House Calls
House Calls offers custom design and decorating recommendations for a package price.
It's 4 basic steps:
Step 1: Information gathering. The client describes what they want to achieve and provides us with visuals to explain style preferences; houzz.com is a great resource for visuals.
Step 2: A 2-hour consulting session in your home.
Step 3:. We write the report and add visuals, to "paint a picture" of a color and design scheme.
Step 4: In-home review.
The fee covers our appointment, the written report and the follow up appointment.
The report is tailored to your goals. It includes design/style recommendations as well as product and service suggestions. The report will respond to your questions with visual aids, including indications for furniture layouts, color schemes, window treatments, lighting, furnishings, and styling.
Actual to-scale furniture layouts and drawings-to-scale are not included but can be done on request.
Along with the scaled layouts additional services such as: budgets, shopping, purchasing, on-site installations are available at an hourly rate. Hourly rate is $120.00.
If we are placing orders and purchasing merchandise from to-the-trade sources, there is a 30% commission added to trade pricing. Retail purchases are billed at retail prices. Vintage accessories may receive a markup if purchased below market value.
House Calls pricing starts at $3,200.00.
House Calls, a prescription for healthy, happy homes.
“My husband and I found Patti’s House Call report very useful as we considered upgrades to our 1920’s home with an eye to selling it in the near future. Patti gave us good ideas and helped us find the best fabrics, accessories and rugs to refresh our home. She is a joy to work with.”
House Calls, A Story
Sometimes it’s easier to get a sense of what the service House Calls can provide by hearing another client’s scenario. Here is a rather simple and direct assignment for a pied-à-terre being used primarily weeknights by a professor. This professor, a woman, was so pleased to have a space designed specifically for her needs and taste.
The client, Eloisa, had worked out plans for the renovation of her one bedroom, pre-war apartment with her contractor before I met with her. She called me, last minute, just before the contractor began, to ask for a paint color consultation/schedule, window treatments, a floor stain color and to confirm a few questions regarding the traffic flow and renovation decisions.
The renovation occurred in August, Eloisa moved in, started her new semester and we picked up again in November.
The first two emails below repeat what a client can expect from the service and answered Eloisa’s specific questions. These emails were written after our first consultation and after the renovation. The ensuing report is the written report, which Eloisa received in advance of our presentation of an overall plan. We brought visuals to our presentation that illustrated furniture placement, style and color scheme.
Email #1
Hello Eloisa,
Looking forward to starting the week of November 11th!
The House Calls Design fee is a fixed price which covers about 20-22 hours of time. Usually in that time frame we complete enough of the Design questions to work out a scheme that meets the client's approval. Once the client has agreed to the scheme we move to the action phase; shopping, purchasing, installing, accessorizing. That time is hourly.
In reviewing emails (from before the renovation) we spent 6 hours helping with layout, paint colors, floor stain, window treatments, etc. So there are 16 hours left to work with within the package price before we turn to hourly.
There are a lot of factors that help determine the scheme. Color, pattern and style preferences, of course. And you were very clear about your style preferences. As I recall you said your budget was about $25,000. Was that just for furnishings? When we meet we can see what you have in place, find out what you still need in terms of furnishings, rugs, window treatments etc. and go from there.
We are quite fast and efficient. Since some clients are very decisive and others are not, it's not always possible to predict. But I will say it will take us approx. 8 hours to get you valuable feedback and visuals to get to the point where you can agree to a scheme.
The action phase is a lot more unpredictable in terms of our time and a fixed price would not work for this phase. That is when we zero in on exactly what we can find that fits our plan or scheme, our budget and get all the details re: customizing and purchasing and then actually place orders. Some client's want to acquire the merchandise themselves, which can work when we are ordering the merchandise from RETAIL sources. When they do want to do some of the ordering to save on our time, we give them all the info. needed (at our hourly rate) and they place the order and receive.
But first, before purchasing, we need a wishlist from you, and a list of priorities in terms of acquiring and timing! And then we develop a scheme, a plan. We look forward to providing a scheme you will be happy with. Let me know what time on the 13th is best for you.
Best, Patti O
Email #2
Hi Eloisa,
Yes, correct, there should be enough hours for us to come up with a plan for you.
The report/plan can only be a vision and suggestions without a budget. The most time and cost effective way to work is to have a budget and then we can let you know what you can achieve with that budget. Sometimes we "paint the picture" more completely than the client has immediate funds for, if we know the client wants the vision and wants to fulfill the vision over time. Often, when working with a house we can strategize and create a 5 year plan, laying out how best to deploy funds over time.
Even for a one bedroom apartment, if you want to decorate in layers adding furnishings over time we can work that way, with the priority being, getting you comfortable first and then “feathering the nest” over time. Or, tell us how much you want to spend now and how much you want to spend in a second phase and when you will be making the next set of purchases and we’ll work within those parameters. This is a process, very little happens overnight. Custom furnishings take time, to select, purchase, and then for furniture to be made, it is often 8 weeks for delivery. (Even Crate and Barrel and other catalog vendors require 8 weeks for delivery.) Our service is to articulate the goals, “paint the picture” and then be project managers. We hold onto the vision for the client as the process unfolds. I like to set it up in phases for people, to manage their expectations.
Your budget determines where we will shop and how much customization is within our reach. For example, with window treatments, do we need to rely on ready mades from Restoration Hardware, having our workroom shorten if need be, or are we selecting fabric to work within a scheme and then having our workroom make window treatments? All those decisions are made, based on budget. The Traditional style you like is high end. We are pretty clever at achieving the client's preferred "look" without a "the sky is the limit" budget!
This is definitely a process and you get to choose where you want to splurge and where you want to conserve. I will guide you as to what is the best way to achieve the overall picture with the funds available. We can talk about the budget and I can offer ballpark figures when we meet.
Best, Patti O
The Report: Eloisa Smyth’s Residence
Dear Eloisa,
The current homogeneous color scheme of the living room helps to make the space feel contemporary even with traditional furnishings. It’s so appealing, this mix. The contemporary homogeneous color scheme paired with traditional furnishings, is executed well. We want to continue this soothing color palette into the next phase. The color scheme now is mellow yellow with multiple shades of green. The soft pinkish and neutral stone colors in the kitchen work nicely with the mellow feel of the living and dining room. The higher contrast in the bedroom created by the strong, black furniture and the blue and white bedding gives us the opportunity to play with a bolder palette in the bedroom.
A much larger rug (9x12) will maximize THE LIVING ROOM space making it look larger. The seating area will appear more commodious and a rug will set the tone for the foyer, living room and dining area. Take a look at the Tibetan Rugs we selected. The colors are mellow and fairly consistent, they have little or no border which helps to expand the look of the conversational circle. Some of these rug options have silk in them which can add shimmer.
You can definitely reupholster the sofa. The strong, big, angular shape is an anchor for the room and a softer color will help the piece look more feminine. A solid velvet like what’s on it now is a good choice and will work well with your patterned needlepoint throw pillows. You would like a large club chair, that engulfs, on the window side of the seating area. Opposite the window, the narrow console on that wall is the perfect space to house two matching, upholstered ottomans. Multifunctional as perches or small tables on that side of the room. The added upholstery of the ottomans will soften and balance the position of the upholstery in the room. If the sofa fabric is plain and the window seat fabric has minimal pattern, the club chair and the upholstered ottomans could support more patterning. But in general, if we keep the look rather quiet that will keep the serene style you prefer. From a production standpoint, it’s best to pick the rug first and then all the fabrics, even if not all the upholstered pieces go into production at one time. A rather snappy, contemporary coffee table would add contrast. We could borrow a touch of Palm Beach and try a Parson’s style coffee table in a color. We’ll give you some visuals.
About the narrow bookcase in the living room, to the right of the bedroom door. It doesn’t add much. If you want another bookcase in this room, it should be neutral in color rather than dark. We could have the bookcase sprayed or due to it’s dark color it would be a better fit in the bedroom. You could put the things that are on that bookcase on the shelves in the dining room and see if you miss the bookcase in the living room. Take a look at the Cathedral Tables, by artist and furniture designer, Sheila Hale. The beautiful, slender, table/bookcase is a beautiful shape. The off white and natural colors would be a nice way to connect and balance this part of the living room with what is going on in the dining room.
On either side of the sofa we want lighting. We want to avoid making the lighting look like earrings, so the two lamps need to be very different. As you are facing the sofa, on the left, a small table with a tall narrow, tall, table lamp would work, or we could have a standing lamp with a traditional but more narrow shade and small cigarette table next to it. And on the right side where there is more traffic, in and out of the bedroom, something small, an unobtrusive, angled, reading lamp. See visual of the classic Hinson reading lamp. Definitely a new lamp on the chest in the living room and a new table lamp on narrow console table.
Eventually it would be nice to have a small rug under the dining table but a runner for the entrance foyer takes priority. Since there is no room for furniture in the foyer the rug is the upholstery or the soft element of the room adding a welcoming touch. The foyer would really benefit with a runner.
Continued:
THE DINING ROOM is a tiny but delightful space and the shelves are a real opportunity for display. My inclination is to keep the display items very neutral and make the visual more about shape rather than pattern. The color scheme of white and putty against the warm yellow walls will keep the room from feeling busy and claustrophobic. With regard to books, it sounds like we should just wait. Month by month as you and your husband acquire new books they can be folded into the shelves. We’ll provide you some visuals on what the bookcases can look like.
THE ARTWORK: Although you’ve just had the artwork professionally hung, just consider reevaluating the positioning of things as new furnishings are introduced. Consider maximizing the new oil painting by making it the focal point of the living room by putting it over the sofa in a new or repainted frame.
Over the console table is where I would put a large mirror. A distressed, vintage, frame on the mirror would be beautiful. The frame is as important as the mirror in that spot so the frame needs to be special. Reflecting the windows and the living room in general would help. All your windows face West, putting a mirror on the East wall will help to give the illusion of another window, add balance, and make the large open room feel even more airy.
The botanicals would work perfectly in the bedroom with the high contrast blue mats which would work well with the blue and white bedding. We could make a composition of 4, in a rectangle, over the desk.
In THE LIVING ROOM, let’s put something very vertical over the small chest. It could be one long piece or two things stacked vertically. The black and white peasant women prints can work well in the bedroom or in the foyer. Stephanie has worked in two galleries and I have been working with artwork for a very long time, we can professionally hang your art work!
In THE BEDROOM, we are adding drapes and a headboard, we’ll show some options. Eventually you would like a Stark, blue and white patterned rug, and you like the Trellis pattern.
THE FOYER: Right now the Foyer does not have much of an identity. We can make your apartment feel larger and more integrous by addressing the foyer and having the foyer truly act as a prelude to the living room. A runner that coordinates with the living room rug will do most of the work. A large full length mirror would be great on the wall directly across from the entrance to the living room. If you don’t want a mirror there a vertical piece of artwork that is large would be great! I love the elegant, petite, chandelier, is it on a dimmer? Lovely touch!
ARCHITECTURAL DETAILS: the bedroom door (and bathroom door?) both look like new additions. It’s quite possible your super may have original doors that are not being used. If so, it would be a lovely upgrade to replace the new doors with the originals. The fabric selection will be determined by the living room rug. The rug comes first. As mentioned, one way to have traditional patterned fabric appear more contemporary and maintain the fresh contemporary new look of the space, is to keep the color palette very homogeneous and the pattern rather minimal. We will bring some color categories of fabric schemes, so we can get your feedback. But once the rug is selected we will reassess the fabrics. We do have pictures of a variety of smaller choices for the room but it’s most efficient to work larger to smaller.
Hopefully, these ideas appeal. We’ve got visuals which will make it easier to visualize and contemplate. Our plan is together, we will paint a picture you will love!
Best, Patti O
“I feel so lucky to have found Patti through Houzz! I started out with her House Call service, just a few months ago. Though my project is focused more on the kitchen/dining area, I found this House Call service to be incredibly helpful – money well spent! The final product was a comprehensive report that included an overview of goals for home improvement projects as well as very specific recommendations around color schemes, fabric and even furniture options. This will serve as a very helpful resource and guide for all future decorating.
Patti is all-around amazing but a few things are really notable:
1) My husband and I have different design tastes and Patti uses her unique ability to integrate our different design preferences.
2) Patti respects and effectively manages different price points, she honestly tells you where money is best saved or spent .
3) She has an amazing eye for color, fabrics, and art along with a network of folks to call on if needed.
4) Perhaps most importantly, she is a real pleasure to work with – she listens and is creative, professional and timely. I look forward to designing with Patti in the future.”