A professionally developed design plan for client-led implementation
Design-Only Interior Design is for homeowners who want a clear, cohesive, and professionally developed design plan, but prefer to manage purchasing, trades, installation, and implementation independently.
This service gives you the design direction, selections, and documentation needed to move forward with confidence, without the added layer of full-service procurement or project coordination.
Whether you are furnishing a room, refreshing several spaces, planning a kitchen or bathroom update, or preparing to work with your own contractor, Design-Only Interior Design provides a thoughtful plan before decisions are made and work begins.
Professional Direction Without Full-Service Management
A successful design project should not be built one decision at a time.
Design-Only Interior Design brings structure to the process by creating a complete design direction for your space. The goal is to help you understand what to purchase, how the elements should work together, and how the finished space should feel.
Instead of guessing your way through furniture, finishes, colours, lighting, and materials, you receive a professionally considered plan that reflects your home, your lifestyle, and the way you want to live.
This service is especially helpful if you are comfortable managing the implementation yourself, but want the confidence of knowing the design has been thoughtfully resolved before you begin.
This Service Is Best For
Design-Only Interior Design is well suited for:
- Full room designs
- Furnishing and decorating plans
- Kitchen or bathroom design direction
- Multi-room updates
- Furniture, lighting, rug, art, and window treatment selections
- Finish and material selections
- Clients working with their own contractor, cabinetmaker, installer, or trades
- Homeowners who prefer to order, coordinate, and implement independently
A Note About Retail, Custom, and Trade-Only Sources
Design-Only Interior Design may include recommendations from retail, custom, or trade-only sources, depending on what is most appropriate for the project.
If a selected item requires a trade account or designer-managed ordering, this will be clearly identified in the design package. Procurement, order placement, payment processing, delivery coordination, returns, exchanges, and deficiency management are not included in Design-Only service unless added separately.
This allows the design direction to remain thoughtful and elevated while keeping the distinction between a design plan and a fully managed procurement service clear.
Investment
Design fees are tailored to each project, with general fee ranges discussed during your Discovery Call before moving into a Design Project Assessment
What Is Included
Each Design-Only project is tailored to the scope of the home and outlined clearly in your proposal.
Depending on your project, this service may include:
- Overall design concept and creative direction
- Space planning and furniture layout
- Furniture, lighting, rug, décor, and art selections
- Window treatment direction
- Paint colour direction
- Finish and material selections
- Kitchen or bathroom design direction
- Fixture, hardware, and lighting selections
- Design boards or mood boards
- Product specification list
- Finish schedule
- Final design package for client-led implementation
The purpose of this service is to give you a clear and cohesive design plan, so you can move forward independently with fewer costly mistakes and more confidence.
What Is Not Included
Design-Only Interior Design does not include procurement, purchasing, construction coordination, or implementation management.
This service does not include:
- Ordering products on your behalf
- Managing purchases, invoices, or payments for furnishings and materials
- Receiving, inspecting, or storing products
- Tracking shipments or deliveries
- Managing returns, exchanges, damages, or deficiencies
- Coordinating contractors, trades, installers, or delivery teams
- Site visits during construction or installation
- Installation management
- Styling day or final reveal
- Responsibility for contractor pricing, site conditions, construction quality, or execution
Once the final design package is delivered, the client is responsible for purchasing, ordering, coordinating trades, managing timelines, and overseeing implementation.
Is Design-Only Interior Design Right for You?
This service may be the right fit if you want a complete design plan and feel comfortable managing the implementation yourself.
It is ideal if you value professional direction, want to avoid disconnected decisions, and need a clear roadmap before purchasing products or beginning work.
It may not be the right fit if you want Marina Pavlova Design to manage ordering, procurement, trades, deliveries, installation, and styling. In that case, Full-Service Interior Design may be the better service option.
Start With a Discovery Call
If you are considering Design-Only Interior Design, the first step is to book a Discovery Call.
This initial call allows us to briefly discuss your project, understand your goals at a high level, and determine whether a Design Project Assessment is the appropriate next step.
If the project is a good fit, the next step is a Design Project Assessment. During this appointment, we review your space in person, discuss your goals, clarify the scope, and determine whether Design-Only Interior Design is the right service path for your project.
Following the assessment, you will receive a formal proposal outlining the recommended scope of work, design fee, and next steps.
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