What Does a Full-Service Interior Designer Actually Do?
Ask ten people what an interior designer does and you’ll get ten different answers. Picks paint colors! Buys throw pillows! Makes things pretty! All technically true – but all wildly incomplete.
Here’s the real answer: a full-service interior designer leads your entire project from first idea to final styling. Design, sourcing, ordering, contractor coordination, deliveries, installation. All of it. You approve the big decisions. Your designer handles the other four thousand.
After 21 years of designing homes for busy professionals, I can tell you the confusion is understandable. “Interior designer” covers everything from a decorator who styles shelves to a firm like mine that manages six- and seven-figure renovations alongside architects and builders. So let me break down exactly what full-service means at Lesley Myrick Interior Design, in plain language.
Full-Service Interior Design, Defined
Full-service interior design is a turnkey engagement. One design firm is responsible for the design vision, the technical specifications, the purchasing, the project management, and the installation. The client isn’t juggling a designer, a shopping list, twelve vendor accounts, and a contractor who has questions at 7am – the designer is their sole point of contact.
At LMID, we take on a limited number of large-scale projects each year, mostly renovations, new builds, and multi-room furnishing projects for professional families in Macon and Middle Georgia. Every one of them follows the same 8-step process. Here’s what that looks like.
Our 8-Step Process, in Plain Language
Step 1: Design Strategy Session. Every project starts with a working session, not a sales pitch. We define your scope, talk real investment ranges, and set the direction that guides every decision after it. You leave with clarity, whether or not you continue with us.
Step 2: Pre-Construction Concept Design. Before anyone swings a hammer, we develop layouts and the big-picture design direction. Your architect and builder get a confident plan up front instead of figuring it out mid-build. (This is where expensive mistakes get prevented – it’s much cheaper to fix problems on paper than IRL.)
Step 3: Pre-Construction Detailed Design. Every material, finish, fixture, and detail gets fully specified. Tile, plumbing, lighting, trim, hardware. Your builder receives exact documentation, which means accurate bids and zero guesswork on site.
Step 4: Construction Procurement + Coordination. We order the selected materials, track every delivery, and coordinate with your build team so the project stays organized and on schedule. When the tile is late or a fixture gets discontinued, that’s our problem to solve, not yours.
Step 5: Furniture + Decor Concept Design. While construction moves, the furnishing vision comes together. Bold, layered, and personal to how you actually live.
Step 6: Furniture + Decor Detailed Design. Every piece gets finalized. Furniture, lighting, art, accessories, all specified and presented with photorealistic 3D renderings. You see exactly what you’re getting before a single item is ordered. Our clients approve with confidence because there’s no imagining required.
Step 7: Procurement + Project Management. We place every order, track every shipment, and coordinate every delivery. You get a project update email every Friday covering orders, timelines, and next steps. No chasing us down, and no wondering where things stand.
Step 8: Installation + Finishing Touches. We oversee delivery, installation, and final styling from start to finish. Then you walk into a home that is completely, actually done. Beds made. Art hung. Not a single “we’ll get to that eventually” in sight.
What You Do (Spoiler: Not Much!)
Your job in this process is refreshingly small. You share how you live, react to what we present, and approve decisions at key milestones. That’s it. Our clients are physicians, attorneys, and CEOs who are excellent at their jobs and have no interest in adding “furniture logistics coordinator” to the resume.
The trade-off is trust. Full-service interior design works because you hire an expert to lead, then let her lead. We tell you what your home needs and why, and we back every recommendation with two decades of experience doing exactly this.
What Full-Service Design Is Not
A few honest clarifications, because fit matters more to me than volume:
It’s not decorating. Decorating is styling what already exists and maybe adding in a few extra touches. Full-service design often reshapes the architecture of how your home functions, then furnishes and finishes it.
It’s not hourly help on call. We’re not a service you ping when you can’t pick a rug. Every project follows a structured process with clear phases and proactive communication.
It’s not the budget option. Full-service is a premium engagement because you’re buying leadership, risk reduction, and hundreds of hours of expert decision-making. Our clients invest here because their time is worth more than the markup on DIY mistakes.
Frequently Asked Questions
At Lesley Myrick Interior Design, full-service projects have a three-room minimum. Furnishing investments start around $40,000 per room, and renovation budgets typically start at $150,000. Design fees are separate and scoped to your project. We talk real numbers in the Design Strategy Session so there are no surprises later.
It depends on scope. A multi-room furnishing project moves faster than a renovation or new build, which can run a year or more once you account for design, construction, and lead times on quality furnishings. What I can promise is that you’ll always know where things stand, because we send progress updates every Friday.
If you’re planning a renovation, addition, new build, or furnishing three or more rooms, full-service is built for you. If you need expert direction on a smaller challenge first, a two-hour Design Strategy Session is the right entry point. Every LMID project starts there anyway.
A decorator focuses on furnishings, color, and styling. A full-service interior designer also handles space planning, construction specifications, contractor coordination, and project management. Both are valuable, they’re just different jobs.
The Bottom Line
A full-service interior designer isn’t someone who makes your house prettier. She’s the leader who takes a complex, expensive, easy-to-mess-up project and delivers it organized, on track, and unmistakably you.
If you’re planning a new build, a substantial renovation, or a whole-home refresh and you want a designer who’ll lead the project with you, the next step is a short Connection Call. Twenty minutes, no pressure, just a conversation to see whether we’re the right fit.
About Lesley Myrick
Lesley Myrick is an adventurous, intuitive, and exceptionally organized full-service interior designer specializing in designing distinct “forever homes”. She works with high-achieving professionals to create playful, personality-driven and family-friendly spaces that are as functional as they are unique.
At Lesley Myrick Interior Design, we make the typically confusing design process seamless. Our high-touch, deeply engaged design process means that we accept just 6 large-scale remodeling projects per year.
Learn more about our full-service interior design and inquire here to start your design project.