Interiors by Wanda Michelle delivers the highest standard of professional interior design services, from concept design to final handover. The following text will explain in more detail how we operate as an interior design agency, fulfill your project requirements, and structure our fees, including services related to home design and planning.
We offer our clients fair, scalable, and transparent working and commercial models that are simple to understand, yet practical to implement and manage.
This initial phase comprises of preliminary property studies, site visits, briefing engagements and discussions around your preferences, ambitions and budgets, as well as explaining how our professional fees are structured.
To begin the project, together we agree upon a Design Fee. This sum is normally calculated relative to the client’s anticipated spend over the entire project. The Design Fee is negotiated either as a fixed fee, no matter whether expenditure is less or surpasses the anticipated spend. Or in many cases we negotiate a sliding fee that is proportional to the actual spend as a project progresses. If expenditure turns out to be less than the anticipated spend, the Design Fee is reduced, should the spend increase so will the Design Fee.
A percentage of the Design Fee is paid as a deposit to trigger the project, thereafter fees are paid incrementally based upon us achieving major milestones in the project up until project handover when the last remaining fees will be called for. Three-dimensional renders are charged independently depending upon volume and the level of technicality.
In the negotiation of our professional fees, we establish the scope of works over which defines which services and components are in-scope (those that we are responsible for) and which are out-of-scope (those that you choose to manage and procure independently).
For those disciplines you want us to manage and coordinate procurement, we ask for a small percentage of your total expenditure to cover our costs. Out-of-scope works are the responsibility of the client to manage and procure, however many disciplines are integrated with one another and so one must be prudent as to what you manage independently of your interior designer. Here we will advise accordingly.
Your scope of work is flexible; should you decide to procure services personally and then at a later stage you would prefer us to manage the process, we simply adjust our fee.
With the Design Fee and procurement terms finalised, the deposit is paid, and your project begins.
Working drawings are your detailed plans, sections and elevations of all the project’s major disciplines such as cabinetry, furniture, walls & floor finishes, sanitaryware and electrical. By way of example, an electrical layout will highlight exactly where every plug point and light fitting & switch will be installed in each room design.
Once all parties are completely satisfied with the look and feel of the internal/external designs and plans we move to create 3D renders; three-dimensional computer-generated visuals allowing you to see rooms, views and features in photographic reality.
We offer two levels of 3D, the first allows us to visualise how an area or feature may look showing primary shape, form, colours and textures. The second are professional photographic models and renders that can take days to illustrate because of their complexity. We work with you to establish the best combination of renders according to your project and budget.
We allocate a budget for your 3D works which varies according to the quality and volume of images you wish to create. These fees are payable prior to 3D production.
We define this phase as ‘value engineering’, by communicating and adjudicating all bidding partners, we create added value throughout the tender process to make your project successful both materialistically and financially.
We now take our construction pack and visuals from our previous project phase, prepare your RFQs and send them to our potential contractors and suppliers to submit detailed, technical proposals and quotations. As protocol, we will always source a minimum of 3 contractors per discipline wherever possible.
During the tender process, we begin developing the foundations of your budgets. Together with you, we assess and discuss each submission based upon reputation, merit and accuracy and pricing. Other considerations are contractual terms, professionalism and levels of cooperation. In the interests of transparency, we advise clients that many suppliers will not share all their intellectual property until appointed, naturally we like to present the most comprehensive proposals, but this industry principle should be noted, especially for more complex disciplines.
Please note: Interiors by Wanda Michelle does not appoint contractors due to their preferred partner status – all submissions are based upon merit including those suppliers you wish to invite to the tender process.
Interior design is a complex process with many suppliers and contractors needing to work simultaneously with one another. To this end, we also consider the ‘personality’ of the service provider as cooperation is critical to the success of the project.
Based on our RFQ submissions over time, the building of the master budget is a fluid, complex, but time-consuming process. We aim to provide you with the most accurate, comprehensive, fair and realistic budget, prior to any procurement taking place. In our value engineering process, we need to be cognisant of the fact that the lowest quote price does not always equate to the best value – we ask that this be a valid consideration as procuring cheap can often prove to be very expensive.
As and when quotation submissions are received, the master budget is updated. Especially for more complex disciplines such as automation, we strongly recommend that realistic contingency fees be built into the budgets as line items to protect you against pricing fluctuations and other potential variables.
Common pricing fluctuations:
We also request that the supply chain submit different levels of quotes. Due to the many variable product and material qualities, specifications, delivery of applications, etc. we ask that contractors pitch their best interpretation of the brief, but also consider submitting a higher and lower quote variation which helps all parties make informed procurement decisions.
When all parties agree that the budget figure is as accurate as possible, we call upon the client to physically sign off this budget before proceeding to the next project phase. Naturally, there could still be variations as the project progresses, but these figures become the defining benchmark for the financial management of your project moving forward.
Before we begin manufacturing and procuring, contractors who have won the tender are officially appointed. It is worth noting that it is not uncommon that contractors, especially those whose services are complex i.e. heating, ventilation & air conditioning (HVAC), will ask to be contracted before they prepare the complex, detailed, customised product, service and financial breakdowns we require. Most suppliers will submit initial RFQs, but there comes a time when the client will need to show contractual commitment to fully access their intellectual property and resources.
Please note, that before we begin this phase, we typically request a further percentage of the Design Fee be paid.
Appointed contractors now call for deposits, or in some circumstances full payment depending upon their discipline. As part of our joint negotiations, we endeavor to secure additional discounts through larger deposit payments. For example, your ‘Home Automation’ company may be importing technical sound and audiovisual equipment from overseas and will offer a further discount for improving their cash flow.
Interiors by Wanda Michelle has a unique design signature: this is achieved through designing and manufacturing custom cabinetry and furniture for our clientele. Many interior design companies and decorators purchase furniture from wholesalers and retail outlets. Our preference is to manufacture your furniture not only for the space planning benefits, but also, to allow us to combine select fabrics, finishes, materials, manufacturing styles and construction techniques to deliver a unique, one-of-a-kind installation. From a budget perspective, custom manufacturing can offer better value as opposed to ‘buying out’ and so in our opinion must always be a consideration.
During installation, Interiors by Wanda Michelle are fastidious about undertaking plan and drawing reviews, conducting regular site visits and especially coordinating the correct sequence of works and events at all times. We work and communicate closely with all contractors and the client, triggering regular Q&A sessions to make sure all parties are making informed decisions.
Any changes approved by you in expenditure are recorded as a variation order. Interiors by Wanda Michelle will only provide a supplier with a VO when authorised to do so in writing. A full list of your variation orders and their totals are sent to the client as part of our frequent project updates.
To avoid any misinterpretation and for the purposes of clarity, we state that Interiors by Wanda Michelle are not project managers, we are project coordinators. Although we have done so in the past, we do not manage building sites with independent 3rd party contractors outside of the ambit of ‘our’ interior design mandate. Where possible, we are very willing and able to liaise and coordinate in conjunction with 3rd party contractors, but we wish to reiterate, that we are not project managers by trade in the traditional sense of the meaning. If your project requires the services of a ‘project coordinator’, we are happy to provide this service by way of contracting the required skills in conjunction with the client.
Essential to the execution of your project will be the logistical management of controlling supplier and contractor products, materials, services and other deliverables to your site
The handover of a project is a very special occasion. In our experience, we have a recommendation for your consideration; the first is to let us manage this final phase independently, and our client and guest only arrive at a set time and date for the handover ceremony. Kindly note: in the final days, if not hours, contractors are under considerable pressure to make sure everything is perfect, this is best done without the client on-site.
With the celebrations, you will receive a handover pack with home care instructions, and we will agree on a ‘snag timeline’; usually a seven-day period where you identify any issues and report them to us to be addressed.
Prior to handover, we request that 5% of the ‘Design Fee’ is paid and upon completion of the snag list, to the client’s satisfaction, the final 5% is paid to complete the financial transaction.
Interiors by Wanda Michelle offers additional services including:
Our highly skilled team are familiar with resolving project challenges that arise along the journey of home design and planning. Paramount is our timeline and budget; these are non-negotiable, rather we present practical, financially viable options and will always maintain a back-and-forth dialogue until any issue is resolved to the client’s satisfaction. We are steadfast when it comes to tackling any design and implementation issues while never compromising the design integrity, accepting on the best works according to our quality control guidelines ensuring a flawless end interior design product.
Our commitment is to offer unparalleled interior design services as one of the top-tier interior designers in South Africa
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