amazing. And we haven't picked a builder yet. So the client hasn't picked a builder yet, and that's to come. But in the meantime, we are building out their whole set of plans. So once a contractor is brought on, they can really give a good budget and detailed estimate based on all the plans that we've detailed. Because, say, you have an architect, you have a builder, the designer comes in and says, oh, wait, why don't we add this detail to this? And then all of a sudden the builder cost goes up. Maybe they don't communicate that to the client and then it's really bad. [00:16:02] Speaker B: Yeah, yeah, definitely. How do you feel like you've established strong working relationships with architects, builders and contractors from the start? I feel like a lot of it's about communication, but I also feel like a lot of times those particular trades aren't the best at communication. And so how are you shaping that experience and what have you done to, like, really build that trust, whether using the same team or different teams than you're bringing on someone new that you've never worked with before? [00:16:32] Speaker A: Yeah, I would say it's gotta be communication. And when I feel like communication is lacking, what I've done in the past is I've created Zoom meetings once a week, every week for the. For the length of the build. So, like, if I feel like I'm not getting answers or the client isn't getting answers from the builder or things are getting missed, we just say, you know what? I'm setting up this Zoom meeting. It's one hour once a week. Honestly, it ends up being so good for the builder because they end up saying, oh, we need we actually need to know the location of this spigot or we need to know, you know, we need a grout color. And then it's not what happens sometimes when builders don't communicate, they get a material on site and they realize, oh, my gosh, we don't have the layout for this or we don't have the grout. And that's stuff, you know, that either we provided already and they can't find, you know, who knows, who knows why? There's a question, but there's a question in the builder's mind, but it doesn't come to that day and say the client is, is out of the country on a plane, can't, you know, and it seems like, oh, we're making this decision really last minute, and I feel like I'm being forced into it. Like, that's never good. So these meetings provide a place to talk one on one, like face to face with the builder. So they can say for the next week, these are the questions that are going to come up. Maybe we've answered them. Again, can you resend me that link or can you, you know, whatever it is. So that's helpful. [00:17:54] Speaker B: How do you communicate to your clients when it's a situation that you feel like this is necessary, that, hey, we are adding on this hour. I'm assuming you're billing that back. And then, however, the rest of the team, the architect, or do you have the architects on those calls usually, too? [00:18:11] Speaker A: If it's, if it depends on the project, but if, if it's a good architect, then yes, they'll be involved. [00:18:18] Speaker B: What kind of language or like coaching do you give your cl. Explain why. Okay, we're not getting all this information. I feel like we need to do a little more hand holding. So I'm going to need to add in these design hours. Are you charging the same way? Are you charging hourly? Is this like a flat rate service that you're adding on? I'm just curious because I feel like every week for a build, I mean, that could be two years that you're adding those on. [00:18:41] Speaker A: Yeah, yeah. And it, and it, it depends. The last project I did was hourly, but it was so many hours that it, it wasn't anything. And it was so helpful to them like, that they didn't question it at all. Like, there was no question. If I was presenting it, I would probably present it as, you know, we're getting to the point in the project where a lot of questions come up. Let's set up this, this weekly meeting and it's Usually towards the end. You know, it's not necessarily when they're doing shell work. It's not when they're, you know, putting up the framing or anything like that. It's. It's at the end when they're like, oh, we need to know. We. We don't remember where. How many inches off the wall the shower valve go, you know, whatever it is, it's like things that come up and. And you're like, I'm getting these questions kind of peppered throughout the week. Let's consolidate it because it's the same amount of time. [00:19:31] Speaker B: Yeah, definitely. Does this replace or is this in addition to site visit walkthroughs? [00:19:38] Speaker A: In addition. In addition to. Yeah, since moving away, I'm now in Maine and most of my projects are in Florida. But I'll do like five site walkthroughs per project. And if it needs to be more, that's fine too. Like, it's easy for me to fly down. But yeah, it's in addition to it. [00:19:55] Speaker B: Um, okay. How are you communicating to the contractor? Like, how are you negotiating? Who buys what? Like, when is this conversation happening? And what. What do you really push for. For yourself? [00:20:10] Speaker A: Yeah, right from the beginning. For me, it happens. And I keep it super, super black and white. If I'm installing it, with the exception of decorative lighting, I will purchase it. If the, if the contractor is installing it, like say tile plumbing fixtures, then I. Then the contractor installs it. And that, to be honest, for me, it's. I know that there's a markup that's missed and all of that, but for me, it's like a peace of mind. I don't. I don't want to purchase something, have it sent to the job site, and then have the contractor open it a month later, see that it's damaged or cracked, neat, and it can no longer be replaced. It's like such a headache that can really snowball. Whereas if the. If I just pick it and then the contractor deals with ordering it, receiving it, installing it, that's like a huge weight off my shoulders. Because they want. Things like that generally are shipped to the site, to the job site. You know, they're received by, say, the tile person or the. Or the plumbing factory, and then they're shipped to the job site. So I'm really relying on the contractor to check everything and then install it correctly. And to me, that's not. That doesn't. That doesn't bode well for, like, a happy relationship. So many things can go wrong there. [00:21:29] Speaker B: Yeah. It's just too much of a headache to make that potential markup worth it. [00:21:32] Speaker A: Yeah. And they're taking on the liability of installing it. And to me, like, if you're taking on the liability of owning this, this thing, then you should also make the markup for it. [00:21:44] Speaker B: Okay, let's talk like technical things as far as project management and execution. What systems or softwares are you using to keep projects organized, ensure they stay on track, especially now that you're working remotely on the bulk of your projects now that you're in Maine? [00:21:59] Speaker A: Yeah, I use, well like on the design side of things, I use Canva for ordering, I use Studio Designer, and then I use Ticktick with, with my husband or whoever else is working on the project. It's like, it's a list. I don't know if you know Ticktick. It's like you, it's list making. So you can just make lists for each project and then you, each person can log into it and you could check it off and write notes and it's, it's just, it's really simple. It's like a management tool. But it's. To me, I needed something simple. I don't need like this crazy big software, you know, just to make, just to do, kind of to do list. [00:22:34] Speaker B: Yeah. Tick, tick. Okay, I'll link that too. I'm going to look into that. That's awesome. [00:22:38] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:22:39] Speaker B: Okay, can you walk us through your project management process from concept to completion? Like what are the routine steps that you take in every project that are for instance, on your tick, tick list? [00:22:50] Speaker A: Yeah, so like from when I get a client, for example, so you sign on a client, I sign on a client and I send them over, basically an overview of what my contractor agreement will be so they know what they're getting. And along with a timeline for each phase, you know, like a discovery phase, when I'm kind of gathering all this new information, who the contractors, who's the architect is, you know, introducing myself, that kind of thing followed by there's like the initial design phase and it depends on the project, where they are on the project, what that looks like, like, and that's followed by, you know, specific designs and mood boards and things like that. I present those to clients and from there I usually give one to three revisions. You know, I, I dial in three options, send them to the client and they can, they can pick from there and if they're really unhappy or they want to change design, like that happens especially in high end projects. Like I say three revisions, but sometimes it ends up being, oh, we're tweaking things still, you know, after the third time, which I'm okay with. It's just when you know you've designed something, you priced it out, then it gets hard to go back. So I don't price things until I. I keep in mind whatever their budget is, and I know you know, where I am within that, and I know what. What sources to use, but. But I don't price things until we have a set design, because pricing takes so long, especially with custom items. So then I price everything. I present it back to the client, and. And, yeah, I mean, they approve it. They could go line by line. They can say yes or no, and then we start ordering, and then we send everything to a warehouse. And during that time, that's kind of the design phase of it. And during that time, we're also specking everything for the contractor as needed. I like to do everything the contractor needs as. As far ahead as possible. So say it's an ideal world, and I'm involved. You know, from the very beginning, we're looking at flooring, we're looking at cabinets, we're looking at tile, we're looking at millwork details, all of that right in the beginning. And then we're tweaking it as. As the project goes on. [00:25:02] Speaker B: I'm curious and super interested. You said that you present three concepts. Is that correct? [00:25:07] Speaker A: Usually I do. Like, for one room, say, like, the main living room, I'll show them three different ideas, and. And they're not super detailed. You know, it's not like I've spent 10 hours on each one, but I will present three different ideas so that I can get a sense of which direction they're leaning towards. And then the rest of the house sort of comes from that one place. But I'll pick, like, one room, either the primary bedroom or the living room, or maybe even the dining room. And I'll. And I'll say, you know what. What are you leaning towards here? [00:25:37] Speaker B: Got it. [00:25:38] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:25:38] Speaker B: And are you doing that for multiple rooms or really just like that? Whatever you feel is like kind of. [00:25:43] Speaker A: The showstopper room of the house, usually wherever I begin. And it's different for each project, I feel like it usually comes from conversations with the client on what room they're in all the time. Like, for the client I'm working on right now in Florida, it's the kitchen. The kitchen and the family room are, like, the main focus. So that's probably where I'll start sort of sending these general three concepts and see where she ends up. [00:26:07] Speaker B: As you have been listening to this podcast, you have heard a wide range of software recommendations, tools for sourcing, invoicing, time tracking and beyond. But if you've tried piecing them all together, you've likely ended up with a system that can feel disjointed. And you are not alone. The truth is, it is not you. What you needed just didn't exist until now. Meet Materio M A T E R I O a powerful operating system built specifically for interior design firms. From the first mood board to the final installation, Materio brings every phase of your project into one streamlined, intuitive platform. Procurement, client billing, task management. It's all connected and it actually makes sense. Design smarter, stress less. Try it for [email protected] Interior Collective listeners receive 50% off their first month Another question in your process, especially as we're talking new construction, are you charging hourly or flat rate for the design process of new construction? [00:27:10] Speaker A: So my in my ideal world, I'm doing both. But in my ideal world, I do flat rate. So I'll do a dollar per square foot for design and a dollar per square foot for construction and combine them. Yeah, yeah, no, that'll be within the project fee. So my project fees are pretty high to account for that. And they also have a timeline attached to them. So I do a project B and I say, you know, this project is expected to take 14 months from this date, and if we're over, then it transitions to hourly. And it's also based on rooms. Like some clients, they're like, oh, I'll do this room and this room myself. So I'll do the square footage based on the rest of the house. That doesn't usually happen, but if they decide, oh, we actually want your help on these rooms, that will be hourly. [00:27:58] Speaker B: Got it. And if. Do you take on any projects that are innovations or is pretty much everything new construction in your market? [00:28:04] Speaker A: Yeah, we did. My husband's a builder actually, and so he just did. We're finishing up a renovation in Florida right now, or we install April 4, which is really exciting. But yeah, it was a renovation and it was a gut. I mean it was a total gut. Almost all the walls came down. But he and his partner did all of the building side of things and I did all the design and it was seamless. We did it in seven months. So fast. Yeah, it was for a football player and he really wants a place where he can come back from, you know, playing and relax and. And so it was important to us to get it done really quickly so he could have that. [00:28:41] Speaker B: If you're willing to share, do you, do you price similarly in a, in a project that's like that, not just new construction? [00:28:49] Speaker A: It depends. Each project is different. The, the construction fee will be a little bit less if I'm not, you know, I base it on, am I designing the outside? You know, I have an exterior price per square foot. And if that's not hugely important in a project, then I, you know, like the exterior of the roof. We didn't pick a roof. We didn't pick it. We picked a paint color. But, you know, so it just depends. Like a new construction has a lot more choices, but renovations can too. They can, they can go down a rabbit hole. [00:29:19] Speaker B: In your flat rate model, your perfect world flat rate model, how are you accounting for, how have you learned to cushion unforeseen circumstances when it comes to a new build of just like some permitting thing took too long or. I don't, I don't even know what the things could go wrong in new construction. But like, how are you protecting your time in situations like that? [00:29:41] Speaker A: I'd really judge it based on the client. From my first few meetings with the client, I can kind of tell are they a quick decision maker or not. Because even if permitting gets pushed back a month, you know, I give myself a three month buffer. Like in my mind, I'm like, okay, it's 14 months, but I'm going to give them a three month, three months more than that. So I'll, so I'll say until, you know, until July or whatever. If it was supposed to be May, in my mind, I'm like, okay, we're doing that because I'm not going to be like, oh, it's, it is May 1, you're done. You know, even though your house isn't finished. So I do that. And also if I need to have a conversation during the project, like, you guys are taking, you know, a really long time to make these decisions. It's going to affect the rate. And I may need to add, you know, because the project now is, instead of 18 months, it's going to take three years. I need, we need to talk about this. And after 18 months, it's going to change to hourly, something like that. [00:30:36] Speaker B: How are you negotiating? I'm not sure if negotiating is the right word, but how are you communicating and setting expectations on the construction timeline? So for instance, you said you just shared that like, hey, if a project actually is going to end up taking 36 months instead of the 18 that we initially talked about. How are you explaining this to a client and where do you feel like it's no longer your responsibility or authority to do that explanation? Because it does fall on the builder. Like, where do you sit with that? [00:31:07] Speaker A: Yeah, it's just those hard conversations and I just, you have to, I think for me, I have to have them as soon as I feel like things are going down a path like that. And that's extreme, like for something like that to happen, the builder, something else is going on, you know, and if it's me, you know, like I have to be accountable for, for my choices too and, and my choices with the client. It's like we have deadlines and you know, your kitchen will take 10 months. If you don't pick it by this date, you will, you know, the construction will be affected, the timeline will be affected by that. And we have conversations and that's why those weekly meetings are so important, because the builder, if they're a good builder, will know, like, we need to place the appliance order, otherwise this is going to hold us up in the long run. So, so that's really why I, I really push for those meetings because it'll prevent crazy stuff like that from happening. [00:32:03] Speaker B: Let's talk about value engineering and let's say you're brought onto a project at the very, very beginning and, and you create this amazing design and then it gets over to a builder and then there's sticker shock to what that actually looks like. How are you adjusting your designs or handling that conversation? Or are you saying you guys should probably just wait a little bit longer and save up to be able to cover those costs? Those costs seem in line with what I imagine. That's something that I hear a lot of listeners struggle with is like in new construction, stuff ends up costing more because things take longer or particularly in renovations because there's surprises that you weren't expecting as, as walls come down. How are you handling that and are you amenable to those types of changes? [00:32:51] Speaker A: Yeah, I think, you know, what's really important is getting everything done on paper before anything starts. Right. It's like you have a client who loves molding and loves detail and loves ceiling designs and it's really important to get that all, get that all sorted, send it over to the builder and get pricing from the get go. You know, they need to send it out to their subs. There's builders that will just come up with prices per square foot based on an assumption of cost, but it's really Important to me to get those prices, specific prices, before you start building something. And if you need to change it, you change it before the client falls in love with it and thinks this is what's happening for six months, months. Because say you get into it and you're like, oh, actually that ceiling is going to cost you $70,000 or you could do this ceiling, but then they feel like they're not getting what they want. So I think before, especially with new constructions, having the builder price out specific things like the cabinets that you want, the ceiling design that you want with the specific type of wood, because the, all these prices are fluctuations, they change and, and they may be able to say, oh, let's research some different concepts, some different ideas, some different types of wood that would get used to the same feeling but cost less. Whereas if you're making this game time decision, they're like, oh, the builder says, oh, we need to order the wood. It's cost. It costs this amount of money. We only budgeted for this. It feels like rushed and it doesn't feel professional. And it feels like, you know, you either get what you want or you're screwed. And I think that that's why just talking about everything in advance may seem like a lot to the client who just wants to start building and taking walls down. But it will pay off so much in the end. [00:34:34] Speaker B: When you're sending things over to bid to contractors, are you sending like the entire house at once? Or you're like, okay, we got the kitchen done, we're sending that off. Let's get numbers for that. We're going to keep working on living room, dining room, etc. [00:34:47] Speaker A: No, we'll send the whole thing because the way they bid, it's like the, the carpenter company, or maybe the builder has laborers, like carpenters, you know, on their staff, but they're going to bid all of the carpentry for the whole house at once. So it's going to cost less, most likely for the carpenters to do a whole house than to just do one room. So we try to get as much as possible from the beginning, you know, out there for cabinets. It's like, oh, you know, carpenter might say, I'm doing one vanity, but the vanity would cost less if you're also doing the kitchen and five other vanities. So it's all about picking your subs and being careful about, you know, either you need to use a couple different subs to get the project done on time, you know, bandwidth wise, or you need to use all one sub because you'll get a better price. [00:35:39] Speaker B: It goes back to that saying of like, you can't have things high quality and fast and cheap. You have to pick two. Two of the three. What are. What is your communication with subs, if any at all? Are you managing everything directly through the gc and then it's up to them to get it down to, for instance, the tile person who's installing it the way that you guys outlined. Or are you speaking directly to the subs and are you comfortable with that? [00:36:09] Speaker A: Yeah, I speak directly to a lot of the subs, especially when I work with my husband. I would say I don't usually speak directly unless I'm on site with the electrician and the plumber and people like that. But I have great relationships with the people I use for tile. So my person I work with at the tile place, she'll call me directly and say, oh, you know, what's the grout for this? Or I'm sending you a picture of a layout. What do you think? Things like that. I'll talk directly with her. It depends on the builder, too. Some builders like to keep their subs close and. And that's what'll happen. But I'll talk to the painter directly a lot of the time because I don't want to do matte on the walls, like a matte finish. And a lot of times builders will just take your paint colors and they may not specify the finish. So I'm like really intense about that, like my painter. And it doesn't have to be my painter necessarily, but I want to be able to communicate with them either through the builder, if they're truly communicating honestly, like what I want, or directly to the painter. And yeah, it's fine either way for me as long as the communication is getting through. [00:37:19] Speaker B: Circling back around to a question I had forgotten to ask you earlier about your presentation. When we're talking a whole new house, full custom build and furnishings. When you're doing those initial presentations, I know you said you'd like to get everything to the builder as quickly as possible. Are you presenting furnishings with that as well, or are they just seeing like hard finishes, surfaces, and then maybe like a vague mood board of what furniture is going to look like? Or are you presenting whole house finished at the beginning? [00:37:49] Speaker A: No, we don't do whole house finished. It's just it sort of is like st makes it kind of stagnant for me. Like, I like to sort of let it develop and also see what the architect is thinking and. And add things in as it makes sense. Like, we find a chair we love that can go in there, and then we can get inspiration from that. And it sort of all happens at once, but there is a timeline thing that we need to think about, you know, and design takes time, so it sort of happens all at the same time. But I would say, like, the hard finishes, I won't, you know, I'll have a layout of fabrics before I pick tile, that kind of a thing. But I sometimes will, like, pick plumbing fixtures before I have full furnishings set up. You know what I mean? So, like, I'll do that kind of stuff and tile. I mean, I do it in the beginning, but I don't like to pigeonhole myself, you know, but it is helpful to get pricing. And then things can be edited if they need to be, which I think is good. But, like, you know, the plumbing needs to be picked pretty early on because of rough ins going in. [00:38:56] Speaker B: Did. Do you have a specific furnishings presentation in your process or you mentioned, like, oh, sometimes the architect and I will, like, have this perfect corner that, like, we find the perfect chair for. Is it kind of more organic with the client, client throughout, or is there at some point in your process of a specific furnishings presentation where your procurement after approval kicks off? [00:39:19] Speaker A: Officially, yes. There's a specific furnishings propo. Like, a presentation where in person, like, I'll present fabrics, I'll present furniture. I'll present all of it. Trim, detail, like, the whole shebang. And it will be long. Like, we'll meet in person, and the client will just touch everything, put their feet on the rugs, like, all of that, so they can see it in person. I'm not like a create a mood board on Canva and then order it type of person or design firm, you know, like, we are ordering custom items, and I'll even bring my client, if they want, to a workroom or to another client's house to sit on furniture that I've made so they can really get a feel for it because it's important to them and they don't always know, especially if this is their first project that they've worked on. It's like, you know, sort of introducing them to the. To the whole world. [00:40:09] Speaker B: If we could talk about a perfect project. You've been on it from the beginning. It's new construction. You presented the floor plans. Everything that needs to get over the build sets over to the contractor. How far into the project are you presenting this furniture presentation? [00:40:26] Speaker A: I would say, I mean, it really depends. But early on, we're starting like within the first three months, we're starting to sort of present furniture. Like, every client's different though, I have to say. Like, my client just had a baby one week ago, so I don't want to inundate her with choices from the beginning. So, like, I have to kind of pick and choose. Like, I'd love to present her with absolutely everything all within the first month, but I don't want her to feel like, oh my. Like I know what it's like to be in the first month after having a baby. You know, like, I'll probably wait till the baby's like 4 months old so she can really see it. And we haven't even broken ground. So I keep that in mind too. Like, I like to have between six to 10 months to order furniture to make sure it's all there for install. So I try to teeter that, like give myself about two months before I start ordering furniture to have the go back and forth type of thing. And that way it doesn't limit them. They could order something with a 20 week lead time and still have it. [00:41:25] Speaker B: I feel like a lot of times, especially with new construction project people, clients can get kind of burnt out and have sort of spend fatigue. How are you making sure that, you know, the furniture gets ordered so that the furniture is going in this house? And it's not like, okay, this build has cost way more than we anticipated. We don't have money for furniture. And then kind of all the work that you did is half complete at the end. I feel like that's a big fear and reality for a lot of designers. [00:41:57] Speaker A: Yeah, I think it's so important to get right in there in the beginning. Like, furniture first of all, takes a really long time. It takes as long sometimes to get your furniture for the house and to build a house, you know, it could take a year. So I think. And getting. And I also send, I don't send like an estimate for a kitchen, an estimate for a dining room, an estimate for. I send all the estimates all at once. So like, I will send their full, full estimate for their whole house. So sometimes it's like, whoa. And they need a few weeks to take it in, but it's, but it needs to get there and they need furniture, they need to sit in something like, you know, and, and I do, I think that that is a reality of, oh my gosh, I've just spent $3 million building this house. You know, like, I, I can't. I'm gonna buy this cheap furniture from ikea and it's fine and it's going to be fine. So definitely want to get in there before that for the client's sake too, because they're not going. Or they say, I'm just going to use my old stuff. And it's just the worst. Nobody wants. And the clients too, they're like, oh, why did I do this? I actually need you to order me some stools. And they, and they're not going to want to deal with it. They're going to want to enjoy their house. So I, I also try to, to remind them of that. Like, you're going to want to enjoy your house when it's done. You're not going to want to make more time decisions for it. You know, like, you're not going to want to, oh, I didn't pick that wallpaper for the powder room because I didn't want to spend the money. It's like, just do it all at once and then you're done. [00:43:21] Speaker B: Yeah. Talk to us about when you're collecting payment for that then, because I feel like that is definitely like a safeguard. It's like, okay, you presented this, you said you itemize things so clients get. Do clients get to see the price of each individual item? [00:43:35] Speaker A: Yes. [00:43:35] Speaker B: Okay, great. And then when are you collecting payment and then how quickly do you start purchasing from there? [00:43:40] Speaker A: Yeah, I collect 100% deposit. I used to collect 75% deposit, but with COVID and with long lead times and with all of that, most designers now, at least that I know in our area, collect 100% deposit plus a percentage of shipping. So as soon as they pay that I start ordering the, the, I, I prioritize the ordering with the longer lead time items because then it becomes this thing. It's like something's in stock. You obviously don't want it to go out of stock, but. But you don't want to pay for holding it for a year either. So I try to be very mindful about that, you know, but if it's a custom item, the fabric's getting ordered right away. If I think it's going to go out of stock, it's getting ordered right away. Because that has happened to me before where it's like, oh, we had that fabric two months ago, but now it's backordered for another six months. Like, and that can happen. And, and I think, you know, depending on the project, it's definitely worth just spending the money on storage. But certain things I'm like, you know, and vintage items that I may make a line item for But I haven't found yet. It's like, oh, we need a chair for your bedroom or for the guest bedroom. I'm gonna go find that. And then I just kind of along the way and finding those items. But more and more with. With the world the way that it is and tariffs and all of that stuff, I think it's really important to order early on because things can get stuck. [00:45:03] Speaker B: How do you handle. First of all, I want to agree with you and also just kind of like back you up. I feel very strongly that designers should not act as banks. I think you should always collect 100% of your furnishing costs. And I know, just for what it's worth, I know a huge majority of people that I've spoken to collect shipping and freight up front as well. But I was curious for things that, I mean, let's say it's even like two months go by before you're able to order a side table, which, you know, maybe that's not a big deal to have to swap out, but it's. That price has since increased. How do you handle that with a client? [00:45:40] Speaker A: So if they've paid for it, it's on me, right? And I need to figure out how to make it right. If they haven't paid for it and they're waiting, I usually get an, you know, you get the email like, four days before they're like, oh, there's going to be a price increase. So I will tell my client, I'll say, listen, there's going to be a price increase on January 1st. If you want me to order. I don't know what it's going to be. I don't know what the price is going to be after that, but your price will be. Will reflect the new price. Like, I'm not going to give you the old price because you haven't ordered it. But if they have paid for it and I haven't ordered it, like, that's. [00:46:13] Speaker B: On me, you know, and hopefully whatever your markup, whatever the dis. The difference is, can. Can cushion it for you. [00:46:21] Speaker A: Exactly. Yeah. [00:46:23] Speaker B: Okay. I'd love to talk about how you are managing all of this between Maine and Florida. So how are you structuring. Structuring your project management process to stay as efficient and detail oriented as it sounds like you are while working not just like, remotely, but, like, remotely. [00:46:40] Speaker A: Yeah, we have so on Chris's side of things, like, he has a building company and he has his partners in Florida. So anything that needs to be done, like if there's an emergency of some sort. He's there and can go to any of our job sites, you know, whether it's they're building it or whether they're not building it. So we have a team down there for that, and we have a house down there where we go and stay. So it's like we have two. We have places. We have two kind of homes where we can bring the kids if we need to. And oftentimes we do. We'll go down and we'll bring the kids, and we have such a network of babysitters and stuff that we'll go down and we'll work for a week at a time. Usually one of us is down there at least once a month, either Chris or I. And we both know everything that's going on on all the projects. So we'll check in. Like, for example, Chris is going down this Sunday, Sunday, Monday, Tuesday. And I will be down the following Tuesday to Saturday. So, like, we just travel a lot, which is why we actually recently talked. Like, our main focus is definitely on our work in Florida. And when we come home, we can just create. We can be, like, calm, and we're not running in a million different directions in both places. Like, we're really kind of realizing that that's what works for us, and we can focus on home and life here and kids. Doesn't mean we're not open to projects in Maine, but. But right now, that just is sort of what's making sense and creating balance for us. [00:48:05] Speaker B: That's so interesting. I love that. It's kind of like an arm's distance, like, protects your safe space and your creative space as well. Do you feel like being remote requires you to log more or less hours than if you were down the street? [00:48:21] Speaker A: I. I don't know, to be honest. On certain things, it's going to be more hours, and on certain things it's less. Because I'm not, like, overthinking it, you know? So if I'm down the street, sometimes it's easier to get involved with things that are handled and fine, you know, And. And I'm walking by it every day, or I'm seeing it every single day. And, like, that can also get in the way of being creative. I find, like, I think it's important to. To have that space. So for me, I've seen, like, it's been really nice, actually, for me to be away and then to get excited and see it and. And. And be there as needed. Especially because we have Matt down there who is, like, handling all the Day to day stuff, you know, because that is necessary for the caliber of work that we're doing. And the high end houses, like someone does need to be there every day because you don't want the electrician or somebody putting an outlet in the wrong place and you need somebody to go pick up the wallpaper from the receiver to give to the wallpaper person. Like you definitely need, need people there. But we just have kind of created and adjusted our firm so that we aren't those people who need to be there every day. [00:49:29] Speaker B: So Matt, who's on the ground, on site, is Matt checking in on things for you on projects that you're not using Chris, or are all of your projects using Chris's company? [00:49:39] Speaker A: No, he'll. He'll check in on any project that I have. Like the other day a different builder did it, but I needed to let in the curtain maker to the house to adjust a shade and Matt was there to let them in. And, and that's what's really nice. We work in like kind of a small community. [00:49:56] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:49:57] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:49:57] Speaker B: So as far as how Matt is compensated, is Matt an employee of both of Yalls companies or is it like hourly bill back to your company but he's an employee of your husband's company? I'm just like so interested in the logistics. [00:50:10] Speaker A: Yeah, so he is. He's paid hourly and we pay him either. Either or depending on what company he's, you know, billing the hours for. We use Harvest. I forgot to say that earlier. Harvest is how we charge hours. So Matt has a login to Harvest and he can click on each project and each project is linked to either company. So it's really seamless, it's really easy. [00:50:31] Speaker B: That sounds amazing. That's really handy. Thank you for explaining all that in such, in such detail. Final thoughts as we're wrapping up. What, what advice do you have for designers looking to go from renovations or furnishing only projects to really break into, like custom full new construction builds. [00:50:50] Speaker A: I would say transparency with the client and the builder is really important. And getting so sort of getting everything out from the beginning, like, like we talked about saying, you know, I expect to order this. What do you expect to order? Having those difficult conversations in the beginning that you think may come up is really important. And also really having good relationships with all the subs. Because while you may not be ordering the tile, you want to know the tile installer and you want to have a good relationship with who you're ordering plumbing from. And, and I think really fostering and, and Putting effort and intention into those relationships goes a really, really long way. [00:51:31] Speaker B: Yeah, absolutely. So I always like to end a show with a little sneak peek as to like, what's going on in your world. Do you have any new projects or surprises coming out that you can share a little bit about? [00:51:44] Speaker A: Yeah, we just did this photo shoot for a project in Northeast Harbor, Maine. It was a huge sort of production. We did photography with an interior photographer and then also sort of like a behind the scenes incredible photographer and we have a stylist. So, like, I am so excited. It's a really unique project. I know, like barns are sort of hot right now, but it's not just a barn. It's also like this incredible house living space connected to it. So I'm really excited for that to come out. Lake Flato was the architect for that project. [00:52:16] Speaker B: Amazing. [00:52:17] Speaker A: Yeah, so that is like, we're probably going to get photos in the next few weeks. Really excited about that. And then, yeah, we just have, we have some really fun new construction projects going on in Florida. We just. I can't wait to get started. [00:52:30] Speaker B: Amazing. Stephanie, thank you so much for your time. This was incredibly insightful and I really appreciate your candor and just openness to talk about literally how you do everything. [00:52:39] Speaker A: Yeah, thank you. It was so fun. [00:52:41] Speaker B: Thank you for being on the show. I'll talk to you soon. [00:52:43] Speaker A: Okay, bye. [00:52:50] Speaker B: For more in depth analysis of this interview, including exclusive downloads, examples and more, don't forget to subscribe to the Interior Collective on Patreon. We are building an amazing private community of interior designers and industry experts open to candid conversations and answering questions. Join us on Patreon in the show notes [email protected] the Interior Collective thank you so so much for tuning in to this episode. Producing this show has to tried truly been the honor of my career and I cannot believe I get to have these conversations. A big huge thank you to our production team at IDCO Studio and Quinn Maid. And the biggest thank you to you our listeners. Your sweet notes, DMs and reviews mean so much to us as we work to keep our show free and always accessible. Until next time, I'm Anastasia Casey and this is the Interior Collective. A podcast for the best business of beautiful living. Are you running your design firm with a patchwork of tools? Materio brings it all into one intuitive system. Finally, try it [email protected] and get 50% off your first month as an Interior Collective listener. That's G M A T E R I O dot com.