How We Work
Victoria Lyon consults with Aran Winterbottom of Design Within Reach at the Victor Christ Janer House in New Canaan.
Time is precious, and the functionality and feel of people’s homes and offices are important to them.
When asked by a prospective client how we work, the answer almost always comes back in the form of a question. “How can we help you?” The reason for this is that our business is oriented to suit our clients’ needs.
Sometimes clients come to us without ever having worked with a designer before, and don’t know how to answer that question, because they simply don’t know what kind of help is available to them. Other more seasoned clients know exactly what they want. In either case, we will ask a series of questions initially by telephone to get to know your needs a little bit better.
If the need is simple, and the budget is small, or you would prefer to do most of the work on your own, Victoria Lyon Interiors offers in-home design consultations to give you some ideas about how to design or renovate your space, or to be a sounding board for yours! If you want help shopping at local retailers, we can accompany you to do that as well. For most clients though, the need is usually more complex.
Sometimes the need is some refreshing of the spaces and items that you already have and love. This can be achieved through the thoughtful rearrangement of existing furnishings, re-upholstery of worn and tired chairs and sofas, a change in paint color, or replacement of faded wallpaper or curtains along with the introduction of some new accessories.
For collectors, sometimes help in arranging existing or new pieces of art so that they play off of each other and the existing spaces in a new and exciting way is what they want. For other clients, it can be sorting out the best way to adapt a space for a change in life-style or living and working patterns. Sometimes the need is to renovate a bath or kitchen, or a complete home. Sometimes there is a need to decide how to put on an addition.
For people building a new home, we can assist you from the very beginning, by coordinating a team of professionals who know and work well together. And, as an NAHB Certified Green Professional, Victoria Lyon Interiors offers you lots of advice as to how to make your home healthier and more comfortable, reduce your energy costs and make you feel good about contributing to the sustainability of our planet at the same time. Having been in the business for 18 years, Principal Victoria Lyon has forged strong relationships with a number of very talented architects, landscape architects and builders, and can help you choose a team who is well suited to the needs of your particular project. We even offer project management services, acting as the client/team liaison to streamline communications, and create a more efficient building process. There are myriad decisions to be made, starting with the creation of a program for your space (how you would like it to be used, and how the spaces then relate to one another in terms of flow), then moving through furniture layouts and lighting plans, then through the selection of materials, finishes, plumbing fixtures, lighting fixtures and appliances, then finally to the selection, procurement, fabrication and installation of window treatments, furniture, art and accessories. For the construction, renovation or complete interior decoration of any size home, there are literally thousands of decisions to be made, sifting through several million options! That means that without professional design help, the opportunities for expensive mistakes are rampant.
For anything project requiring more than a few hours of consulting, we will come your home to meet you, and to discuss the scope of the work involved. This is also our opportunity to get to know each better, and to develop a comfort level about undertaking a project together. People’s homes are their castles, so it is important that you feel comfortable with whom you are granting access to you inner sanctum! During this meeting we will also review budget, process, and time frame. It is also at this point that we will also discuss the terms for our services. Based on the type and scope of work involved, services can be provided on an hourly, retail mark-up, percentage or value-based fee basis, or a combination thereof. We are happy to review these options and suggest which would best fit your project.
Please call (203) 540-5350 today to if you have any questions about how we work, or to schedule an appointment.
