Our Interior Design Process, Step by Step: From First Call to Move-In

The interior design process is the part of a project nobody photographs, and it decides how the finished home turns out. A beautiful concept can still end in a delayed delivery, a sofa that doesn’t fit the freight elevator or a kitchen that the building never approved. Those problems are almost always settled, or created, long before anything is installed.

This is how our studio runs a project in Miami, from the first call to the day you move in. There are eight steps. Two of them you won’t find in most process guides: a walk through your future home in virtual reality before anything is ordered, and the approvals that condo towers in Miami require. For each step I’ll explain what happens, what you approve, what you receive, and what tends to slow things down.

The process at a glance

Each step ends with a decision from you and something concrete in your hands. How long each step takes depends on the home and the building, so we set the schedule for your project at the start.

What has changed in 2026

The steps of a good design process are old. Three things around them have changed recently, and each one affects how we plan a project today.

Clients expect to see the result before they commit. In Houzz’s 2026 study of AI in construction and design, the share of design firms using AI for planning and design doubled in a year, from 34 to 68 percent. Of homeowners whose professional used AI, 76 percent said it helped them visualize the project (Houzz study, via Hardwood Floors). Fast images are now everywhere. What still sets a project apart is a model you can stand inside at true scale, with the real furniture, materials and light. That is why the VR walkthrough is a fixed step in our process, not an extra.

Tariffs now shape the furniture schedule. Since October 14, 2025, the U.S. has applied a 25 percent tariff on imported upholstered furniture with wooden frames and on kitchen cabinets and vanities. Increases to 30 and 50 percent, first set for January 2026, were postponed to January 1, 2027. For goods from the European Union, this tariff and the regular duty together are capped at 15 percent (Federal Register, Proclamation 10976; postponement). We now compare sources, and the timing of orders, before we finalize the furniture plan.

Delivery windows still follow the weather. The Atlantic hurricane season runs from June 1 to November 30 (NOAA). NOAA’s August 2026 update expected a quieter season than usual, but we still plan major deliveries and installations with a margin through the fall.

1. Discovery call and site visit

Every project starts with an unhurried conversation, in person or by video. I don’t begin with sketches or a questionnaire. I ask how you actually live: who wakes up first, whether you entertain or retreat, whether this is a permanent home, a seasonal one or an investment. We talk about the timeline and a budget range, so the design is built for it from the start.

Then we visit the space. We measure it, photograph it and note the light, the views and the existing systems. In a condo, we also read the building’s rules on renovation, permitted materials, work hours and deliveries before we draw a single line. It is the cheapest moment to discover a restriction.

• You approve: the scope of work and the budget range.
• You receive: a measured survey and a clear outline of what the project will include.

2. Concept and space planning

The concept sets the direction: mood, palette, materials and the feeling of each room. We present it as a mood board with real samples wherever possible, because a fabric looks different in your hand than on a screen.

At the same stage, we plan the space. Where the furniture goes, how people move from room to room, where storage hides, where the light falls in the morning and the evening. The plan has to work before the room can look good.

• You approve: the design direction and the layout.
• You receive: a mood board and a furnished floor plan.

3. Walk through it in VR before anything is ordered

This is the step clients remember. Once the layout and direction are set, we build a photorealistic 3D model of your home and you walk through it in virtual reality, at true scale. You stand in the kitchen and see whether the island leaves enough room. You sit on the sofa and look at the view. You notice that a pendant hangs too low or that a wall needs more warmth.

Renders show a room from the angle a designer chooses. In VR, you choose where to look. That is why the most useful changes of the whole project often come here: a door that should swing the other way, a ceiling that should drop for hidden lighting, a color that feels heavier than expected.

A change in VR costs us an evening of work. The same change after the cabinetry is built costs weeks and real money. For clients who live outside Miami, the VR session also replaces several site visits.

At your first meeting, ask us to show you a walkthrough from a recent project. A few minutes in the headset explains this step better than any page.

• You approve: the design in 3D, with the changes you asked for.
• You receive: renders of every key view and the VR session itself.

4. Design development: materials, finishes, lighting and custom pieces

Now the design becomes buildable. We specify every material, finish, fixture and piece of furniture, and prepare the drawings that contractors and workshops will build from: millwork, lighting plans, electrical layouts, tile patterns.

This is also where custom work is designed. Some pieces come from Timroom Furniture, our own line, with organic forms in natural materials. Where a wall deserves art, I design murals, mosaics or plaster reliefs myself, drawing on my training in monumental art.

In Miami, material choices also have to survive the climate. Humidity, salt air and sun decide which woods, metals and fabrics we specify, especially for apartments on the water.

• You approve: each material, finish and piece, usually room by room.
• You receive: a full specification, technical drawings and a budget by item.

5. Approvals: your condo association and the permit

In a Miami condo, nothing is built until two parties agree: the association and the city. The association comes first. It reviews the scope of work, the contractor’s license and insurance, and often specific items such as the floor underlayment. Only then does the building department issue a permit.

The permit comes from the city where the building stands, not always from the county. Miami-Dade County issues permits only for unincorporated areas; Miami Beach, Sunny Isles Beach and the other municipalities have their own building officials (Miami-Dade County). Requirements differ. In Sunny Isles Beach, for example, a new floor needs a notarized letter from the association’s board and two copies of the sound-control specification (City of Sunny Isles Beach).

We prepare the drawings and specifications for both reviews and work with the building manager and the contractor through the process. I’ll cover what associations ask for, document by document, in a separate article.

• You approve: sign the association application and the permit forms.
• You receive: the association’s approval and the building permit.

6. Procurement and lead times

Once the specification is approved, we order. This step decides the schedule more than any other. Custom furniture and millwork take weeks to make; many of the pieces we specify come from Italy and elsewhere in Europe, and ocean freight to U.S. ports alone takes roughly two to seven weeks depending on the route (iContainers). Then come customs, a warehouse in Miami and a delivery slot.

In a tower, the slot matters as much as the ship. Most buildings book the freight elevator by the hour, limit delivery days and require the elevator to be padded. A dining table that arrives on the wrong day waits in the warehouse until the next free slot. So we order in a sequence that matches the work on site, and we track every item until it is in the apartment.

• You approve: the orders and the delivery schedule.
• You receive: a tracking list with dates for every item.

7. Construction, installation and styling

On site, we coordinate the contractor, the specialty trades and the deliveries, inside the building’s permitted work hours. I visit regularly to check that what is built matches the drawings, because small changes on site add up quickly. Clients who are away get regular updates with photos and video.

The last part of this step is the one that turns a finished apartment into a home: placing the furniture, hanging the art, setting the lighting scenes, making the beds, arranging books and objects.

• You approve: any change proposed on site.
• You receive: regular progress updates and a styled home.

8. Handover and move-in

Before you move in, we walk through the home together and write a punch list: the small items still to be fixed or adjusted, from a scratch on a door to a dimmer that needs programming. The contractor works through it, and we check every item.

You receive a care guide for the materials in your home: how to clean the stone, what to do with the brass, which settings to keep on the AC when you travel. Many of our clients don’t live in Miami full time, so we also run the handover remotely when needed, with a video walkthrough and the keys left with the building.

• You approve: the final walkthrough.
• You receive: a finished home, ready to live in.

How long does it take?

It depends on how much is built and how much is bought, and in a tower, on the building as much as on us. Two recent apartments in Sunny Isles Beach give a sense of scale:

• Armani/Casa: furniture, built-ins, wall paneling and the hanging of an art collection, with deliveries booked about a month ahead. Five months.
• Acqualina: furniture, lighting and extensive custom wall paneling in a newly delivered residence, with on-site work limited to set daytime hours. Eight months.

Neither project moved a kitchen or a bathroom. A full renovation that does takes longer, because it adds the association’s review, a city permit and construction. We don’t quote a standard figure for it: the schedule depends on the scope, the building’s rules and the lead times of what you choose, so we calculate it for each home. Send us the floor plan and a few words about what you want to change, and we’ll come back with a realistic timeline for your project. Request a timeline estimate

The longest part is rarely design. It is usually production of custom pieces, delivery from Europe and, in a tower, the association’s review. We set the schedule at the start of every project and update it whenever something changes. For more on how we run full projects, see our residential interior design and condo interior design services.

What slows a project down

Most delays come from a short list of causes, and almost all of them can be planned for.

• Changes after ordering. A different fabric after the sofa is in production can add weeks. The VR step exists to catch these changes earlier.
• Incomplete approval packages. An association that receives a missing insurance certificate or an unclear drawing sends the package back, and the next review may be weeks away.
• Lead times and shipping. Custom pieces from Europe follow the workshop’s calendar, then the ship’s.
• Building logistics. Freight elevator slots, limited delivery days and work hours shape every week on site.
• Decisions that wait. A selection that sits unapproved for two weeks often delays everything that depends on it.

What we need from you at each stage

You don’t need to be in Miami for most of the process, but a few moments need you.

1. Discovery: an honest conversation about how you live, your timeline and your budget range; access to the apartment and to the building’s rules.
2. Concept and planning: feedback on the direction and the layout.
3. VR walkthrough: one focused session, in our studio or remotely, and your list of changes.
4. Design development: timely decisions on materials and pieces.
5. Approvals: signatures on the association application and permit forms.
6. Procurement: approval of orders and the delivery schedule.
7. Construction: availability for questions that come up on site.
8. Handover: the final walkthrough, in person or by video.

About the author

Timofei Pivnik is an interior designer and the founder of Timroom, an interior design studio on Miami Beach. He is a member of the American Society of Interior Designers (ASID) and received a Silver award at the 2025 International Design Awards (IDA). He trained in monumental art at the Repin Academy of Arts, received the Gold Medal of the Academy of Arts and has worked in interior design since 2012, with more than 150 completed projects. His studio makes virtual reality walkthroughs a standard part of every full-service project.

Frequently asked questions

How long does an interior design project take in Miami?

It depends on the scope and on the building. Two recent apartments in Sunny Isles Beach, furnished and finished without moving kitchens or bathrooms, took five and eight months. A full renovation takes longer, because it adds the association's review, a city permit and construction, and we calculate its schedule individually for each home. Custom pieces, deliveries from Europe and building logistics take the most time.

What happens at the first consultation?

We talk about how you live, what you want the space to do for you, your timeline and a budget range. If the project moves forward, we visit the space, measure it and review the building's rules.

What is a VR walkthrough and when do I see it?

It is a photorealistic 3D model of your future home that you explore in a virtual reality headset at true scale. You see it after the concept and layout are approved and before anything is ordered or built, so changes cost little.

Do I need condo association approval for an interior renovation?

In most Miami condo buildings, yes, and it comes before the city permit. The rules depend on your building's governing documents and on the city where it stands.

Can you manage the project if I live outside Miami?

Yes. Many of our clients live elsewhere. We handle approvals, procurement and the work on site, send regular photo and video updates, and can run the VR session and the handover remotely.

What is a punch list?

It is the list of small items still to be fixed or adjusted at the end of construction. We write it with you during the final walkthrough and check that each item is completed.

Do the new furniture tariffs affect my project?

They can affect cost and sourcing. Since October 2025, imported upholstered furniture with wooden frames and kitchen cabinets carry a 25 percent tariff in the U.S., with a lower combined cap for goods from the European Union. We take this into account when we choose suppliers and plan orders.

How are your fees set?

Individually, after the first conversation, once we understand the scope, the space and the timeline. We're transparent about cost expectations from the start, and you'll have a clear outline of fees before you commit to anything.