Bucklin Design Co.
Client Welcome Guide
The West Residence
Your guide to the design process ahead.
Bucklin Design Co.
Client Welcome Guide
Your guide to the design process ahead.
Your Project
Project Status
Design Discovery
We are building the foundation for the design direction.
Next Up
Design Review 01
Design direction and initial priorities.
From You
Complete Project Prep
Gather the items in the checklist before our first review.
Target Handoff
Mid to Late September 2026
Design Reviews
4 Total
Where to Find What
This Guide
Your Agreement
Design Files
01
I am so glad you are here. Now that the paperwork is behind us, we can get to the fun part: creating a clear plan for your home and making the decisions that will bring it together.
One of the things that stood out to me from our conversations was the balance you are looking for. You want to love this home while you are living in it, while also being thoughtful about where it makes sense to invest given that you may sell in five to ten years. Those goals can absolutely coexist, and we will use them as a filter throughout the design process.
Think of this guide as the practical companion to your project. Your Agreement defines what we are doing together. This guide explains how we will work through it.
You do not need to know the design terminology or have an immediate opinion about everything we review. Your job is simply to react honestly and tell me what you are responding to. My job is to translate that feedback into a cohesive design.
02
Here is what happens between now and our first Design Review.
Now that your agreement is signed, I will set up your project and we will begin gathering everything needed for our first Design Review.
I will send an invitation to your Design Files project portal. This is where we will organize selections, approvals, specifications, and ultimately your final Selection Book.
I will also send an invitation to our shared Pinterest board. Pin anything that catches your eye between sessions. You do not need to explain or justify every pin. I will look for the patterns in what you are responding to.
The checklist in the next section covers what I will need from you before we begin designing. Having this information upfront helps us make the most of our first Design Review and avoids having to revisit decisions later because we are missing an important detail.
We will schedule all four Design Reviews upfront so we can protect the time on both of our calendars and maintain momentum throughout the project.
We will walk through the home room by room, confirm what is staying and what is changing, establish the overall design direction, and talk through where it makes sense to prioritize your investment.
A Note on Timing
Your Selection Book is targeted for completion in mid-to-late September 2026. To keep us on track, consolidated refinement requests are due within 72 hours of each Design Review. We will also preserve time after our final review for documentation and preparation of your Selection Book.
03
Gathering these items upfront gives us the clearest possible starting point. Upload everything to your Design Files portal as you collect it.
From Your Builder
From the House Itself
From You
Why the Photos Matter
Many of the colors and materials we select will need to work with finishes that are already installed. Photos of the quartz, cabinetry, and flooring together, especially in natural daylight, give me a much better read on their undertones and how new selections will relate to them. Physical samples will help us confirm the final direction where needed.
Why I Ask About the Timeline
How long you expect to own the home helps inform where it makes sense to invest. If you expect to sell within five to ten years, we may approach certain decisions differently than we would for a forever home. A rough estimate is all I need, and we will use it as one factor in setting priorities.
04
We will use a few different tools throughout the project. Here is what each one is for.
Google Meet
Design Reviews
Our four working sessions. Where direction is presented, selections are reviewed together, and decisions get made.
Design Files
Project Hub
Selections, specifications, approvals, and your final Selection Book. This is where the project stays organized.
Inspiration
Our shared inspiration board. Pin freely between sessions, and I will review what you have added as we prepare for each Design Review.
Questions & Logistics
Scheduling, documents, project questions, and anything time-sensitive.
Pinterest gives you an easy place to save ideas as they come to you. Pin freely. I will review the board as we prepare for each Design Review and we will discuss the ideas that are relevant to the decisions we are making.
You are also welcome to email product ideas or inspiration between reviews. Rather than evaluating each idea in isolation, we will review substantive design ideas together during our scheduled sessions so we can consider them within the context of the whole home.
Anything time-sensitive or anything you are concerned about is always appropriate for email. Business hours are Monday through Friday, 9:00 to 5:00 Eastern, and I will keep your time zone in mind when scheduling.
05
Each Design Review follows the same simple process, so you will always know what to expect.
We will review the design work together live so I can walk you through the thinking behind each recommendation and you can react and ask questions as we go.
You will react during the session and then have 72 hours to send one consolidated set of refinement requests. You do not need to make every decision on the spot.
One refinement round follows each formal presentation. I will adjust the direction or selections based on your consolidated feedback.
Once a decision is approved, it is recorded in Design Files and we move to the next stage of the project.
On Revisiting Decisions
It is completely normal to reconsider a decision occasionally. Just keep in mind that design decisions are connected, so revisiting something that has already been approved may affect other selections or the project timeline. If something is not sitting right with you, tell me early and we will talk it through.
What Each Review Is For
Four sessions, each with a job. The reviews are sequenced so we establish the big-picture direction first, then work through selections in a logical order.
Review One
What is staying and what is changing, room by room. We will establish the overall design direction and the priorities that will guide the decisions that follow.
Review Two
Kitchen backsplash, bathrooms, powder room, planned feature wall, and whole-home paint direction. We will focus first on the decisions that affect installation and are harder to change later.
Review Three
Decorative lighting, plus furnishing and layout direction for the entry and great room, worked around what you already own.
Review Four
We will review refinements, resolve remaining decisions, and look at the home as a whole before final documentation begins.
Why Review One Is Not a Selections Meeting
We will not start our first meeting by choosing individual tiles or fixtures. First, we will establish the overall direction, understand what is staying and changing, and identify where it makes sense to prioritize the design investment. Once those decisions are clear, sourcing individual selections becomes much more focused and efficient.
06
You said it best on our call: if you do not love something, say so. Here is the kind of feedback that helps us move forward.
You do not need the design vocabulary. "Something about this feels off" is useful feedback. My job is to help identify whether it is the color, scale, material, finish, or relationship to something else in the room. Your reaction is enough to start the conversation.
Be honest early. You are never expected to like something simply because I recommended it. If a direction is not working for you, tell me. It is much easier to refine an idea while we are designing than after something has been ordered or installed. The goal is for you to feel confident in the decisions we make together.
07
Some materials are best evaluated in person. When that is important to the decision, I will make sure you have a sample to review.
For materials where color, texture, or sheen is important, I will arrange for samples to be sent to you. Paint, tile, grout, and wallcovering are often easier to evaluate this way because screens can distort color and finish.
When a Box Arrives
A Practical Note
Project-specific sample and shipping expenses are billed at cost. I will get your approval before incurring any single project expense over $100, as outlined in your Agreement. Keep the samples through final handoff, since we will likely refer back to them as the design comes together.
08
Your Selection Book will give your trades a clear reference for implementing the design. A little planning ahead can make that handoff much smoother.
Once the Selection Book is complete, you will be able to share the relevant specifications with the contractors and trades completing the work. Your contractors will still be responsible for verifying dimensions, quantities, installation requirements, and site conditions before ordering or installation.
Trades You May Need
Planning Ahead
What to Send Them
When it is time to implement, you can share the relevant pages of your Selection Book with each trade. The goal is to give everyone a clear reference for the selections that apply to their work.
09
A few simple habits help us protect the timeline and keep decisions moving smoothly.
Sending one consolidated set of feedback within 72 hours of each Design Review allows me to address your comments together and keep the next phase moving.
If you begin to reconsider an approved decision, let me know as soon as possible. Decisions are often connected, so earlier conversations are easier to accommodate.
Accurate dimensions, finish information, builder details, and schedule updates help prevent unnecessary pauses or rework.
Products can be discontinued or delayed. If something becomes unavailable, I will flag it and help identify an appropriate alternative in accordance with your Agreement.
Once we know which trades you will need, starting those conversations early can help you understand their availability and plan implementation.
Your Designer
You will work directly with me from kickoff through final handoff, so I stay closely connected to the decisions and context throughout your project.
You asked for a home that feels distinctly yours while still making thoughtful decisions about where to invest. That is the lens we will use throughout this project: creating a home you love now without losing sight of the bigger picture.
I am excited to get started.
Alex Bucklin