Step 1 – The Free Discovery Call

We ask our prospective clients to schedule a call so that we may set aside about 20 minutes to discuss their project.

Of course, a prospective client is welcomed to just pick up the phone and call during business hours if they prefer, but the chance that we may be in the middle of something else is high, and we much prefer to focus on their needs with a scheduled time slot on our calendar. You can schedule one here or by emailing us on jambo@poiema.co.ke or text 0705891956.

The Discovery Call is usually conducted through a phone call, where we call you at the phone number that you include in your email. Or we can meet via video conference if you prefer.

The call usually lasts about 15-20 minutes, which gives us enough time to discuss your project scope, the type of service that would be right for you, time frame you have in mind for completion, goals, the investment that you have planned to make, how you prefer to work with a design firm, and any other relevant information.

You are free to ask any question about the design process. By the end of the call, we will both determine if we would like to move to the next step, which is the Initial Meeting.

Step 2 – The Initial Meeting

This is a very important step in the design process. A lot is accomplished in these two hours. We take the opportunity to assess the space in detail to understand the feasibility of the goals and dreams you have.

We want to understand your lifestyle and your routines now and how you would like to improve them by the end of the project. We are not just thinking about your needs now, but well into the future. Things like, do you plan to sell, do you plan to have children or pets, do you entertain a lot now or plan to in the future, what are your hobbies and how would you like to use the space. How are the rooms used now and what challenges exist. We first have to know what's not working and what you want to improve, to get down to some design ideas and solutions.

As we walk through your home during the consultation, we take that opportunity to get to know you as well to understand how we can work together for the best outcome. Understanding personalities is an integral part of this process. We enjoy working with clients who prefer to be very hands-on, as well as clients who leave everything to us. We are sure to discuss these differences during the consultation.

One of the key benefits for inviting us to the in-home consultation, is that we will leave you much more educated about the design process than before we arrived. We want you to understand what the process is to work with us, and most of all, to fully understand what we are about to embark upon.

Of course, we are flexible and will cater to your unique needs, but we will never compromise on a structured and fluid process, and we will never cut corners. We are very diligent in explaining all that is involved - the good things and the not-so-good things that you can expect from embarking on renovation or decorating a home. Design is not a perfect process, things do go wrong - from trades people that don’t do the right thing, to products arriving damaged, or delayed from custom orders, we have seen it all and we come to the table with solutions. To sum it up - we manage it all so you don’t have to.

One of the most important conversations we will have at the consultation is the budget. This can be super awkward to talk about, but we want to make sure we are on the same page. While we cannot define an exact budget at the consultation, we will help you in understanding what to expect. We use past projects to give you an insight into a range you should consider for your project, while being open to the fact that we are designing a unique space for you.

We then take measurements, photos and videos of each area in scope to help with creating ballpark estimates. Last but not least, we fill out our design questionnaire if you have not filled it yet.

By the end of the consultation, we will have a full understanding of the scope of work, gathered enough information to understand your functional and style needs, what your priorities are, the budget range, and the timeframe in which you would like to complete your project.

Step 4 - Conceptual Design Development phase

During this phase, we envision your project from all angles. We make sure that your spaces flow from one room to another, that they fit your lifestyle, family and aesthetic, as well as the architecture of your home.

We conduct Trades Day’ where we invite as many of our trades people who will be involved in the process as possible. At this point we have not begun the design of your space yet, but we already have some initial concepts floating around in our heads. Our trades people are always willing to meet with us at the site to hash out some of these ideas to make sure they can be executed well, and for a reasonable cost, keeping budgets in mind. These are high level conversations as we begin the process of bringing our combined visions to life.

Some of these trades people are even able to measure and provide us with initial estimates before the design is complete.

In some cases, we are working with new constructions, where we already have plans from the architect. We still conduct this meeting to verify certain dimensions and meet with our trades and GC. And if plan review is a part of the scope, we will review plans to make sure they work for your lifestyle.

Step 6 - Detailed Design Development Phase

This is the fun part, where our initial ideas and concepts start taking shape and become real solutions. During this phase, we will round out the full details on all selections.

We start with floor plans and elevations - review existing plans for proper flow, keeping in mind your lifestyle needs, or creating new floor plans and elevations.

We select all the materials and finishes and create the material spec book for the builder or GC, where we will meet with them later to review the details of the design.

We then get to the furnishings layer - the part that truly makes your house a home. We create furniture layouts for each room to ensure proper traffic flow.

We are busy shopping, pricing, gathering samples and confirming that we are on track with our investment target.

Step 8 – We kick off work and procurement!

We begin to coordinate schedules and meet with trades people who will be doing work in your home. In most cases we are confirming design details with them with plans in hand.

It is very important that they not only have what they need but understand the details of the design. We don't leave anything to chance or their interpretations. There are certain accepted industry norms that we firmly disagree with, and we want to make sure those norms aren't included in your home.

We manage the entire process, from site meetings to ensure feasibility, to constant communication with you so you know exactly where we stand. And for installations, we are on site ensuring that your space comes together as intended.

The procurement process is a pretty detailed process. Every single item has to be ordered and managed. On a large project, we are talking hundreds of purchase orders to create, send out, and follow up for statuses. These days, we are seeing a lot of delays and backorders with products, so we are even more diligent than ever.

We make sure materials are delivered to our trades people for fabrication - draperies, upholstery, framing and other custom pieces.

There are a few things that we need from you:

• We will need the spaces where we are working cleared of all items.
• We will cover and care for anything that stays and will also adhere to our strict job site expectations and care with our trades.
• Always, the most important thing is that we are able to communicate with you openly and get responses quickly as the renovation progresses.

Step 9 – Site visits/ project oversight

Site visits on a regular basis help to ensure the integrity of the design. The more we can be on site as items are being installed, the better.

We arrive on site on the start date of anything being installed that we designed or selected. This is another meeting with the trades to walk them through the design one more time before it is installed.

That could include anything like laying out tile patterns on the floor before getting them on walls, starting and stopping points of tile work, millwork layout, wood flooring layout, plumbing layout on shower walls, verifying paint colors and finishes and start and stop points, height and placement of light fixtures, placement of outlets, curb heights, transitions, layout for wallpaper repeats and so much more.

We also observe site conditions and report back to you. We are your eyes and ears on the job site.

We make sure materials are delivered to our trades people for fabrication - draperies, upholstery, framing and other custom pieces.

Step 10 – Receiving.

As much as possible, we ship bulky items at once. We do not want you having to be home constantly to receive furniture.

We have a structured and professional process for receiving products. We check all the boxes for freight damage. We then unbox and inspect for damage to the actual items.

If there is any damage, we take the necessary actions - file a claim with the vendor or freight company or have them touched up locally by our furniture artisan.

Every item is then rewrapped and stored until we are ready to have them pulled again for installation day.

Step 11 – Installation & Coordination

As the process progresses, we check on products out on open purchase orders weekly. We have a list in our product management software and we keep track as items arrive.

We ask our clients not to be home on installation day, as it is a fast-paced day. We will talk you through what to expect and how long it will take.

If you have furniture that needs to be moved out, or we need to bring in a cleaner and organizer, we will help you arrange these services.

Once we have a date on the calendar, we set out to do the final local shopping for small styling items. These are the accessory items that were not presented at the presentation meeting since we shop for them a few days before installation. We use these items to style bookcases and fill in the layers for a lusher and more finished look. We use retailers like TACC, Furniture Palace, MRP Home, and other local shops.

Step 12 - Turnkey installation and styling!

We made it! The process of getting to installation day is so well worth it. All you have to do is be away for a few hours while we do our thing.

It may seem a bit chaotic, but we have an organized process. We instruct the crew on where to place items. They tweak and move things around as we need to, to get them just right. Once all rugs and all furniture has been placed, they do cleanup of all packaging materials.

We then hang all the artwork, style shelves and tabletops and do our final cleanup.

Once we have a date on the calendar, we set out to do the final local shopping for small styling items. These are the accessory items that were not presented at the presentation meeting since we shop for them a few days before installation. We use these items to style bookcases and fill in the layers for a lusher and more finished look. We use retailers like TACC, Furniture Palace, MRP Home, and other local shops.