Drum roll, please… It’s time for another installment in my Work Well with an Interior Design Professional series – and it’s the very last one!

Need to catch up? You can read Part 1 here, Part 2 here, Part 3 here, Part 4 here, Part 5 here, Part 6 here, Part 7 here, Part 8 here, Part 9 here and Part 10 here. 

Step 11: The Post-Occupancy Phase

Thought we were done? Not quite. In Step 10, we talked about furniture and fixture installation, which often feels like the final step of a project. Furniture, soft furnishings, and decorative items have been installed in the home/residence or retail space, and everything is looking beautiful and finished. Woohoo! It’s now time to pass the keys over to the homeowner or the client, and then to be on your merry way… right? Almost. There’s one more step that’s very important and that can’t be forgotten!

As the post-occupancy phase, Step 11 is all about the aftermath – what happens when the interior design project is complete and the space is being used. This may include homeowners moving in to a finished space, a new home builder or condo developer’s sales centre opening to the public, or a model home opening for tours. Once the space is in use, it’s possible that some issues may arise – and the interior design project isn’t complete until everything has been resolved and the client is 100% happy.

Step 11 covers site review and the identification of deficiencies, resolving these deficiencies (if applicable), and final billing.

A thorough review of the space always happens in Step 10, and you may notice some deficiencies that will need fixing. It’s also possible for minor deficiencies to come up in the days or weeks following – once a space starts getting used, little things you may have overlooked may come to light. Any issues that come up should be resolved as quickly as possible so that the space can continue to be used and enjoyed as it was planned.

When everything has been fully completed, it’s time to present your final invoices to the client. Make sure you’ve accounted for any additions and that you’ve paid any suppliers on your end, too! This is a great time to do a project wrap-up in the billing department.

That’s it for the Work Well with an Interior Design Professional series! Thanks for following along!

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