Q + A: Design Date

Mid-West & Co. client, Stephanie, received a three-hour Design Date as a gift from her husband. Stephanie’s husband went to high school with Megan, which prompted him to reach out via Instagram about creating this gift for his wife. He knew that she was feeling overwhelmed and wished she could talk to someone about how to put their spaces together. Such an incredible gift idea! The spaces she wanted to update included their powder bath, dining room and playroom. We talked with Stephanie afterwards to discuss her experience!

Tell me about what you specifically needed help with.

We bought this house a couple of years ago and it was in nice shape, but a lot of stuff needed to be updated and refreshed. So I really just needed some help or a sounding board to guide a design that would be fluent throughout multiple spaces and help update everything, giving it a fresh look. The scope included half of my first floor.

What, if anything, did you bring to the date or need to have prepared?

I didn’t have a ton prepared to be honest. I had some ideas about what I was thinking and envisioning in my head. I brought a couple of pictures I’d saved on my phone that I showed them of the style that I liked and what I had in mind for an ottoman I liked.

What were you provided with and what was the turnaround time like?

We did a full three hour session. They created mood boards as we were going and they sent them at the end of the date. I think one was doing links and the other was working on the mood boards. It was nice to be able to look at different wallpapers and paint colors and maybe some different rugs in the space, or how they were showing on the mood boards and take a little time to decide what I liked and wanted. That was helpful for me because I like to sit with things a little bit and not necessarily decide in the moment. They sent me links to everything in an email at the end of the date as well.

Have you been able to get started?

Yes, they’re actually working right now, which is kind of funny timing! Our house is a disaster but I’m getting very excited. Hopefully by the end of this week they’ll have the painting and first phase done.

Who do you feel like could benefit from a Design Date?

I think it worked really well for us. We weren’t looking at doing really complex things like taking down walls or doing a big reno. It was helpful with figuring out the finishing touches and making the three spaces feel cohesive. I liked chatting through different options, paint colors and aesthetics. We went room by room and talked through my vision for each. It was nice to go start to finish. I was able to see the mood boards at the end and get the links. It was really such a productive use of time.

Would you recommend a Design Date to others?

Yes! I’m very happy with the collaboration. I did have some ideas, but they were so helpful to guide me in the right direction. They helped me achieve a cohesiveness so all the rooms flowed together with the same look. I would definitely recommend it to others. Being able to talk with them and go in-depth, then get the final finished designs was really great! This was my first endeavor into outsourcing this kind of help – I’ve always done it by myself. I didn’t know much about it going into it, but they were truly great to work with and we were able to fill up every last second of the date and put it to use. They even helped me rearrange some furniture in another room of my house! I really enjoyed it. It was a great experience!

We really valued the opportunity to help Stephanie and her family create a home that would flow, be functional for their family and reflect their current style!