What Happens When You Work With an Interior Designer?
Most people come to a designer with a clear sense of how they want a home to feel, and much less certainty about how it actually gets built. This is the process in plain terms — what happens, in what order, and what gets decided at each stage.
The short answer
A residential interior design project runs in four stages. It begins with a paid consultation that establishes scope, priorities, timing and investment. The design is then developed as a whole — space planning, materials and finishes, lighting, furnishings and custom elements — and presented as one complete scheme rather than a series of separate decisions. Once the direction is agreed, the studio produces the drawings and specifications the work requires and coordinates with architects, contractors, artisans and trades. The final stage is procurement, delivery, installation and styling.
Melissa Pinto Interiors is a boutique, full-service studio based in Los Angeles. The practice is deliberately small, which means Melissa stays personally involved from the earliest ideas through to the final layer.
01 — Foundation
Following an initial inquiry, the design process begins with a paid consultation to discuss the home, the scope of the project and how you want to live within it. Priorities, aesthetic direction, timing and investment are all explored here, so that there is a clear and shared understanding of the project before any design work begins.
It is worth treating this stage as the one that determines everything after it. A project that starts with a vague brief tends to end with a vague result.
02 — Design
The design is developed through space planning, material and finish selections, lighting, furnishings, textiles and custom elements.
Concepts are presented as a complete vision rather than one room or one decision at a time. This matters more than it sounds. A sofa chosen on its own is a different decision from the same sofa chosen against the rug, the wall colour and the light a room gets in the afternoon. Seeing the whole scheme allows each element to be judged in relation to the home as a whole.
03 — Development and implementation
Once the design direction is established, the studio develops the detail required to bring it to life. That can include drawings and specifications, coordination with architects, contractors, artisans and trades, and the procurement, ordering and project oversight that keeps everything moving.
This is the least visible stage and usually the longest. It is also where a designer earns their keep, because it is the point at which decisions meet suppliers, lead times and site conditions.
04 — Installation and completion
The final phase brings together furnishings, art, objects and the finishing details that give a home its character. The studio oversees delivery, installation and styling through to completion.
What the studio takes on
Melissa Pinto Interiors works on residential interiors, renovations and furnishings. Each project is approached as a whole, considering architecture, space, materials, lighting, furnishings and the details that ultimately give a home its character. Services are tailored to each project and may include space planning, interior architectural detailing, material and finish selections, custom millwork and furniture, lighting, textiles, art and accessories.
The studio is based in Los Angeles and works with clients locally and beyond.
Common questions
Is the first consultation free?
No. The design process begins with a paid consultation. It covers the home, the scope of the project and how you want to live within it, and it establishes priorities, aesthetic direction, timing and investment before any design work begins.
Do you take on renovations, or only furnishings?
Both. The studio works on residential interiors, renovations and furnishings. A project may include interior architectural detailing, material and finish selections and custom millwork as well as furniture, lighting, textiles, art and accessories.
Can you work alongside our architect and contractor?
Yes. From early design development through construction coordination, procurement and final installation, the studio works alongside architects, contractors, artisans and other specialists as a project requires.
Do you work outside Los Angeles?
Yes. The studio is based in Los Angeles and works with clients locally and beyond.
How long does a project take?
It depends on scope. A furnishing project and a full renovation are different undertakings, and lead times on custom and made-to-order pieces vary. Timing is one of the things established during the first consultation, before design begins.
Do you sell furniture and objects directly?
Yes. De Tierra is the studio's own collection of home accessories and furnishings, sourced and designed in-house and made by a small network of trusted artisans and craftsmen.
How do I start a project?
Send an inquiry through the Inquire page with a little about the home, the scope you have in mind and your timeline. That is the starting point for the first conversation.
Start a conversation about your home
If you are weighing up a renovation, a full furnishing project or a single room that has never quite worked, the first conversation is where you find out what the project actually involves — scope, timing and investment, before any design work begins.
Tell Melissa a little about the home, the scope you have in mind and your timeline. If you would rather look first, you can see recent interiors projects or browse the De Tierra collection.
