We pride ourselves on transparency

After 12 years in the corporate world running marketing departments and operating businesses, process and communication are second nature to Nohea. We’ve meticulously crafted customer processes and systems - down to every notification you should receive! - in order to make the process as seamless and enjoyable for our clients as possible.

We want you to know exactly what to expect throughout the entire process so there are no surprises. (We are type A, so we are just giving you the experience that we would want ourselves!)

The Design Process

What to expect when working with us

  • The first step is booking a 45 minute Zoom discovery call. After filling out the inquiry on our site, you will receive an email with a link to book. Before our call, you will fill out a questionnaire that will give us some great details before diving in so we can maximize our time spent.

    This call will determine if we may be a good fit together (if we take your kind of project and budget, personality fit, etc.). We will also run through details about your project, our process, and show you what working with us would look like.

    If we both feel like we are a good fit for each other, we will send you a fee proposal within 48 hours based on what we discussed on our call. Then you will sign the contract, pay the initial invoice, and we will onboard you and schedule our kick off meeting right away!

  • We will draft initial concepts for you to make sure that we are on the right track. Sometimes this will include multiple directions to choose from. These concepts are what we will use to work off of to create the more detailed designs.

  • This is where we will get down to the nitty gritty and propose very detailed designs that will lay out every detail required in order to turn the concepts into a reality. Here, we will also determine which areas of work we will cover, and which areas the contractor, tradesmen, or homeowner will cover.

  • In order to stay within budget, we will need to source materials, light fixtures, hardware, furnishings, cabinetry, appliances, and all the little details. This is where you will be able to decide which items to splurge on, and which to save on. Once decided, you will sign off on the items and we will place the orders.

  • Once you’ve signed off on all materials necessary to complete the project and we have determined which items the designer, contractor, and homeowner are handling, we will place orders for everything that was pre-approved, track it, receive it, and inspect it.

    Site visits will be regularly done throughout this phase, and we will have periodic calibration meetings together to run through details about how things are going and get sign off on things that might need to change due to unexpected delays, pricing changes, or something similar.

  • The best part of the project! Install can take anywhere from 1-4 days depending on the scope of the project. Install may also include styling items that were not previously approved but will be available for purchase. We will also ask your permission to take photos and videos of your home.

Remote and Virtual Interior Design

Our remote and virtual design processes are very similar to our standard full-service design process, but certain key phases differ.

Virtual interior design is available for furnishing and light renovation projects only (for example: paint, hardware, lighting, and millwork). This can be done 100% virtually where we do not need to be onsite at all. It does require more client involvement as we have to rely on them for measurements and more meetings than an in-person process. Fully virtual design does not include installing, and only includes light documentation as we are not onsite to triple verify measurements and spatial planning. We essentially just hand you the design and you execute it.

Remote design would be required for more heavily involved construction, and we do need to be onsite for certain stages. It is available for all types of projects, from furnishing to heavy renovations and new build. It does require travel fees as we will need to be onsite for various visits.

The process for completely virtual design is as follows:

  • Same Initial consult, questionnaires, budgeting and onboarding process as a full-service design client.

  • Kick-off video call to get measurements, set expectations, schedule milestone meetings, and more.

  • Concept board and space plan + 2 rounds of revisions.

  • Completed renderings and design documentation + 2 rounds of revisions.

  • We order and track everything for you + coordinate with manufacturers for defecting and replacements.

The process for remote design is identical to our standard full-service design process, but includes at least two trips to the site in addition.

Pricing, Billing, and Scope Details

Pricing

We have a requirement of $5k (all inclusive) bare minimum budget per space (this includes renovation materials, lighting, furniture, art and decor, linens, hardware, design fee, all construction including architect, engineering and trade and contractor fees). Typically $5k could cover a small bedroom, a smaller galley laundry room, a powder bath, or an entryway - all without an overly intricate or complex design or heavy renovations. Larger rooms with intricate design and heavy renovations - such as grand living rooms, kitchens or primary bathroom, could likely require a budget on the higher end of $50k+ per space. For more details on what budget you can expect, we have a blog post here that lays it out for you.

Once we get an idea of your project scope, we will send a fee proposal that details our scope of work and the flat fee that the scope will require. We have found that flat fees produce the highest level of satisfaction for both clients and us. Our flat fee typically comes out to $100/hr. For anything over the scope of work, we charge $175/hr. For clients over 1 hour away from Mesa, AZ, travel fees will apply. See the billing section for more information on fee structures.

Virtual interior design pricing:

$1,000-$2,500 (based on scope) for smaller areas (guest or kids bedroom, entryway, kitchen, laundry, mud room, small dining such as breakfast area, bathrooms).

$2,500-$5,000 (based on scope) for a large room (master bedroom, living room, large dining room).

Remote interior design pricing:

Remote interior design is a heavier lift than virtual, as we coordinate and communicate with your trades, travel at least twice, and do the install. Thus you can expect about a 50% increase from fully virtual design.

For larger renovations it is a different scope of work and fees will be assessed after a consultation.

Billing

Before we sign a project but after we meet and have an initial consultation, we will send a fee proposal of the project. The phase 1 fee, or the minimum fee if it’s a renovation project (whichever is greater) is due upfront upon signing the contract. Additional “phase” fees will be billed at the commencement of each phase.

Any hourly fees or incurred expenses outside of the scope of work outlined in our proposal and contract are billed weekly for the previous week, and due on net 7 terms (due 7 days after invoice is sent). If payment on any invoice is over 14 days late or if we have 3 outstanding and unpaid invoices at any given time, we will stop work immediately and resume once payment on all outstanding invoices is settled.


We bill you for pre-approved orders that we place for you (this can include furniture, materials and decor). The payment for these invoices is due before we place the order. Sometimes, orders are very time sensitive so timely payment on these is extremely important in order to avoid delays on your project.


Some smaller decor items we don’t choose until install day. If you choose to keep them, those items will be billed to you after install. If payment on invoice for these items is overdue by 15 days, we will collect the items.

Scope

We want our clients to have the BEST experience possible. In order to do this, we need to be the right fit to work together. We will assess if we are a good fit during our initial questionnaire and consultation, where we will talk about the main components that will determine if we are a good fit:

  1. Style

  2. Budget

  3. Compatibility and communication styles

  4. Process, timeline, and expectations

Our scope generally includes (but can change per the project’s requirements):

  • Documentation of specific design details and measurements for use by trades.

  • Preparation of fixtures, finishes and fittings schedule (including selection of all interior finishes such as paint color, hardware, tile, stone, fixtures, furnishings, accessories, etc.)

  • Preparation of lighting and electrical plans where applicable.

  • Finalization and purchasing of your items.

  • Oversight of design intent throughout the construction process as required.

  • Furnishing and styling the home upon completion of the renovation.

We can manage trades and construction budgets if we mutually agree that is part of our scope.

We are not contractors. We do have many resources at our disposal that we can refer, but we are not associated with any tradesmen or contractors and don’t take any responsibility for their work.

FAQ’S

  • Yes! We do both travel and virtual design. There are pros and cons of each, but you can basically use the rule of travel being more thorough and managed for you, but more costly in terms of design fees. With virtual, there are limitations such as project management that will be discussed on your discovery call, and does require a bit more work on the client’s end.

  • We are not the place to go for “super cheap and super fast”. Our process that we’ve crafted over time has been proven to produce the best designs and best experience for our customers. And that takes time. Please reference our process above for every step required in the process. Each step can take as little as 2 weeks for simpler furnishing-only projects, to 4 months for more complex renovation projects.

  • We suggest bringing in a designer as soon as you have a project idea. Designers can bring ideas to your project that you hadn’t thought of, and could potentially change even the architectural process. There are naturally waiting periods between process steps, so you won’t constantly be paying a designer through the entire process..but it’s nice to have the expert by your side through the whole thing!

  • As a typical rule of thumb, you can expect to allocate 10-15% of your total project’s expenses toward design fees. For more info on our pricing structure, see the pricing section above.

  • We can work with most project scopes if it aligns with us. Book a 15-minute discovery call in the footer of our website and we can chat about it.

  • HGTV has unfortunately painted a very skewed picture of what working with a designer is like. The big, beautiful reveal is still the end goal and one of the best parts of what we do, and they do convey some pretty accurate renovation drama….but for the rest, it’s all for views.

    Remember that hiring an interior designer provides you 2 crucial things: 1) removes the stressful burden and time sucks of all the many complex decisions and roadblocks involved; and 2) creates peace of mind because you’ve hired a professional to manage it all seamlessly and effectively from the original design vision to the very last item’s installation. Shopping with your designer is simply an inefficient use of both of our time, and does not contribute to the two main goals of our job mentioned above.

The SH+ Plus Experience

We offer an optional add-on to elevate your experience with us even further.

With the SH Plus Experience, you will get the following:

  • Adding 3 additional services. Below are just examples:

    • 3D floor plan walk through

    • Landscape design

    • Bringing in a consultant such as a fine art advisor, a childhood development specialist (kids space design), a wellness consultant to promote health and relaxation in a gym/wellness center, a professional chef for a kitchen design

    • Shopping trip to Round Top (travel fees not included)

    • Cultural immersion experience (if we were working on a specific type of architecture such as adobe, victorian, etc.)

    • Developing organization systems for a space (products purchased by you).

    • Holiday design for the space. Includes creating and ordering the holiday look for you + documenting where everything goes as a layer on top of your current design and with real life photos so that you can replicate it when holiday time rolls around. Prices of items not included in the fee.

  • One styling “refresh” of the space available to use up to 5 years after install. This includes accessory goods only such as bedding, decor, non-hardwired lighting, and art. We will provide concept boards (not detailed renderings), place orders, and install. Prices of items and receiving/storage are not included in the fee.

  • Unlimited revisions

  • And more!