Our Process

how we work with you

Our detailed processes make our time with you efficient and effective. 

John McClain Design is a full-service interior design firm specializing in chic and comfortable residential design. Our firm is proud to have offices in both Los Angeles, CA & Orlando, FL. By partnering with general contractors, builders, & architects, our firm is able to provide complete design plans for full or partial home renovations, new construction, and decorating services. We are there every step of the way from the first swing of the hammer to the placement of the final accessory. We are home design experts and we know how to partner with you to design the home of your dreams...all while avoiding wasted time and expense.

who we are

how we work

Our 3 powerful P's

partnership

John McClain Design prides itself on a partnership with our clients. We bring the expertise, knowledge, and design intuition, and partner with you-our valued client, to develop the best design plan for your home.

passion

You will see it in our eyes, hear it in our voices, and witness it firsthand it in the results of your project. We care...and it shows.

proven results

The proof of our company philosophy and work ethic is evident throughout the process, but in the end, the “proof is in the pudding,” and our proof is a beautiful project that is reflective of you and your wishes, with a process that is systematic and structured.

Project commencement

OUR PROCESS

HOW IT WORKS

We meet with you to officially kick off the project by developing  the general design plan, discuss investment, and confirm the scope of work. 

01

project direction 

Now we dive a little deeper into your design by presenting our interpretation of your wishes to ensure we are on the right path to success for your project. Think of this as the mood board of your dreams.

02

creative & Presentation

The design plan really starts to take shape with specific products, services, and drawings:  culminating in a fabulous design presentation with all of the information you need to make informed decisions to make approvals to start the work. 

03

production & fulfillment 

From construction to product ordering & management, your project is now fully underway. Our expertise will guide you with every step and every swing of the hammer while working alongside your GC or builder to ensure the design intent is fulfilled as you approved.

04

The reveal

The moment has arrived: the big reveal of your completed project! But we're not finished until  you are completely satisfied with the final result. Grab the tissues, it's going to be powerful in all the best ways!

05

schedule your COMPLIMENTARY discovery call

initial meeting

OUR PROCESS

HOW IT WORKS

Dolor mixtape food truck Austin, assumenda Odd Future Carles anim. Echo Park cillum master cleanse craft beer Tonx.

01

booking

This comes with a delivery of our style guide and wedding magazine to help you plan and prep for things as best you possibly can!

02

PLANNING + CONSULTATIONS

We'll work with you to ensure your wildest dreams will come true and that we know which things are most important to you about your day. (All of them, we know!)

03

ENGAGEMENT SESSION

This comes with a delivery of our style guide and wedding magazine to help you plan and prep for things as best you possibly can!

04

YOUR WEDDING

We'll be there every step of the way with multiple shooters to make sure the moments that matter are caught so you can.

05

ALBUMS we deliver annually

THE NUMBER OF

25

GROOMS THAT CRied. HARD.

THE NUMBER OF

24

MILES WE DROVE LAST YEAR

THE NUMBER OF

15k

COUNTRIES we've traveled to

THE NUMBER OF

9

OUR COUPLES WHO DO FIRST LOOKS

THE NUMBER OF

95%

WEDDINGS WE SHOOT PER YEAR

THE NUMBER OF

25

AT A GLANCE

by the numbers

our service investmenT categories

HOW IT WORKS

To keep things simple, clear, and easy to plan for you, we work a "flat-fee investment" model for our services investments.
The Creative Services investment is for all Design & Development (Creative Work) and the Project Fulfillment investment involves all activities necessary to bring your design to life from the beginning to the end of the process-when the last pillow is fluffed; and all based on your personalized scope of work. This will streamline the process and you will not be charged hourly for our time spent bringing your project to completion for your scope of work. Lastly, Production is our way of simplifying the product procurement process. In the midst of a project, there are lots of things happening, our Production fee covers all of the "dirty work" of product procurement from orders, returns, delivery to final install.

Creative is all of the design related work that will become a part of your project. 

Furniture selections and layouts, lighting, area rugs, paint colors, tables, bookcases, custom design elements such as kitchen cabinetry, living room built-ins, countertop and tile selections, wallpaper, plumbing fixtures, appliances, hardware, etc. Essentially, anything that is visual and needs our design expertise is part of the Creative portion of our process-based on your project type. This investment is for our Creative services only and does not include the purchase price of any products or outside labor. 
Our minimum Creative Services investment  is $15,000.

Project Fulfillment involves all of the behind the scenes work required to bring your project to completion. 

It includes communicating with any tradespeople or others associated with fulfilling the design intent for design plans. It also includes site visits, workroom visits, contractor and/or tradesperson emails and phone calls, Client meetings to review project progress, etc. We also handle expert installation of each and every product into your home based on the plan we created for you. You don't have to lift a finger from the time you approve each product until the time you are relaxing in front of the television with your family. This fee is calculated after we develop your scope of work. There is no required minimum investment for Project Fulfillment.

Production is the logistical management of all products and is paid as products are approved by you.

Production includes initial shipping, freight, delivery, product inspections, product warehousing, product procurement, product tracking, quality control, returns, and local delivery to & inside your home with assembly of products as needed.

Production is calculated as a percentage of your total product order on each invoice. Though we do not require product purchasing through us, if we do procure products for you, our minimum product investment amount is $50,000.

Creative Services

project fulfillment

production

CReative + Production + PROJECT FULFILLMENT =
FULL SERVICE DESIGN

initial meeting

OUR PROCESS

HOW IT WORKS

Dolor mixtape food truck Austin, assumenda Odd Future Carles anim. Echo Park cillum master cleanse craft beer Tonx.

01

booking

This comes with a delivery of our style guide and wedding magazine to help you plan and prep for things as best you possibly can!

02

PLANNING + CONSULTATIONS

We'll work with you to ensure your wildest dreams will come true and that we know which things are most important to you about your day. (All of them, we know!)

03

ENGAGEMENT SESSION

This comes with a delivery of our style guide and wedding magazine to help you plan and prep for things as best you possibly can!

04

YOUR WEDDING

We'll be there every step of the way with multiple shooters to make sure the moments that matter are caught so you can.

05

ALBUMS we deliver annually

THE NUMBER OF

25

GROOMS THAT CRied. HARD.

THE NUMBER OF

24

MILES WE DROVE LAST YEAR

THE NUMBER OF

15k

COUNTRIES we've traveled to

THE NUMBER OF

9

OUR COUPLES WHO DO FIRST LOOKS

THE NUMBER OF

95%

WEDDINGS WE SHOOT PER YEAR

THE NUMBER OF

25

AT A GLANCE

by the numbers

AT WHAT STAGE OF MY PROJECT DO I ENGAGE AN INTERIOR DESIGNER?

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The best time to consider hiring a designer is at the very beginning of your project. We love being a part of the early stages of project planning and find that this results in a cohesive and complete design plan, while limiting costly mistakes and delays. We help you develop and prioritize scope, provide our expertise to the overall design, and assist with initial budget parameters. Our extensive knowledge and experience helps save you time and energy too. We prefer to work with architects, structural engineers, builders, (and of course, you) from the conceptual stage to limit the opportunities for possible costly changes along the way. 
Sometimes a client will have home plans completed by the architect or builder prior to meeting with us and we then review. Other times, we are actually a part of that process with the architect. Simply put, whether renovation, new construction, or decorating only, the earlier we can be involved in your project, the sooner your entire A-team of experts can begin to design your dream home. 

WHAT DOES FULL SERVICE DESIGN MEAN?

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Full Service Design is our signature service and means we create a turn-key design for your project - from initial concept to the final installation. It is about letting our team handle all the details from research to selection, purchasing and coordinating to installation. Full service applies to a full room, a group of rooms or entire home in a single installation.
If your interior design project has a remodeling or new build component, we stay in constant contact with the contractors and frequently visit the job site to ensure work is progressing on schedule and that our designs are being built as intended. While we do not have General Contractors on staff, we have partnered with the best over our years in business and can bring those GC's for you to interview and feel comfortable with. You will always partner directly with a General Contractor, separately from our agreement, and the final choice for a GC is yours to make (even bringing your own if you like).
For the project, we share all of our paint, lighting, finish and plumbing schedules with the contractors, so they know exactly what is going where. To make sure that our design intent is clearly communicated, we provide the contractors with detailed construction drawings such as cabinetry layouts, lighting plans, bathroom layouts, and fireplace design. If desired, we can assist you in reviewing contractor bids to ensure accuracy and fair pricing. Throughout the project, we will check-in with you often to address any questions or concerns. Simply put, our Full Service Design is our way of taking care of all your needs to ensure a beautiful and low stress project. 

Frequently asked questions

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© john mcclain design 

2021

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