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E-Design:
What it is... and what it is not

Time to soul-search, Friends… time to ask yourself life’s hardest of questions, like: 

"Can I be trusted with a tape measure?"

Before setting any 'reservation', let’s make sure our 'menu' is right for you."E-Design?" Let’s start with that.

Jump to budgets

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What the hell IS
E-Design?

We didn’t invent the wheel here… so, let’s just turn to Elle Decor’s excellent summary of what this virtual design world is... Check it out here

So what ISN'T E-Design?

Free. Our packages are priced at an average hourly rate of $75/hr. You can find cheaper packages. Our boutique service is priced so that we won’t be limited to what we source for you. Commonly, models exist that use low-prices upfront, then profit from product markup. Nothing wrong with that. But we’ve set our price point so that we don’t need to benefit from sales, making sure you aren’t limited to only certain brands.

 

Magic. We can’t furnish and style an entire room for $1500. We can, but it takes a ton of footwork and sweat-equity that we don’t feel comfortable signing you up for and the longevity would be 'iffy'. So please see our budgets below to get an idea of realistic expectations. That said, unless you are, we aren’t anti-Ikea, anti-Target, Anti-Overstock, Amazon, etc. If a piece is good and works, we’re happy to mix it in. Mixing ‘the splurge’ with ‘the save’ is part of our typical moto.

 

Done in a Day. While it’s set up to be as efficient as possible, this process is time-consuming… planning, sourcing, creating collections/presentations/instructions… it takes more time than people sometimes predicts. On the days between communication, trust we are working hard to bring you only what’s pretty and what works! 

 

For Major Renovations. We’d need to be working closely with contractors/architects and other trades to feel comfortable knocking down walls, so unfortunately for this particular Lil’ firm, E-services are limited.

 

A Chance to Shop with Us. Unless you encounter a piece that makes you fall down, get back up and immediately pass out again, please don’t try your own sourcing in the design process. We will be working with your existing pieces from the get-go, but back and forth during the shopping phase is discouraged. While the intention is pure, it proves to be distracting/extra time-consuming. So much goes into making sure a piece works. It’s best that the process remains internal. You will have a chance for approvals, vetos, and notes throughout. You’ll hold so much power & influence, but we ask you to trust us to do the job you’ve paid for in-between communication. 

 

Searching for Deals/DIYs & Craigslist. We make no promise to find the very cheapest option or source, though, with your plan in hand, you’re welcome to! You’ll have the dimensions/directions and shopping list to get you started, should you want to veer out on your own. 

 

We LOVE Craigslist, but unfortunately, we don’t shop it for clients due to the frequency of items selling out and the risk of sending you into strangers’ homes. If we source vintage (and we probably will), these pieces will come through online vintage stores and, occasionally, Etsy/eBay). But feel free to see our sourced piece as ‘insert vintage piece here’ and scour your local Craigslist yourself. Again, you’ll have info on what works in your To-Go Box.

 

And sadly, since we can’t be there to teach, we are very careful about substantial DIYs. But, you'll likely learn through project execution instructions and our advised ‘best practices’.

Can you stomach it?

Probably so, if you: 

  • Have internet access! (chances are good since you’re on our site)... and a general understanding of uploading photos/videos.

  • Trust yourself with a tape measure

  • Use Pinterest, Instagram- ‘saving’ or have some other way of tracking inspirational images that you can easily share. 

  • Can serve as your own shopper/project manager: this is where you save! You’ll be doing the ordering, tracking and any returns/exchanges. 

  • Are handy, know someone who is, or are willing to hire on your own handy-person. Again, we’re not talking major renos, but there may be some curtain/art.shelf hanging or heavy-lifting involved, depending on the project.

  • Appreciate fast turnarounds and efficient communication

  • Don’t mind requesting your own samples if desired

Probably not, if: you 

  • Are overly-indecisive and tend to go back and forth a ton before settling on what you like

  • Need a book of samples that you can touch and feel prior to pulling any triggers.

  • Don’t have space/capacity to handle orders arriving on random delivery days (unfortunately, we won’t be storing anything for you or providing an install)

  • Need construction documents or plans for a contractor/architect/permit (we definitely draw, but we are careful about virtual construction docs).

  • Need someone to measure and order for you

Budgets: Let’s Get Real

E-Design: Budgets

The perk of our E-Design service is we don’t gain from up-selling or limiting vendors (though, if we have a trade discount, we may extend a perk). We aren’t working with affiliates. Our fees are the same, no matter your budget. So, we are happy to source entirely within any of these categories... entirely 'budget', mix high and low (our fave) or spend all your dollars. It’s up to you. But to set realistic expectations, we wanted to give you a bit of guidance on what to expect from sourced pieces. Below you’ll find estimates  at varying price points.

How much, exactly, will your room cost to furnish? No matter your budget-level preference, that will always depend on the size of your room. The larger the room, the larger the budget will need to be.


 

Living/Family Room/Den

Likely your largest room and often the most-seen by guests, you'll be looking at needing specially-selected seating (sofas often being a larger 'splurge') and plenty of functional lighting/table placements. Let's break it down:

ITEM:

Sofa

Chairs (2)

Coffee Table

Side/End Tables (2)

Lamps (2)

Rug

Floor Lamp

Ceiling Light

Pillows

Drapery

Console

Mirror/Art

Accessories

TOTAL

"Bargain Budget" 

 IKEA/Target

800

450

250

200

100

375

150

150

200

250

400

400

350

4075

"Mid Budget"

3000

1200

750

500

350

1600

450

950

600

800

950

750

500

12400

"High Budget"

Just add (+)

6000

2000

2500

1500

1200

5000

1700

5000

1000

3200

2500

2900

1100

35600

Bedroom 

The bed....room. Where should most of your budget go? We've left a clue somewhere on this page (hint: the last sentence).  A quality bed & cozy bedding can consume your coin, but what else can you expect:

ITEM:

Bed

Bedding & Pillows

Bench

Rug

Ceiling Light

Dresser

Nightsands (2)

Table Lamps (2)

Mirror/Art

Accessories

TOTAL

"Bargain Budget" IKEA/Target

1300

400

200

400

150

300

320

200

400

600

4270

"Mid Budget"

2300

850

1200

1600

950

1300

1000

550

750

800

11300

"High Budget"

Just add (+)

4800

1800

2200

4900

2900

3300

2100

1200

2600

1200

27000

Dining room

This may be shocking (it won't be), but you need a place to dine. Your table/chair setup will usually 'eat' most of your budget. But there are other factors to consider. Let's take a look:

ITEM:

Table

Dining Chairs (4)

Ceiling Light

Buffet/Sideboard

Table Lamps or Sconces (2)

Rug

Mirror/Art

Accessories

TOTAL

"Bargain Budget" 

IKEA/Target

400

400

150

450

200

400

400

600

3000

"Mid Budget"

2000

1500

950

2000

450

1600

750

800

10050

"High Budget"

Just add (+)

7000

5000

4750

5200

1200

7000

3000

1000

34150

Want to get started?

Common Questions:

How exactly do retainer fees work?

For Full-Service clients, we typically hold a refundable deposit until the end of a project, but that's not how we handle retainers for our E Design clients. Instead, we request a deposit that is based on the average time we typically spend on the given 'menu selection'. These averages tend to be pretty accurate, though the estimates don't include 'custom' pricing at all (ie... a custom bookshelf or banquette design, which are billed at a higher rate of $150/hr).

Unlike full-service clients, we don't bill bi-weekly, but instead count all of our time against this retainer. At the end of the project, any time remaining is refunded (and yes, that has happened!) or you are given the option to use your remaining time for further design assistance. Alternatively, any additional hours spent are invoiced as a 'final bill' at the end of the project, based on the $75 rate (non-custom). Each client has different needs and varying levels of 'back-and-forths'/requests for design tweaks, etc, so it's impossible to give exact numbers, so we've based these numbers on past averages. We also provide weekly 'Time Checks' to keep you informed on where we are in the process and how much time has been spent, so that you have the opportunity to adapt your desires if needed.


What do I do if I have more than one room to design?

If you have a project that involves multiple rooms, we ask that you choose one room to start with. We can always expand from there once we know you love E Design.

I'm not sure where my single-room project falls within your existing menu, help?

The 'Menu' is to give you an idea of average design-time costs, based varying scopes of past projects. You can't go wrong by selecting the package you feel is closest to your level of need, as our time is always billed at the same rate and we are here to help redirect you, should we feel a different 'menu' selection is a better fit than the one you choose.

When should I start the E Design process?

Early! Our process takes roughly a month from our first meeting and having a design before meeting with contractors isn't a bad thing. Before demo,  you will want to have materials on site. This means giving yourself time to order/receive samples, place final orders and await (inevitably-delayed) deliveries after finalizing the design. Please don't wait until you're already mid construction to begin. At least 3-4 months in advance of construction would be your project's ideal start date.

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