One of the most common things I hear from new clients is some version of this: "I've been wanting to do this for years, but I did not know where to start." That hesitation usually is not about money or timing. It is about not knowing what the process actually looks like: who does what, when decisions get made, how long things take, and what is expected of them along the way.
So I want to walk you through it. Not the version we put on a flowchart, but the real one. What actually happens at each stage, what I am thinking, and what our clients experience from the first call through the day they walk into their finished home.
Stage One: The Discovery Call
Every project at Living with Lolo starts the same way: a 30-minute call with me. Not a sales call. A real conversation about your home, your scope, and whether we are actually the right fit for what you are trying to do.
I ask a lot of questions in this call. What do you want to change? What is driving the decision to do this now? How do you use the spaces that are bothering you? Do you travel? Are you on-site most of the time, or do you need someone who can run the entire thing without you? What has gone wrong on past projects, if anything?
That last question is one of the most useful ones. Almost every client who has done a renovation before has a story about what did not work: the contractor who disappeared, the designer who had beautiful taste but could not manage a timeline, the project that went three months over and $80,000 over budget. Those experiences shape what they need from a new firm, and I want to understand that before we go any further.
By the end of the discovery call, I have a clear enough picture to tell you honestly whether Living with Lolo is the right fit, what the scope of your project looks like, and what a realistic investment range would be. I do not chase projects that are not a good match. If your budget is not aligned with your scope, I will tell you that in the first conversation rather than stringing you along.
Stage Two: Design Agreement and Scoping
If the discovery call goes well and we both want to move forward, the next step is getting the scope on paper. We schedule a full in-home consultation, usually two to three hours, where I walk the space, take measurements, photograph everything, and have a much more detailed conversation about what you want to change and why.
After that consultation, I put together a custom proposal. It includes the design fee, an investment estimate for construction and furnishings, a projected timeline, and a clear description of what is included and what is not. There are no surprises buried in the contract. If something is a variable, I say so and I explain the range.
Once you approve the proposal, we execute the design agreement and the project begins. At this point, you have one contract covering both design and construction, because Living with Lolo is a licensed Arizona General Contractor (ROC #347577), not just an interior design firm. That single contract matters more than most clients realize at first. I will explain why in a moment.
Stage Three: Space Planning and Concept Development
This is the stage that most clients picture when they think of interior design: the creative work. And it is genuinely exciting. But before we get to material palettes and furniture, we start with something less glamorous and more important: how the space actually functions.
We develop detailed space plans that address traffic flow, furniture scale, natural light, and how each room connects to the ones around it. We look at what the architecture is giving us and what it is working against. In projects with a construction scope, this is also where the structural decisions get made: which walls come down, where plumbing relocates, how a kitchen island changes the flow of the whole main level.
Once the space plans are approved, we move into concept development. We build out material palettes, furniture concepts, lighting plans, and finish specifications for every surface in every room we are touching. Every selection gets presented to you in a formal presentation before anything is ordered. You see it all together, not piece by piece in scattered emails, but as a complete vision for the space.
I spend a lot of time on this stage. Getting it right here makes everything downstream faster, cheaper, and cleaner. Changes during the design phase cost nothing. Changes after orders are placed or walls come down are expensive. So we move carefully and thoroughly before we move forward.
Stage Four: Procurement and Permitting
Once the design concept is approved, we place orders. All of them. Our team manages every purchase order, tracks every lead time, and flags any issues before they affect the schedule. We use a proprietary procurement system that keeps every order visible to our project managers in real time, so nothing falls through the cracks.
In parallel with procurement, we pull any required permits through the City of Scottsdale. This is something most interior designers cannot do, because they do not hold a general contractor license. We can, and we do. Permits on a complex renovation can take four to twelve weeks depending on the scope and the current permit queue. Knowing that lead time and building it into the schedule is the difference between a project that stays on track and one that gets bottlenecked waiting for approvals.
This is also where the value of the integrated design-build model becomes most visible. When your designer and your contractor are the same entity, the permit drawings reflect the design intent exactly. There is no translation layer where a contractor interprets, or misinterprets, what the designer specified. We drew it, we are building it, and the two things match.
Stage Five: Construction and Project Management
This is where the home changes. Walls come down, subcontractors come in, and the site turns into a job site. Our licensed construction team manages every trade: framing, plumbing, electrical, tile, cabinetry, millwork, painting, and I stay involved in quality review throughout.
Most of our clients are not on-site during construction. They do not need to be. We send weekly photo updates, flag any decisions that need client input, and handle everything else ourselves. When a trade has a question, they ask our project manager, not you. When a material arrives damaged, we handle the replacement without calling you. When a subcontractor's schedule shifts and we need to resequence the trades, we do it and update the schedule before the delay becomes visible to you.
I want clients to feel connected to their project without feeling burdened by it. That is a hard balance to strike, and it requires a team with the experience to know which decisions need client input and which ones we should just handle. We have been doing this long enough to know the difference.
Stage Six: Installation and Final Reveal
This is my favorite day of every project.
When construction is complete and finishes are done, our installation team comes in with every piece of furniture, every accessory, every piece of art, and every textile. We unpack, place, hang, and style every room from scratch. The client does not see the space during this process. They see it when it is finished.
The reveal is intentional. I want you to walk into your home and see it the way it was always supposed to look: not room by room as furniture arrives, not with boxes still stacked in the corner, but complete. Everything in its place. Every detail considered. The way it will live in your memory as the moment your home became what you imagined it could be.
After the reveal, we do a full walkthrough together. I point out details you might not have noticed, explain how certain systems work, and make note of anything that needs a minor adjustment. We stay connected through a brief post-installation period to make sure everything is right.
What Makes This Different
The most important thing I can tell you about our process is that it is genuinely integrated. Design and construction are not two separate projects managed by two separate teams who have to talk to each other. They are one project, managed by one team, under one contract.
That integration is the reason our projects finish on time. It is the reason the budget stays where we said it would stay. It is the reason clients who travel frequently or live out of state can hand us a project and come back to a finished home. It is the reason the install looks exactly like the concept boards: because the same people who drew the design built the space to receive it.
If you are thinking about a renovation or a full redesign and you want to understand what your specific project would look like under this process, the best next step is a discovery call. It is complimentary, it is direct, and by the end of it you will have a much clearer picture of what is possible for your home.
Ready to Talk Through Your Project?
Living with Lolo is a full-service luxury interior design and design-build firm serving Scottsdale, Paradise Valley, Arcadia, and the greater Phoenix metro. We hold an active Arizona ROC general contractor license, which means we manage your entire project under one roof.
If you are planning a renovation, new construction project, or full furnishing and want to understand what the process looks like for your specific home, book a complimentary discovery call.
Book Your Discovery Call → See our completed projects → Learn more about our process →Common Questions
How long does the process take from first call to final reveal?
For a full whole-home renovation in Scottsdale, plan for 12 to 20 months from the discovery call through final installation. A targeted scope, such as a primary suite, kitchen, or single-floor redesign, typically runs 6 to 10 months. A furnishings-only project with no construction can be complete in 3 to 5 months. We give you a realistic timeline in the first conversation based on your specific scope.
How involved do I need to be?
As involved as you want to be. Most clients at Living with Lolo are busy professionals who want to approve key decisions without managing the day-to-day. We handle vendor communication, order tracking, scheduling, and all on-site coordination. Your role is to approve the design, approve major purchases, and show up for the reveal. We handle everything in between.
What is the difference between a design-only firm and Living with Lolo?
With a design-only firm, you hire a separate general contractor who has never seen your design drawings and has no relationship with your designer's vendors or timeline. At Living with Lolo, design and construction are managed by the same entity under one contract. There is no handoff, no miscommunication, and no finger-pointing when something needs to be resolved.
When do I need to make decisions?
The majority of decisions happen during Stage Three, the design and concept phase, before anything is ordered or built. We front-load the decision-making deliberately. It is far faster and less stressful to make changes on paper than during construction. Once you approve the design, day-to-day decisions are handled by our team.
What happens if something goes wrong during construction?
We handle it. Our project managers are trained to identify and resolve issues before they affect the schedule or budget. When something unexpected comes up inside an existing structure, and it does on almost every project, we assess it, present you with options if a decision is needed, and move forward. You are informed, not burdened.
Lauren Lerner is the founder and principal designer of Living with Lolo, Scottsdale’s luxury interior design and licensed design-build firm. Named Phoenix Magazine Best Interior Design three consecutive years, Lauren leads projects from concept through construction for high-end homes in Scottsdale, Paradise Valley, and Phoenix.