Full-Service FAQs

1. What does full-service design entitle

·  Full-service interior design
·  Additions and renovations consulting
·  New-construction consulting
·  Project management
·  Kitchens and bathrooms
·  Furniture and accessories
·  Space planning
·  Custom cabinetry
·  Fabrics and upholstery
·  Floor coverings and rug design
·  Wall coverings
·  Window treatments
·  Lighting design
·  Corporate offices
·  Hospitality and restaurants
·  Showhouses
·  Public spaces and lobbies
·  Sustainable design
·  A network of contractors, electricians, plumbers, drapery treatment fabricators, faux finishers, painters, wallpaper installers, tile installers, custom glass crafters, movers, demo crews, wood finishers, lighting experts, cabinet makers, stone fabricators, custom concrete artists, architects, landscape architects, art consultants, upholsterers, bedding and pillow fabricators and much, much more.

2.  Purchasing

Mina Kim Interiors on its trade discount.

We estimates its design fees and the project budget for your approval at the beginning of each project to ensure that everyone is clear on expectations.

3. What is a trade discount?

Professional interior designers receive discounts from vendors because they are registered resellers of home goods. The discounts vary from vendor to vendor. Mina Kim Interiors also gives you access to their huge depth of resources. The to-the-trade furniture industry is massive—80,000 vendors present their wares in High Point, NC twice a year. So this isn’t just about pricing, but also about access to trade-only sources.

4. Why do you require 100% deposit?

We require 100% deposit on all orders for many reasons. One of our favorite responses is: “If, after placing an order, you decide you don’t want that sofa, I can assure you that I don’t want it either.”

Once a custom order is placed, it is non-refundable, so it may as well be paid in full. And, since we cannot cancel the order, we’ll be faced with the balance due and the question of, “where do you want it?” when it arrives at our studio.

Also, we’ve had clients go through tough times that pulled them away from the project. While it is completely understandable that someone dealing with a personal crisis can’t focus on the design project, the custom orders already set into motion cannot be paused or cancelled, which means production will conclude and balances will be due. Basically, we’re a design firm, not a bank.

Those examples aside, there are many benefits to paying 100% up front:

·  It cuts paperwork in half (instead of billing for a deposit and final invoice).
·  Since we do turn-key project installations (where we do one delivery after all of the orders are in at our local receiver’s warehouse), you would still be required to pay for items in full prior to receiving them.
·  Projects move more quickly this way, as it makes the entire order process more efficient and allows us to get your orders to you quicker.

Here’s an example of the to illustrate our point: Our vendors won’t ship your items until they are paid in full, so in the case of a 50% deposit, we would then pay our vendors 50%. They would send us an invoice when the item is ready to ship. We then send you a balance-due invoice. We process your payment, then pay our vendor. Some vendors still send paper invoices and only take checks, so this can add a week or two to the lead time.

Did we answer your questions?

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