Feeling Overwhelmed over Design Decision-Making? We can help!

What is decision-making like during the design, documentation and construction process? It has been documented that there are literally thousands of decisions that must be made.  Each decision has a potential impact on schedule, budget, and/or quality.  It can be overwhelming for clients (probably because they are so competent at their other roles in their lives), but decision-making can be overwhelming even for designers and architects! 

My theory is that it is the avoidance of the pain of needing to make so many decisions that causes many architecture and interior design firms to repeat versions of the same design over and over again. Remember the story about Steve Jobs only dressing in one outfit? He said that he had so many decisions to make each day, that wardrobe should not be one of them. We get it, reduce the number of decisions by repeating your prior decisions (especially the ones that you like!), and not only will you have less stress, but also the outcomes are more predictable. 

But where is the fun in repeating yourself? Is every client and every project the same? Is there only one design worth building? For me, the purity of design is hogwash. There are as many design solutions as there are people on earth. Some choices may be better than others, but how do we know what/who to choose? 

At Leslie Saul & Associates, we have developed some simple “homework assignments” to help our clients through the decision-making process from their first day of meeting with us to the last day of completion.  One of the most important assignments is to prioritize elements of the project, such as schedule, budget, quality, functionality, sustainability, etc. This really helps us collectively make decisions. For example, if the number one priority is budget, because of our decades of experience in New England, we know that labor is more expensive than the products (in general). Or if schedule is the number one priority, then items with long lead times or complicated installations should be avoided.  

Our goal is to create a finished room/space/building that is the right one for you and your priorities. Almost no two projects are alike. Scary? Maybe; Fun? Yes! A custom fit, just for you. Let us take you from the reality of “what is” to the possibilities of “what can be”!