Project Assembling Explained

Project assembling is the stage when the specialists of the design studio, responsible for the project, purchase all necessary items: furniture, materials and decor. This service is complimentary at DESIGNIC and 80% of our customers order project assembling. The remaining 20% have their own purchasing departments in most cases, that is why managers are confident that their employees will perfectly fulfil the task. Unfortunately, the result often differs from the initial idea, the implementation gets delayed, and extra expenses may occur.

In this article, we explain why it is better to sign a contract for the project assembling with designers and what may happen if your employees or construction team are responsible for purchasing.

What Project Assembling Is

Project Assembling is a stage at which the design studio (on behalf of the client) orders, provides delivery and controls the installation of finishing materials and interior items based on specifications. The specifications include:

• name,
• brand,
• colour,
• size,
• supplier,
• number,
• image.

In DESIGNIC we only choose real furniture and materials — they can be found in stores or ordered from manufacturers. When our specialists draw up specifications, they rely both on the scale of the project, clients’ ideas, and their own experience.

“To select modern materials and furniture for the project, we follow the global trends in the interior design of public spaces in general, and the novelties of Scandinavian design in particular. We visit exhibitions in Milan and Cologne (every two years), Stockholm (annually), factories in Russia and Europe, we also get information about new products directly from suppliers. While assembling a design project we select trendy furniture and materials that will perfectly match the design idea.»

An example of a specification sheet from working documentation album provided by DESIGNIC

Why Customer’s Employees Struggle to Assemble The Project

The design studio provides the customer with documents containing detailed information on the furniture and materials: product names, codes, and supplier lists. It might look easy. Give it to the purchasing department or the construction team, and they will deal with the documents. However, the result often does not match the project. There are several reasons for it.

1. «That will do!» Employees responsible for the purchase did not participate in the development of the project and thus do not understand the importance of buying only specified items. If the purchasing department is to complete the task, their goal is often to save time and money. It means that if they lack something, they will choose the first acceptable alternative. 

The purchasing department manager will most likely consider only the price and technical characteristics, but will not take into account if the new alternative will match the interior. The minimum discrepancy which seems insignificant may affect and change the final result.

Here is a real-life example. The tile specified in the configuration — cold colours, large inclusions:

The tile the construction team purchased — yellow with small inclusions.

2. «It is the way I see it.» Employees didn’t understand the task, interpreted it by their own, or read the documentation on the run. The result is that the tiles were laid in the wrong order, the furniture was arranged based on someone’s personal vision, and the design project remains only a nice set of pictures. Two options here: put up with it, or spend time and money to redo the design. If the design studio responsible for the project selects the materials, such outcomes are impossible.

If you entrust the assembling to the designers, the implementation will comply with the idea, eliminating unnecessary rework. Read how the work process should be organized and what influences the result in our article «Office Interior Design: Customer Checklist. How to make the final result fully match the project.» 

How We Assemble The Interior Design Project 

We select suppliers from our database — those who will deliver high quality furniture and materials on time. We indicate their contacts in the specifications that customers receive. 

«Our studio has a large supplier base. We know what these companies specialize in and what items they make.»

It usually takes several months to get to the implementation of the project, that is why the furniture and materials from the specification may not be available: they become obsolete, taken out of production, etc. In this case, we need a replacement. It is important to select the materials that resemble the initial ones the most possible. To achieve it, we send the description of necessary materials to suppliers, and then select the most suitable ones. The purchasing department in the customer’s company or the construction team cannot do the same, therefore, it is extremely difficult to find most similar alternatives.

“A customer, who does not order a complete design assembling and decides to purchase the materials themselves, will look for suppliers on the Internet in case unexpected situations occur. The thing is: all sites have positive reviews, it is difficult to choose a trustworthy supplier. At DESIGNIC we have a database of verified suppliers as well as a black list, which saves your time and money.

With a contract for the complete design assembling, you can be sure that the materials will be delivered in the right quantity and on time, and the project will be completed on time too.

The  Documents Customers Receive if They Choose The Assembling Service

When the office design project is ready, the customer receives working documentation, which includes specifications with all materials and interior items. If project assembling service is ordered, a contract for project assembling is signed as well. In DESIGNIC, we provide design supervision and assembling agreement, which implies: 

• A site visit which takes up to two hours, the date and time are agreed upon with the client.
• Selection and control of supplies of furniture, plumbing, lighting, decorative and finishing materials. At this stage, we make sure that all items specified in the working documentation are delivered on time, the quality is appropriate, and the quantity is right. Our managers fill in lists with delivery dates and construction work schedules to make it

  

  An example of tables DESIGNIC managers fill in for each project

  • Installation supervision. We make sure that builders assemble lighting, ceiling structures, floor coverings, arrange furniture and other items in accordance with the project.
  • Control over the color solution. We make sure that the walls are painted with the colors indicated in the design project.
  • Correction of working documentation. This option is necessary if the layout changes and the customer needs to adjust the list of furniture and materials to the new conditions.
  • Electronic and paper diaries of author’s supervision. These documents help you understand what work was done, when it was done, and what went wrong. At any time, you can see why the due dates were changed or what you spent your money on.
  • Consultation on drawings and sketches. We help builders correctly interpret the drawings, which eliminates differences between the project and the result.

  Project assembling contract DOES NOT include:

  • correction of approved visualizations,
  • selection, purchase and control of delivery of items that are not specified in the working documentation,
  • acceptance procedure, as well as control over the construction — this is done by the construction supervisor,
  • decoration process: adding small decorative elements to the interior, such as dishes, etc.,
  • renovation of the layout,
  • working on new design solutions.

   

  Conclusion

  If a design studio works on your design project, it is better to sign a contract for the project assembling. Specialists know the concept of the project and will purchase the necessary materials or find the best alternatives if the suppliers lack some items. 

  If you entrust the task to the construction team or your purchasing department, there is a risk of getting an interior different from what you expect. It may happen for several reasons:

  • employees will not find necessary materials and will choose a replacement to their taste;
  • they will focus on the delivery date or the price instead of the quality, which can “kill” the whole interior;
  • builders may misunderstand the documentation and break the initial concept.

  To make the interior design fully comply with the project, it is better to assign one and the same team with the project: each stage should be controlled by the authors of the idea. Designers perfectly know what materials will fit into your interior, and how to change the drawings without spoiling the final interior design.