Frequently Asked Questions

For an estimate of our rates, please take a look at our projects and pricing page. You will see that we are below what other companies in the interior design industry charge, especially for small projects. Most companies won't even touch small projects or do so without giving quality results. This is one of the main reasons why Capital Design was founded. We believe that everyone deserves a well-designed interior.

We are often asked this question; however, there is no easy answer. Once the project is underway, you will be in constant communication with us. We work a lot by email and phone. This is an incredibly efficient way to communicate and allows for a faster turnaround time. Typically, we email initial ideas (mood boards), target images for each room, project drawings, and the shopping list. We will also hold virtual or phone meetings on a regular basis. 

If you don't like email, don't worry. We can work with you by phone/whatsapp if necessary, keeping our main goal: Provide you an amazing design. 

Normally, we work on the complete design of the rooms, taking into account the existing furniture; however, we believe that the textures, materials and colors of the walls (and lighting) are one of the most important aspects of a beautiful space.

In this sense, taking into account the current conditions of the room, our design team will prepare a general proposal for the walls. We work with all brands of materials and paints, so you can hire the right people.  

One of Capital Design's best features is that the entire design team works on your project. On all projects, you will have a lead designer and a sales specialist who will be your primary point of contact; however, all team members are involved in the final design of your project, resulting in a more creative solution with faster turnaround times.

Of course you will!

We think it's very important that you can visualize your spaces with the complete proposal. This will give you a clear idea of the design and help you make the best decisions. These 3D images will be included in the technical documents we provide you when we finish the project.  

We don't usually go from store to store to buy individual pieces.  Shopping for furniture in person greatly reduces the number of pieces available, it takes much longer to travel from store to store, and often the piece you want is not on display.  

To recreate the shopping experience, we provide you with a shopping list accompanied by objective images to visualize it in each room. We also provide notes and technical recommendations in the planimetry of the project to help you make an informed decision.  

If you do not feel comfortable ordering most of your furniture from a catalog image and you absolutely want to see and touch most of the furniture before you buy it, let us know at the initial meeting. We will be sure to include that time in our estimates to allow for the purchase with our assigned specialist.

We make money by charging a rate per square foot of the project to be designed. Unlike other companies in the industry, we do not charge minor expenses such as postage, phone calls, mileage, faxes, etc., mainly because it is a hassle to keep track of all these little incidentals and no one likes to feel like they are taking money from you.

Overpricing goods is a common way for design companies to make money; it is a common practice because many companies have exclusive relationships with furniture suppliers, giving them access to pieces that you would not be able to get on your own because you are not in the industry. Because of this exclusive access, many design companies get a discount from the supplier, which gives them room to mark up the price of the product. The margin, like many things in life, depends on the product and its exclusivity.

Like other companies in the industry, we may add a markup to the products we buy for you, but only if we can offer you a better price than you would get by going to the supplier and buying the item yourself. For example, if you find a piece of furniture that you love, a seller may charge you $1,000 for the item (or not even tell you the price because you are not an "industry" member). 

If we work directly with the seller, we may be able to buy the same piece of furniture for slightly less and pass some of the savings on to you. Where possible, we will discount the retail price. However, suppliers do not offer a standard discount to the design industry. It is therefore impossible to give a standard discount rate.

Once the design process is complete, we begin the process of purchasing the products.  For most projects the products will be purchased by you, Capital Design or the contractors, depending on the type of item.  

For items that can be purchased by Capital Design, we will send you a formal quotation which will include the following

Total Price of the Products - The total price of the Products plus the freight required to bring them to Capital Design's warehouse for inspection, acceptance and storage until ready for delivery to your home.

Tax - The total sales tax payable on the product. We hate it as much as you do.

Delivery - Leave it to us to carry the heavy boxes upstairs and place the items in the appropriate room at your home.

Assembly - Capial Design's price varies depending on the type of item being assembled (tables, cupboards, benches etc). If you dread the idea of using Allen keys, tightening screws and following visual diagrams, this service is for you. We can assemble most furniture and products with our team of specialists. 

When you buy furniture for your home, 90% of the time you order your furniture from our shopping list and technical specifications.  When we order furniture, each order is a bespoke order for your specific piece from a furniture manufacturer.  Due to the bespoke nature of furniture orders, all sales are final and we cannot accept returns.

Over all the years we have been doing this, we have only had a handful of situations where the customer was completely unhappy with the piece once it arrived.  We fully understand that this can be a frustrating situation and we will try to work with you to find a reasonable solution. We have had a great track record so far, however, we like to be upfront with you and our policy.

If you are the type of person who is uncomfortable ordering online or through a catalogue, let us know in advance and we can focus our furniture search on large stores that may have a floor sample that you can sit down and look at.  

Keep in mind, however, finding your exact piece in a showroom is increasingly difficult to do and will usually increase the design and purchase period for your project as we will have to call local shops to see if they have a sample in the showroom.

Typically, we are not able to obtain merchandise purchased from the big brick and mortar stores like Pottery Barn, Crate & Barrel, Target, Room & Board, etc. at a wholesale price (aka: a discounted price), which means that we pay what you pay.