I'm contracted to pay her a retainer for the revised layout and materials selection. This is hourly where she provided her estimated hours upfront. She also charges her markup for any purchases. Upon reviewing my notes I'm not obligated to purchase anything I'm not comfortable with. And technically I haven't voiced my hesitation with her 2nd option, so I haven't given her the opportunity to look again. How many times can you tell a designer you don't like something? I guess I'm wondering now since I'm the one who found these new cabinets if I should still involve the designer in the process. I don't believe she's linked to a particular company since the first 2 cabinets were different brands. Palimpsest makes a good point that it's the designer's job to troubleshoot and make sure everything's in order which would be a huge help because my 'free time' is limited given a full-time job and family to take care of. I'm going to call the cabinet company on Monday to find out if they work with designers/contractors. Hopefully it's a win-win for everyone.

IMO living in a space first for a bit of time is a good idea since houses have a way of telling you how they funtion and sometimes not how you thought. I aslo do not think long distance design works . I would never assume to do a design job with seeing the actual space You don’t really say what you are planning so maybe share that with us along with the to scale floor plan and pictures. But honestly IMO wait until you have lived there .I was just on your other post and really IMO do not do this before living there for at least 3-6 months.

Answer? Yes, and yes, and yes. Inspiration photos are helpful to you and a designer. Appliance shopping in person is nearly a must, unless you eat take out. Basically every surface ........flooring, tile, solid surfaces is something you want to see up close and together with other elements in your space. But. Having an interior designer? This is the best scenario when building. Many builder provide a version of designer at their "design" center where you will be led through standard options for every category needed in your build. Selections/options will be generally inline with however custom your home is. ......and the designer? Is actually not more than a salesperson, checking boxes. Her goal is to move the process along, she works FOR the builder whose profit is when you close on the house. An independent designer works for YOU. Most people are somewhat overwhelmed at the sheer numbers of decisions required when building. Many of these come at you simultaneously, and seem in no logical order as well. Designers cut through that process and keep you on track to YOUR look/style and needs. She/he can be eyes, ears, on your site, and lead you to a home that has your desired feel, in a process far less stressful than either a hurried or hand wringing route. A designer can save you mistakes and mistakes can be costly or simply a delayed regret. In other words.....together, you and that person - that is the best of the new build "world" : ) Get one at the same time you look at that large black and white paper PLAN.

Several things: Inspo boards/feedback versus shopping locally " together" : This is absolutely THE most "efficient " way for any designer to get a feel for the FEEL you want in your home and it takes VAST amounts of time to even create the inspo boards, without putting a fanny in the car and driving hundreds of miles over days . ( The reason I put efficient in quotes ). You're in Boston area. You live in an area surrounded by the same stuff every single mid to large city has. Ethan Allen , Pottery Barn, West Elm.......maybe an RH . You also have a design center, and still to some degree, the antique stores that have met a demise in most other cities. In no way do these represent an entire market of what IS available. The local design to the trade venue? Even THAT will not show all that is available!!! Brick and mortar furniture ? Same thing , as many have had a hard time keeping doors open as the public clicks a mouse for cheap junk in a hurry. Couple this, with the fact you are adapting to a bit more traditional feel. GOOD LUCK. This exists at the high and LOW end of the market. The look has been literally driven out by "farmhouse crap" and mid century crap. . Quality? Antique stores, 1st Dibs, Chairish........etc. . New goods? Baker furniture, Hickory Chair, Century, some Hickory White. After those? A minefield of not much, and not much tradition. Budget: The price of a particular piece? It means next to nothing in case goods. A three k dresser can be Restoration Hardware. Is it quality? No, not really. " Another 1 k would have gotten you dovetail joinery."..............no, not necessarily. And dovetail drawers can be found on junk furniture, believe it or not. She saw the dresser it in a showroom....she showed it to you. Did you ASK to go see the piece in person? Apparently not, yet you were willing to "go shopping together".! I'm sorry, but you confused her. Yes, you did. You told her your priority was the living room, and it never occurred to her that the dresser would equal the IMPORTANCE of the selections for that living room. You asked her to drag the budget information out of you. What you never said, and she did not ask, was this: "I can spend __________$ This YEAR. I can spend __________ next year. I must have now, these things --------------------" . I can wait on these................" Yet you said "no to things that were more than you wanted to spend" .........which IS it??? And on what? ! You were vague, and as you typed above? It's still vague to us. To me. Every designer is tasked with getting the budget answer, to which we generally get this reply, essentially. ........ " I just want the best looking home I can have, for the least amount of dollars." Every piece? "How much is it?!" So......walk a mile in our shoes. Couple ALL of this with the fact that a new home rarely needs a total re furnishing. In fact? I would resist that. Traditional homes can successfully marry both tradition and more contemporary looks. They are more interesting, more collected, than a boatload of "it's all new" Here's Suzanne Kassler Buckhead, outside and inside... Look at the art and the STAIR......... Which of these appeals in traditional "bones"??? Such as below... Look at the cocktail table, below, and the more modern relief to the obvious tradition. Or........... more below. The point is as the pictures reveal : ) While it's important to "listen" to a house? It's not the dictator. Look at the moldings, chair rail , windows etc and the lighting in both, below........and the furnishings.