Ah First date, Do you remember your first date? Awkwardness comes to mind for me! Imagine jumping straight to the honeymoon, marriage and finances before you took your spouse on a first date (good or bad).

As a kid, I would take things apart to understand how they worked and then to put them back together again—sometimes unsuccessful but that’s how we learn (my dad would disagree). When it comes to our process at JBD you can never know too much as a client, so let’s start off with a Meet & Inspire. We are asked all the time why we call it a Meet & Inspire? We love design and when we get the chance to meet a prospective client to talk about the vision, desired outcomes, and expectations, we can’t help but feel inspired. We see these initial meetings as first dates: a way to gather an understanding of what makes you tick and how you and the rest of the household live. There’s emotion and intention behind our designs. We create unique spaces that are true reflections of our clients and this is achieved by taking the time to get to know each other.

1. What is a Meet + Inspire

At Jamie Banfield Design a meet and inspire is a true way of getting to know those we are going to team up with (yes you as the client will be a team member in this process), and see how we can work together. Initiating a renovation and developing a new custom home takes a lot more than selecting a few finishes and taking a look at some samples. We look at budget, timeline, and overall outcomes but the most important part that we do is listen, give feedback where needed, and push our clients out of their comfort zones. This will help us tailor the design’s functionality to your daily life. This first interaction is where you get to meet myself and have an informal chat about why you are renovating or building a home.

2. What do we Hope to Achieve

We love building relationships with our clients and understanding the main vision of the project. Are you building a new house? Is your kitchen too small or outdated? We outline the whole process. I am sure you also want to know all about me, who the JBD team is and what we do. We don’t really have many rules with the Meet & Inspire; we are happy to sit at your kitchen table, conference over ZOOM, or dive right in and have a house tour.

3. Let’s talk style

I am asked all the time: “what is your style?” It’s so hard to explain what my exact style is, as I don’t fully understand what I enjoy at times and I am still developing as a person. So I understand how daunting that question can seem. We will narrow down items, create a jumping off point, and start to pull away the walls and expose a true reflection of who you are. Do you love neutrals or vibrant colours? It’s our job to take those things you love and run with them and play with design elements and principles, while also understanding function and wear. Because let’s face it, if you are set on a ‘White Kitchen” but we notice that your daily living will not allow proper maintenance or functionality (or the style won’t age well), we will let you know! We find clients can suffer from decision fatigue when it comes to their personal style and what they want. Couples can also have very different ideas in terms of style. We can always find a compromise and create something spectacular, but it helps to have a picture or two to show us!

4. The F-word (Finances)

What’s your budget? This is generally the least fun and most painful thing to talk about, but we need to understand how much you want to spend. I get it, who really knows how much that bathroom renovation is going to cost? Contractors, designers, and other trades can look at past experiences and paths and gather an understanding of what similar projects have ended up costing. Through the design process, we work hard to make sure we are making the right investments to use your budget wisely! We will fully explain our pricing structure, and let you know when you will be invoiced throughout the process. We have a few helpful documents we can send after the meeting to help you understand this. When it comes to money, we know that it’s best to be very upfront and ensure you know how this works.

5. Timeline

Timelines can sometimes be difficult to manage, as with any build you can come across unforeseen issues. We love renovation projects, but we also know some deadlines are in place to be on time for a fun graduation party or family reunion. By taking the time to get to know our clients, we can backtrack to understand what is important in order to build a successful plan. We know the timeline of our design process, and we have got it down to a fine art! We will go over the general timeline, and we will also need to know when you want us to start and when you would ideally have it finished.

That’s really all there is to a Meet + Inspire. It's really just an initial meeting to chat, get to know each other and the scope of your project. Let’s set up a Meet + inspire and chat about your upcoming project. Check out our FAQ for more info on what to expect.

Leave a comment about what your upcoming projects might be, we love to hear what everyone is working on! Or just some of your first date stories!