“Could we use the other stone in the powder room?” sounds simple. The answer may change a supplier quote, an installer’s slot, the drawing set, and a choice the client approved two weeks ago.
Write the request down before anyone changes the project. Add what you know about the cost and schedule, list the facts you are still waiting for, and name the person who can approve the work.
Devignier Design, Laura U Design Collective, and the Interior Design Community use different contracts and fee structures. All three put the change in writing before the studio acts on it.
Save the client’s exact request
A forwarded email, meeting note, or comment is the source. Keep the exact wording and date. Add the project phase and the selection, room, drawing, order, or deliverable it concerns.
“Use the other stone” could mean three different things. The client may want to see an alternative, replace the approved selection, or use an option she thought was already included. Each one creates different work.
If the outcome is unclear, ask one question and save the answer beside the original request. Classify the change from that answer.
Use the wording in your contract
One contract may include a second option in the design phase. Another may call it a revision. Adding a room could be extra scope, while a site problem may follow a separate clause.
Use the definition in the signed agreement. Copy it into the studio record or link to it. If none of the contract terms fits, write unresolved and ask the person responsible for the agreement.
The contract term tells the team which process to follow. Ask a lawyer in the studio’s jurisdiction to interpret anything unclear in the agreement.
Work out what else will change
Start with the requested change. Check every drawing, order, appointment, and fee connected to it.
| Field | What to record |
|---|---|
| Source request | Exact client wording, date, and link |
| Current state | Approved selection, active phase, order, drawing, or task |
| Studio term | Revision, added scope, change order, or unresolved, using the agreement’s definitions |
| Design work | Drawings, research, presentation, or specification work affected |
| Cost | Known fee or product difference, plus figures still awaiting a quote |
| Schedule | Confirmed date effect, possible effect, and the person checking it |
| Procurement | Orders, deposits, returns, lead times, and supplier decisions |
| Dependencies | Trades, rooms, documents, and later decisions that rely on the current state |
| Responsibility | Person preparing the response and person authorized to approve it |
Write down the missing facts too. A blank schedule field can look as though the date will stay the same. “Installer checking revised availability by Thursday” tells the team what is still open.
Write down every answer the studio still needs before work starts.
Wait for approval
Acknowledge the idea first. Instruct the vendor after the client has completed the studio’s approval process.
Write down the approval you need. It may be an email accepting the new fee and date, a signed addendum, or a decision from another person on the project. Save that approval with the request.
Pause only the work that depends on the decision. The rest of the project can continue.
Chat makes this easy to get wrong. “That could work beautifully” is a reaction to the idea. The procurement lead still needs a direct instruction before canceling an order.
Give the client a clear choice
Send the client a short summary of the request and your proposed response. Include the cost and date changes you know about, the facts still missing, and the approval you need.
If a supplier is checking freight or restocking, say when you expect the answer. Show the cost and timing for each available option. Keep margin notes, staff allocation, and draft thinking in the studio record.
Once the client chooses, the team can update the drawing set, purchasing file, schedule, and task list from the same answer.
Update every affected file
After approval, update every affected file. Mark the old selection or instruction as superseded, add the approval date and link, and tell everyone whose work has changed.
Keep the client’s request, your cost and schedule notes, the approval, and the updated files linked together. Six months later, anyone on the team can see what changed and why from those links instead of searching the inbox.
The request may take one sentence. The studio still needs the full answer before anyone acts.
