A full-service kitchen design by Bethany Adams Interiors

What Does "Full Service Interior Design" Really Mean?

Most potential clients hear “full service interior design” and think, yes of course! What else is there? I don’t want half service, after all. But as the design meetings go by, these same clients will also say, “I’ve got my own painter—I’ve used him for years—so I’ll deal with that.” or “I found the cutest chair at the shop downtown so I bought it—where do you think it can go?” or “My sister works at GE and can get me a discount on appliances, so I’ll order those myself.”

How "Full Service" Quietly Becomes "Self Service"

Little by little, without the right structure in place a “full service” design project becomes self service and the quality of the project starts to suffer.

A Real Example: How One Missed Handoff Derails a Renovation Timeline

How? You hire the painters. They’re supposed to be finished by the 19th. In order to keep the tight timeline on track, the wallpaper installer is coming on the 20th. But they don’t finish by the 19th, and because you were at work all day you didn’t get the message. The wallpaper installer shows up to an unprepared site and is, understandably, disgruntled. They don’t have an opening for another 6 weeks. Timeline ruined.

Why That "Perfect" Piece You Bought Yourself Can Backfire

That adorable chair from the shop downtown? It doesn’t go with anything. It’s in a style and color that are so out of left field, it may as well be in an entirely different ballgame. Making it work in the space we’ve already designed means reselecting 6 other pieces of furniture, setting our timeline back even further (and resulting in re-selection charges for you). Decorating is a careful and studied process of selecting items for quality, longevity, value and style. As in a game of dominos, removing one piece has consequences for every other piece.

The Hidden Cost of Ordering Your Own Appliances

And the appliances you ordered yourself? How many phone calls has it taken you to organize delivery? Instead of working at your job, you’re spending valuable time on the phone with customer service trying to track down your refrigerator in order to schedule delivery. But the contractor has a tight schedule between cabinetry installation, electrical, countertop templating (just to name a few), and the day you finally got the appliance delivery confirmed screws up all of his trade scheduling. Now everyone on the job is annoyed and your timeline is pushed back—again.

Why We Hold Firm to Full-Service Boundaries

These examples are all from real life—from a time before we held firm to the boundaries of full-service design. The fact of the matter is hiring an interior designer for full-service design is an investment in a smooth project outcome. You would no sooner bring your own Botox to the plastic surgeon (oh wait, it won’t arrive in time for the appointment—better reschedule at the last minute!) than you should bring your own appliances to your kitchen remodel.

Trust Your Designer: Why Full-Service Design Is Worth the Investment

Trust your designer to have your projects best interest at heart. We do this all day, every day. Though every project has hiccups, I can guarantee a better outcome and a more enjoyable experience for everyone—most of all, you!—if you sit back and let the wonderful, talented, highly recommended professionals take care of you and your home.

Frequently Asked Questions

What does "full service interior design" actually include?

Full-service design means the designer manages every piece of the project — trade scheduling, furniture and finish selection, and ordering — as one coordinated process, rather than the homeowner sourcing some items themselves. Bringing in outside vendors, DIY purchases, or personal contractors partway through tends to break that coordination and turns "full service" into "self service."

Why shouldn't I use my own painter or contractor during a full-service project?

Because full-service design relies on tightly sequenced trade scheduling. If one trade you've hired independently falls behind — even by a day — it can throw off every trade scheduled after it, sometimes pushing a project back by weeks if a specialist like a wallpaper installer can't be rescheduled quickly.

What happens if I buy my own furniture or decor for a full-service design project?

A piece purchased outside the design plan often doesn't match the palette, scale, or style already selected for the room. Fitting it in can mean reselecting multiple other pieces to make the room work again, which adds cost and delays the timeline.

What happens if I order my own appliances instead of letting the designer handle it?

Appliance delivery has to be coordinated precisely with cabinetry installation, electrical, and countertop templating. Ordering them independently — even for a discount — risks delivery timing that conflicts with the contractor's trade schedule, which can delay the entire project.

Why does hiring a full-service designer lead to a smoother renovation outcome?

Because the designer is coordinating every selection and every trade as a single sequence, rather than reacting to outside purchases or vendors introduced mid-project. That coordination is what prevents the timeline slippage, re-selection costs, and scheduling conflicts that come from a partially DIY approach.

Let the talented team at Bethany Adams Interiors do the work for you.

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