FAQs

Our studio is located in Glen Ridge, New Jersey in the Essex County area. We are located near the Montclair area. Design meetings take place at the client’s project location so that we are able to view the rooms being designed.

We service the following counties in New Jersey: Essex, Bergen, Morris and Monmouth Counties.

Our studio is open Monday – Friday  9:00am to 5:00pm and by appointment only.

Saturday meetings 10 am – 3pm can be scheduled once a month during a project if needed.

We do not operate during the weekend unless otherwise agreed upon in advance with the client and during special circumstances or emergencies/typically during construction phase. We communicate with clients via email, scheduled meetings, business line phone calls or via business text only during extreme emergencies. We do not communicate via personal texts as important messages can get lost in our personal feed. If we receive emails past our business hours, we will respond the next business day or the day after. 

Whyte Birch Interiors is a small studio with just me, Grace, the Principal Designer who will design your projects from start to finish. You are hiring me and no one else for your design needs. I do have a Design Assistant to help me along the way.

So you might be thinking…”how can she do this all by herself?”  My answer to this is that I only take on as many clients as I can handle. I wouldn’t want to risk the integrity of my designs by taking on too many clients. It would be unfair to the client and to myself.

An Interior Designer and an Interior Decorator are often mistaken to be one in the same, but this not true. There are similarities, but not interchangeable.

An Interior Designer will most likely have a Bachelors degree, has formal training and involves architectural interior drawings such as floor plans, elevations and reflected ceiling plans such as lighting and electrical, structural planning and renovations, spatial planning and works closely with architects and licensed contractors helping to achieve the client’s vision.  Interior Designers are hired before and during the construction phase helping to create designs that not only enhance the look of the space, but enhance the functionality of a room. 

An Interior Decorator can take a few design courses that focus on fabric and color, furniture style and space planning. They focus on the the aesthetics of the room. They come into the picture after all of the structural planning has been completed.  An Interior Designer does both the aesthetics and the above mentioned.

Consult Phase

Our design process begins with a 15 minute phone consultation to let us know what your project entails, review your wants and needs for your home and explain our design services. You can start the process of contacting us by heading over to our CONTACT page and hitting the “Schedule a Consult” button.  

When our phone consultation is completed, we can schedule a in-person 90 minute visit to your home. The fee for this consultation visit is $495, paid prior to the scheduled meeting and each additional hour is $185. If you decide to retain design services with us, then this amount will be deducted from your total design fee. 

During this 90- minute consultation, we will do a walk-through of the room or rooms you would like design help in. We will offer verbal design suggestions and advise. We will ask you questions such as, “What would you like to change or keep? How does this room function for you? What is working and what is not working in the room?”  This design consult does not include floor plans or concept boards. 

After the visit is completed and you would like to move forward  and are interested in retaining us for design services, we will then provide you with a design proposal that reflects your punch list of things you need design help with.  If the design proposal is satisfactory to you, a 50% deposit is taken and the design process begins. 

Concept Phase

During this process, you will share design inspirations from your Pinterest page. If you do not have one, we will create an account for you to help you on your way. Once you have shared your design vision such as style aesthetics to us, our next appointment will be scheduled to present our concept boards and floor plans for your space. Thereafter, communication throughout the design process is done through in-person scheduled meetings and via email.

Execution Phase 

After you have approved the concept board and floor plan that you like best, we begin executing structural changes and coordinate with trades and vendors. We will also visit showrooms to source tile, fabric, area rugs, lighting etc.. and make purchases for your space.

Installation Phase 

This is the process when things start moving along and your vision becomes reality. We will be managing all of the design aspects on your concept boards and floor plans such as the installation of wallpaper, tile and millwork to name a few items. Weekly visits and update of the progress with be provided to you.

Styling Phase 

We finally have the big ticket items in your space – for example, your furniture and millwork. This is the phase to add the final details and touches to the room, the accessories that elevate a room.  It is best that you are not home during this phase so we can work efficiently. The styling phase typically takes 4-6 hours for one room.

We will recommend the contractors or trades people that we typically work with to execute your project. However, if there is anyone you are comfortable working with, we are also okay collaborating with them.  

The Project Manager is your Interior Designer except during construction and exterior phases of the project. It is usually the Architect managing the project and the Interior Designer will follow during interior construction is underway.  A Project Manager will manage your project, communicate and coordinate with the contractor and his sub-contractors based on the specifics of the design concept.  Interior Designers will work closely with the contractor to make sure that he is executing the designs accurately and that it is aesthetically pleasing.

It depends on the scope or work, my current work schedule, the availability of tradespeople who are doing the labor, furniture and accessory items that may or may not be in stock and how quickly your responses are to our design questions. It’s a lot of moving parts that keep the design process moving. We rely on our good tradesmen to keep the project moving along.  As Designers, we are meticulous and organized and want our projects to run smoothly and stay on track. We will provide you an estimated timeline based on the scope of work at the time the design proposal is presented.

With 20+ years of design experience under my belt, I have designed an array of design styles. The trick to being a good Interior Designer is to be able to design projects that reflect the client’s style;  yet keeping my sense of style visible in some aspect.  After all, we are being hired to make our client’s visions into a reality, right? If you’re following me on Instagram, you will see the various design styles reflected in my posts.

Whether your style leans towards an European flair, farmhouse look, coastal, mid-century modern or contemporary look, I am here to help!  But my personal style leans European coastal..  so think Mallorca, Spain.

I can consult with exterior projects regarding the home’s exterior materials and finishes such has as an exterior paint color of the home and after confirming with the Architect.

However, I can design backyard patios and front porches as it is an extension of the home.

It’s never too early to reach out. In fact, I love a client who’s well-organized. If you already have a Contractor and Architect on hand, we will consult with them on interior portions of the project such as creating floor plan configurations that need to be figured out prior to the hole being dug.  If you’re still in the beginning stages of your project, I suggest hiring an Architect to draw up plans for permit and having your architectural plans out to bid with contractors. However, we would like to be kept in the loop during this design phase.

Yes, of course! I am happy to work with you and your builder to design a home of your dreams.

Yes, most definitely! I get asked this question a lot. Selecting paint can be tricky but I’ve had plenty of  practice and certainly help with this.

Yes, absolutely.  No project is too small. We will work within your design budget.

Trust me, I would know from the very first moment of being in your home. Homeowners typically show their design sense and style in items that they choose for their homes. It could be the smallest thing.

In the beginning stages of the design process, we will share Pinterest boards with one another to help identify and narrow down your design style.

Anything from big to small. Here are some examples:

• Interior floor plans
• Architectural drawings eg. millwork, custom cabinetry
• Paint/Stain
• Lighting
• Plumbing
• Flooring
• Decor
• Holiday decorating
• Window treatments
• Styling a room with accessories
• Rugs
• Countertop for kitchen and bath

I wish I was perfect and could tell you that I would nail your first concept board on my first try.  There have been  times when I do.  However, design is a process and a collaboration of ideas between Designer and client. Projects depend on size and type, but a typical project includes up to two revisions.

It depends on the scope of the project. Typically the turn-around time is 2 weeks for a small project and 3/4 weeks for larger projects.

We offer you our trade discount for furniture, wallpaper, fabric and accessories when possible and when they are priced at retail.  We do retain a commission (usually half of the cost price) on goods that are offered when products are priced at cost.  For instance, if we are receiving 30% on cost goods, we will extend you half (15%) discount.  These are instances where they only sell products offered to the Trade, which means products that are only sold to Designers and Architects. This is the standard in the design/architecture/construction industry. 

But just a reminder, you should not be hiring an Interior Designer for our trade discount.  Hiring an Interior Designer should be for our  expertise in the field of the design.  For more information on this, you can head over to my blog on “Questions to ask yourself before hiring and Interior Designer”

Questions to ask yourself before hiring an Interior Designer?

We require a 50% retainer of the total design fee to start the design process, 35% payment is due at time of placing furniture and custom orders and the final balance of 15% is due when furniture and custom orders have arrived and styling begins. During the styling phase, we ask that you provide us with a physical credit card so that we may shop for accessories to style your rooms.

Unfortunately, there are no refunds or credits are issued for design services, but I am happy to reselect or do edits. Thanks for your understanding.