A Week-by-Week Look at What This Process Actually Looks Like
Most articles describe the stages of a design project in the abstract — site visit, concept, execution, handover. What's less often explained is how much time actually passes between them , and what's happening (or should be) during each stretch. Here's a realistic week-by-week shape of the process, illustrative rather than tied to any specific project. Weeks 1-2: Research and Shortlisting This stage is usually slower than people expect, and that's fine — rushing it tends to cost more time later. Reviewing portfolios, reading reviews for patterns rather than star averages, and narrowing a long list down to two or three firms worth an actual conversation. This is also the stage to sort your own must-haves from nice-to-haves , before you're in a room being shown options. Weeks 2-3: First Consultations Meetings with shortlisted firms happen here — ideally covering your lifestyle and routines, your property type's constraints, and a rough budget conversation, no...