Your first interior design consultation: what to prepare

01What to bring

You do not need a finished brief. You need the facts that shape the design, so the designer is not guessing.

• Your floor plan. For a new launch, use your approved unit plan, not a brochure picture.
• Your key collection or handover date, if you have one. It decides when drawings and approvals need to be ready.
• A few photos of spaces you like, from home magazines, Instagram or friends' homes. Say what you like in each one.
• A list of what stays: furniture, appliances and anything built-in you want to keep, with rough measurements.
• Who lives there and how: work from home, cooking at home, children, elderly parents, pets, helpers.
• Which rooms are in scope, and what you want left alone.
• Any rules you have already received, such as the condo's renovation guidelines or, for a shop or office, the landlord's fit-out guidelines and handover condition.

02What happens at the first meeting

At Maison the first meeting is the concept consultation. From there the work follows the same order on every project:

1. 01

   Concept and space planning

   We talk through how you live or run the business, then propose a layout for the space.

2. 02

   Itemised quotation with 3D drawings

   You receive an itemised quotation together with perspective 3D drawings and a colour proposal, so you can see each room before work starts.

3. 03

   Revisions before the quotation is final

   Change a cabinet, a tile or a colour on screen instead of on site.

4. 04

   Applications

   For HDB flats, the team handles the HDB renovation permit application and helps with your renovation loan application.

5. 05

   Design and build

   Carpentry, alterations, furnishing and decor, with dedicated project management.

6. 06

   After handover

   A 2-year workmanship warranty and post-sales service, so you have one team to call.

03Questions worth asking any designer

Whoever you choose, these answers tell you how the project will run. Get them in writing.

• Is the quotation itemised, so you can see what each part covers?
• Will you see 3D drawings of every room before work starts?
• Who applies for the HDB renovation permit, or the condo's renovation approval?
• Who manages the site day to day, and how will you get updates?
• What happens after handover: is there a workmanship warranty, and who do you call?

04When to book

For a new BTO flat, start talking to a designer about one to two months before key collection. That leaves time for a layout, 3D drawings and a firm quotation, so works can start once your defects are reported and the permit is in.

For a new condo or executive condominium, the renovation approval comes from the condo's management, so plan the drawings before keys too. Our new condo renovation guide sets out the handover and approval steps.

For an office, shop, café or restaurant, book early enough to design around the landlord's fit-out rules and your opening date.