Effective Communication Essential to Achieving Award-Winning Interior
Design
By Stephanie Moore, President, Moore Design Group
AUGUST 01, 2005 -- Effective communication on interior design issues throughout a project
lifecycle is essential to achieving a successful look.
Owner/developers can empower their projects to succeed if they understand their role and lead
by example, especially in asking for an equal commitment to effective communication from all
project team members at critical points in the lifecycle: project classification/fee negotiation; initial
project team meetings/conceptual design; and delivery/installation.
The Owner's Role
The owner plays a key role in every project--not only as the client and ultimate decision maker,
but also as the project leader in every sense of the word.
Owners typically understand that their role is to provide a vision and scope for the project; provide
a demographic analysis of the market; and establish and sponsor the budget. They must also
understand the project-delivery process from the programming phase to delivery and installation.
Owners also must facilitate mutual understanding of expectations between themselves and their
consultants. For example, at the critical fee-negotiation/project-classification stage, it is important
that the owner knows what to expect from the consultant and the timeframe in which these
expectations should be carried out, as well as what the consultant expects from the owner.
Exceptional owners are experienced and confident with the decisions they have made to hire the
right consultants for the job, and they are able to communicate the project vision, scope and
demographics. Then, they give the project team the creative freedom to fulfill the project goals.
Establishing a Team
To create a cohesive team, the owner will value the importance of involving all members of the
project team at the conceptual-design stage. The initial meeting should involve all the team
players: the owner/developer; general contractor (GC); architect; structural, mechanical, electrical
and plumbing engineers; interior designer; landscape architect; and signage/collateral package
consultant. This allows the consultants to acknowledge each other and establish a unified team
approach from day one.
Working together, the team can develop an integrated design solution for the project. This avoids
the potential pitfalls associated with a consultant having to design around the designs of others-for example, having to design around structural columns, HVAC ducting or air returns. The initial
meeting sets the tone for the entire project.
CWS Apartment Homes LLC, the developer with which my firm worked on the award-winning
Marquis on McKinney, a nine-story, contemporary, luxury-apartment community in Dallas,
understood the importance of the team approach.
For example, the design of the lobby space required two load-bearing columns just inside the
main entrance, yet these detracted from the interior design of the space. The architect and I
collaborated to develop a solution: adding two more non-load-bearing columns, one on each side,
enhanced by custom-made, etched-glass panels, creating a grand entrance.
Installation/Delivery Phase
The installation and delivery phase is especially critical for successful interior design. The final
site visit before installation is an important step that can provide the designer with important tools
to help the installation process be carried out efficiently and successfully. The project must be
complete, with all other contractors finished and the space clean and free of construction
equipment.
This requires good communication with the owner/developer and, in turn, the GC and facility
managers. The owner should provide the GC with the list of items the designer needs (prepared
by the designer in advance). Ideally, the GC will do a final walk-through with the designer to
ensure that the space is ready for installation.
During the visits, the designer brings the spec book and walks the space to review each detail
represented to compare to actual fabrication and installation. The designer evaluates the quality
of the craftsmanship, materials and reviews the overall execution of the design intent, ensuring
standards have been met and then relays the information to the owner.
Although dimensioned detailed drawings have been provided in the interior-design spec book, in
reality, dimensions sometimes change in the field during construction so the designer also takes
final measurements for custom items.
Prior to installation, the designer will have prepared a coded floorplan indicating the exact
locations for each piece of furniture for the project. The installation professionals use this coded
floor plan to assemble and place furniture in correct locations.
Site and Access Considerations
Because of the complexity of the installation process, the designer typically requires that all
construction-related items be completed, with the public spaces and model-unit areas released to
the designer until the installation process is complete.
Although installation may be one of the final steps in completing a project, additional interiordesign decisions occur during this stage, including the purchase and placement of accessories.
At the Marquis on McKinney, for example, we purchased a notable silver lamp with a saffron-lined
scarlet shade, which has become a "beacon" for the property when lighted in the evening.
This hands-on installation process is but one way a designer can guarantee that all the specified
goods will be delivered and installed in their proper location and within the allotted time frame.
Failure to communicate or lack of authority to act often is a major pitfall during the life of the
project. Thus, the owner plays a key role in ensuring the job site is prepared properly and that the
building is accessible for the designer and their team of movers and installers. Moreover, they
assist in the prevention of disruptions that can slow the completion of the installation process.
Stephanie Moore is president of Moore Design Group, based in Dallas. She can be reached at
[email protected].
A Look Inside the Marquis on McKinney
At the Marquis on McKinney, the Moore Design Group was responsible for designing the
lobby, clubhouse and Cyber Café, plus the finish-out for all units, the fitness facility
and the model unit.
The public space features clean, modern areas
punctuated with large windows. Large spaces are carved
into smaller, intimate gathering areas. Off the lobby, the
Cyber Café contains three laptop computers placed on
specially designed tables at a banquette seat and lighted
with three hand-blown ceiling fixtures. The lobby
kitchenette has top-of-the-line appliances and custommilled
cabinetry.
Seating areas
include a
cozy library
alcove
adjoining a
corner
banquette
with seating
for 10-plus persons enhanced with box-tufted
pillows in a Thai silk fabrication.
A resident lounge area is furnished with comfortable furniture, custom rugs and an
oversized custom cocktail table. A conference room provides seating for eight and is
anchored by a gallery-trestle console piece. The leasing area features two distinctive
ebony and stainless-steel desks; frosted, inset, modesty panels; and custom guest chairs,
conveying the image of luxury and comfort to prospective residents.
The sophisticated color palette comprises berry, mocha, sesame, sandalwood, dark ash,
licorice, gravel and lichen tones. Art and accent pieces include five commissioned
acrylic-on-canvas paintings by Texas native Geoff Hager, a 19th-century Borneo figure
and a 19th-century Thai wood oxcart carving.