It’s 2024. According to The Jetsons, we should be driving flying cars and living in floating homes fully automated with robots. Wouldn’t that be nice? Although those innovations haven’t happened yet (looking at you, Silicon Valley), advancement in technology has grown exponentially, opening new ways to approach interior design.  

If you look at other industries, we are seeing more and more online implememtation. Technology has made it so that eye glasses can be ordered from your couch. We can have medical diagnoses via facetime. Workouts take place through a mirror on your bedroom wall. Talk about self sufficient and futuristic!

The Jetsons predicted everything would be available virtually . They were way ahead of their time!

The Jetsons predicted everything would be available virtually . They were way ahead of their time! See Jane facetime with George in this retro cartoon clip 

 Jane had this. Now we have the lululemon studio 

 People are starting to take on things you never would have before. Thank you YouTube and Pinterest. Sometimes with success and sometimes, well, fail. The point is that sometimes YOU want to do it yourself. What you have told us is that you want to have the interior design experience, to know that you have the guide to a beautiful home that you can create with the guidance of an expert team of designers. And, then you want to be able to finish on your own. So we listened. 

That’s right, we’ve gone virtual. Well, sometimes. We do love our full service design and remodels and new builds and … ok, back on topic. 

What is Virtual Design? 

We are thrilled to officially announce Virtual Interior Design with Sutton Place ! First, let me say that Virtual Interior Design is not bare bones e-design. I repeat, NOT e-design. Many e-designers have only worked in the online space (not in luxury design), and therefore do not bring a lot of real life experience to the table. They do not really know how durable furnishings might be or how something will work in a space or for a lifestyle. Also, many e-designers are sourcing furnishings solely from their partner sponsors, giving you a less custom and less personal result.

However, we’re proud of our the virtual design option, we have spent many hours making sure it is a reflection of our company and continueing as a design firm that brings 40 years of real life experience to the table. We know many firms won’t offer this or the ones that do may have zero real life experience, creating a gap for many homeowners – maybe it is you!

This is not a decision we went into lightly. Instead, we thought about how we would structure this service  to make design more accessible while keeping the quality high.  We decided to follow our full service structure – the client and design comes first and not try to capture commissions from specific retailers.  And, you are able to rest easy that as you purchase items you are not buying things that are not going to work in your home. That gets expensive and becomes a drain on your time very quickly. Instead we decided to bring all of our full service design to this service to ensure our virtual designs work for your home, lifestyle and budget. 

Our Virtual Interior Design is as close to a professionally designed interior that you can get without having us physically in your home. 

HOW DOES VIRTUAL INTERIOR DESIGN WORK?

Thanks to tools like Zoom, Pinterest, and if you opt for it, 3D renderings, we can now design spaces anywhere in the world — down to the smallest detail — without stepping foot into your home. This is Virtual Interior Design.

As creative professionals (with decades of real field experience between us), we also have the ability to visualize a space without actually standing in it. We use floor plans, measurements, and in-depth questions to create a complete picture design for your home, one you will be able to implement flawlessly.

Step 1: Discovery

We’ll start by giving you a detailed questionnaire and specific instructions for photographing/measuring your space. Your home design will require you to be thorough on your answers and measurements and feel free to even take more pictures or videos! If you have blue prints, feel free to send those as well.  Once we receive these back from you , we will schedule a video call with a designer.  On that scheduled call, we will discuss your project in detail. 

Step 2: Design

Now, we get to work in our studio. We create plans to source the materials and furnishings that will create the look. You won’t see much during this step, but a TON is happening behind the scenes! 

Note: All of our selections are available through retail. We do not offer our trade vendors through this service due to our vendor contracts as well as logistics. 

Step 3: Presentation

• Easily followable and custom space plan
• 2D Design Plan with sourced items, & resources including shopable links. 
• Overall: The recipe for a complete design that looks, feels & functions beautifully
• Know exactly where to put items in your new space
• Take pride in creating your project at your own pace 
• Enjoy results that bring personalized functionality, beauty, & ease into your home.
• It all depends on how much of our help you’d like to invest in, and how much time you have to pull your project together on your own! 

Example of Virtual Interior Design Mood Board for Living Room Design

Step 4: Implementation

Now, the ball is in your court! You have everything you need to procure your items and install the final space exactly like we would — because we’ve clearly laid out how!  You’ll have our instructions to follow and make it look incredible on your own. And, we can schedule our details call to go over any questions you may have for things like how to finish a shelf or if you should add a few more pillows, for instance.

Still unsure if you’re someone who would benefit from virtual interior design? Here are the pros and cons…

PROS OF VIRTUAL INTERIOR DESIGN 

Convenience

Traditionally, we would travel to your home for a consultation, project management, and installation. However, instead of spending hours traveling to and from your home over the project’s life, your designer spends that time working on your design. More importantly, YOU can decide how you want the timeline to go. You don’t have to take off an afternoon to run home and meet with your designer and you can decide Instead, we meet virtually, allowing us to accommodate your schedule. You can also decide how soon if you want to wait to order the items you want for your home. 

COST-EFFECTIVE

When we priced our Virtual Interior Design Service, we considered the time saved by working remotely. Since we also give you the option of purchasing independently rather than paying an hourly rate for us to do the purchasing, this is another way that our time on your project is reduced. 

FLEXIBLE

Whether you’re on the East Coast or Mid-West,  you have the flexibility to choose a designer you want to work with. For example, if you live on the West Coast and have a vacation home in Charleston, SC, you may feel limited to local designers that aren’t the right fit for you. If you have worked with us before or have been eyeing our designs, Virtual Interior Design allows us to work remotely with you. 

CONS OF VIRTUAL INTERIOR DESIGN

The most considerable difference between our traditional and online services is your involvement in the project. You become the CEO of your project with the hands-on implementation that includes receiving deliveries, unpacking furniture, and disposing of packing materials. 

If there is an issue in shipping or something comes in damaged, you have to resolve it with the vendor. This is often a big part of what we handle as part of our fees and why our virtual design is less expenssive that our full service design- we know your time is valuable as well and you will be investing it in your home! 

Installation

You are also in the drivers seat for installers and trades. If you are not ready to hang wallpaper or paint, you will have to find someone to do it for you. We are not able to refer anyone as we wouldnt know who is best in your area. We would recommend getting recommendations from neighbors, friends and co-workers. Make sure if it is a plumber, electrician or other trade that requires licensing you check into that. Make sure there is insurance and ask for references. Ask for a quote in writing so you are both in agreement before the work is completed. The better you communicate ahead of time, the better the project will go. 

WHICH DESIGNER SHOULD YOU CHOOSE?

Transparency is one of our values, and I won’t hesitate to tell you that you can definitely find virtual design services for a lot less from other companies. But, here’s the difference…

Many online interior designers do not have in-the-field experience, which is a huge disadvantage. Knowledge and experience are not the same as someone that can create pretty graphic design, and this hands-on training makes a huge difference in the materials we select, floor plans we draw, and solutions we propose. This is especially true for renovations.  This experience also plays a role in our selections: we know which companies to recommend in our designs and who to stay away from either due to quality or customer service.  

To put it in context, among our team of designers, we have decades of experience and a high-end client process. Our designers take time to really understand your needs and wants, learn about your home, and then use your budget and timeline to guide the process. If we cannot deliver on what you ask for in your inital questionnaire we will tell you from the onset and work with you toward a solution, even if it means refunding your order. 

Prefer to hire a full service team to do it all? 

We fully understand that! We will always have this service available. First of all, we love what we do. We love being hands on and watching our clients face as they walk in and find the details from all of the conversations we have had. A coffee table book about a musician they love or a piece of art incorporated in from a favorite vacation that makes a house personal. We know that clients find value in being able to continue their life as we handle the logistics, the contractors and stage it all for them.

We will never tell you it is easy, that is why we recognize there needs to be a cost difference for you if we are doing virtual design – the effort that you will be making for your design to come to reality. But a beautiful home is always worth it, no matter how you want the design to be done. 

My advice on which service is best? Whether you choose Sutton Place Interior Design for your home design or not, invest in a designer with real experience, whose work you love, and whose personality you connect with. This is the foundation of great design and a beautiful home. 

And who knows? Maybe in the next few years we will be doing hologram design meetings right in your home!