frequently asked questions

As early as possible. If you're building a new home, the best time to bring in an interior designer is during the planning phase, before construction begins. If you're renovating, reach out before you hire a contractor. The design should drive the construction plan, not the other way around. For furniture and decor projects, reach out when you're ready to invest in a complete, considered result.

If you're not sure whether your project is a fit, that's okay. We'll figure that out together in our first conversation.

Start by submitting an inquiry through our contact page. You'll share some basic information about your project: the type of work, the rooms involved, your timeline, and your budget range. Molly reviews every inquiry personally and follows up within two business days. If the project sounds like a mutual fit, we'll schedule a conversation to learn more.

It's a chance for both of us to learn about each other. We'll ask about your home, your goals, how you live, and what you're hoping the finished space will feel like. You can ask us anything about how we work. There's no obligation and no design advice. It's a conversation to see whether we're the right fit for your project.

For renovations, our minimum is one primary room, typically a kitchen or primary bathroom. We don't take on single fixture swaps, powder rooms, laundry rooms, or scattered small updates as standalone projects.

For furniture and decor, our minimum is a single room with a $35,000 furnishings and decor investment. To give you a sense of what that looks like, a fully furnished living room or primary bedroom typically reaches that level.

For new construction, we work on the full home.

We charge a flat design fee based on the size and complexity of the project. The fee is established before the project begins and documented in the design agreement. There are no hourly charges and no open-ended invoices. If anything outside the original scope comes up during the project, it's billed at our hourly rate, but only after you approve the scope addition.

The design fee covers all of the interior design work on your project: space planning, finish and material selections, cabinetry and millwork design, decorative lighting and plumbing fixture selections, CAD installation drawings, specification sheets, and all design-related communication and project coordination. The exact scope depends on your project and is outlined in detail in the design agreement before you commit.

The retainer is collected at the signing of the design agreement. It's held through the duration of the project and applied in full to your final design invoice. Any remaining balance is refunded at project close. It secures our time and commitment to your project for the duration of the engagement.

Design fee payments are tied to specific deliverables in the design process, not to calendar dates. As we complete each phase of the work, the corresponding payment is due. This keeps payments aligned with progress so you're always paying for work that's been completed or is underway.

Every project is different, and we scope each one individually. We don't publish fixed pricing because the design fee depends on the number of rooms, the complexity of the selections, and the scope of documentation required. We're happy to discuss budget openly during our first conversation, and we'll make sure expectations are aligned before any work begins.

For furniture and decor projects, we start at a $35,000 furnishings investment — our minimum for a single room. This is the budget for the actual items — furniture, textiles, lighting, art, and accessories — and is separate from the design fee.

Yes. When we procure on your behalf, a markup is applied to items purchased through our trade accounts. This is standard practice in the interior design industry. Interior designers operate as both a service provider and a retailer, similar to any business that purchases at wholesale and sells at a fair market price.

The markup covers the work that goes into every item: sourcing, sampling, approvals, ordering, lead time management, shipping coordination, damage claims, backorders, and logistics with receivers, warehouses, and vendors. It also covers the liability we carry on every item until it's delivered and installed in your home.

Our vendor relationships are earned through years of business and volume. Those relationships directly benefit the quality, access, and pricing we bring to your project.

No. When Fitch Hill Design is engaged for a project, we specify and procure all materials and furnishings within our agreed scope. This is how we maintain quality control, manage lead times, and ensure the design vision is executed as intended. We don't review, source, or coordinate items that clients purchase independently. It creates gaps in accountability and often leads to costly mistakes.

No. All furniture and decor orders are received through a professional receiving warehouse. The receiver inspects every item for damage and verifies that what arrived matches what was ordered. Items are held until your installation is scheduled. This is a standard and necessary part of the furniture procurement process, and many of the trade vendors we purchase from require it as part of our vendor agreements.

Receiver fees are a separate line item in the project budget. We can provide a general estimate during the scoping phase based on the anticipated scope of procurement, but the final cost depends on factors like the number of items, how long pieces are stored, and the construction or project timeline.

It depends on the scope. A single-room furniture project might come together in two to three months. A kitchen or bathroom renovation design phase typically takes two to four months. A whole-home renovation or new construction project can take six months or longer for the design phase alone.

These timelines reflect the design work: the selections, documentation, and planning that happen before construction begins. Construction timelines are managed by your general contractor and are separate from our scope.

We'll give you a realistic sense of timing during the scoping phase, and we keep you informed as the project progresses.

Yes. This is how we work, and it's one of the most important things to understand about our process. By the time your builder is ready to start, they have everything they need from us: finish selections, specifications, CAD installation drawings, and sourcing details.

Making design decisions during construction leads to delays, change orders, and compromised results. Making them beforehand, on paper, is faster, less expensive, and produces a better outcome.

We use email for day-to-day communication and project correspondence. For design presentations and client feedback, we use GoVisually — it keeps all revisions, approvals, and comments organized in one place. We don't take design direction over text or phone. Keeping decisions in writing protects both of us and keeps the project on track.

No. We are an interior design firm. We don't manage construction, coordinate trades, or act as a general contractor. Your builder manages all construction activity and coordinates every trade on site. We provide the design documentation they work from and communicate with your builder or their project manager throughout the project.

It depends. Fitch Hill Design works with builders and general contractors who work with designers regularly, understand the role of an interior designer on a project, and are familiar with reading and following CAD installation documents and design specifications. We find that those types of collaborations produce the best results.

If your builder doesn't have experience working alongside a designer, it can create communication gaps and execution issues that affect the quality of the project. We're open to discussing it, but the fit matters.

If you don't have a builder, we're happy to share referrals to trusted contractors across the greater Phoenix area.

Yes. We work with several trusted architects and builders and are happy to share referrals. The professionals we recommend are experienced and communicate clearly.

The $35,000 minimum is the furnishings and decor budget for a single room: the amount invested in the actual items, including furniture, textiles, lighting, art, and accessories. To give you a sense of scale, a fully furnished living room or primary bedroom typically reaches or exceeds that level.

This is separate from the design fee. Most of our clients invest well beyond the minimum because they're furnishing multiple rooms.

Absolutely. Many clients have pieces they love that should stay. We'll evaluate what you have, recommend what to keep, and design around those pieces so the finished room feels intentional and cohesive.

We plan every room before sourcing a single piece: space plans, furniture layouts, and how rooms connect to each other. Then we source from trade vendors, present selections in a design presentation for your approval, and once everything is signed off, we manage the entire ordering process.

Every item is tracked from purchase through delivery. Items are received through a professional receiving warehouse where they're inspected for damage and verified against the original order. Pieces are held until your installation is scheduled. When everything has arrived, our team installs and styles every room in the scope.

Once an item has been approved through our selection process and ordered, that purchase is final. This is standard in custom and trade furnishings and is documented in our design agreement. Our approval process is thorough. We walk through every selection in detail before placing any order so you're confident in every piece.

Warranties on furniture and decor are governed by the manufacturer, not by Fitch Hill Design. Most trade furnishings do not carry extended warranties, and damage claims must be filed within a limited window after delivery. This is one of the reasons we use a professional receiver. Items are inspected immediately upon arrival so any shipping damage is caught and addressed before installation.

Yes. Many of our renovation and new construction clients add furniture and decor as a later phase of the project. When combined, the furniture plan is developed alongside the interior design so everything works together. Furniture selections happen after the interior finishes are established, which keeps the process focused and avoids decision overwhelm.

We're based in Phoenix, Arizona, and serve clients across the greater Phoenix area, including Scottsdale, Paradise Valley, Arcadia, Chandler, Gilbert, and the West Valley. We also take on select projects outside the Phoenix metro on a case-by-case basis.

It varies depending on the scope of current projects. A couple of large-scale renovations with full furniture procurement can fill a significant portion of our capacity for the year, and we fill in with smaller-scope projects around those. Molly leads every project personally, so we're intentional about taking on a workload that allows her to be fully present in each one.

Fitch Hill Design is led by Molly Loughney, a designer with 20+ years of design experience. That background shows in the level of detail and documentation FHD brings to every project, from CAD installation drawings to finish specifications to the way each room is planned with construction realities in mind.

The studio is featured on the Luxe Interiors + Design Gold List and takes on a limited number of projects each year to maintain a high-touch, personal experience for every client.