At Rose Wade Interior Design, we believe that great design is more than beautiful spaces. It’s about creating homes that reflect your personality, enhance your lifestyle, and stand the test of time. Whether you’re building a custom luxury home from the ground up, remodeling a single room, or seeking a complete full-service interior design experience, we’re here to guide you through every step. We’ve gathered answers to some of the most common questions clients ask before starting their design journey with us. From our process and services to timelines, budgets, and style preferences, this FAQ will help you get to know how we work and what makes our approach unique.
Q: How did you get into this field?
A: I got into the field through family connections, always working alongside my mom as a mother–daughter team because she was a single mom. I also have roots going back to my grandfather, who designed carts for furniture manufacturing and production. It stuck with me, and I’ve continued their legacy from that point forward.
Q: What do you love most about what you do?
A: I love when I can transform not only the aesthetics of someone’s home through luxury interior design or bring their vision to life in new construction, but also greatly improve their daily lives with functional layouts. In a remodel setting, it’s wonderful to conduct a lifestyle assessment to identify pain points in their existing design, and then recreate those spaces into a more functional and beautiful atmosphere. Watching the transformation come to life and revealing it at the end is the most rewarding part of the process.
Q: What’s the difference between an interior designer and an interior decorator?
A: A licensed interior designer is someone with a college-level education in interior design and a professional license. While not all states require that license, it is the formal path to earning the title. Many states, including Florida, have deregulated the profession, so someone with experience can now refer to themselves as an interior designer even without a license or formal education. An interior decorator, on the other hand, is anyone who feels they have an eye for style and can decorate a space. Understanding the difference between an interior designer and an interior decorator helps clients know whether they’re hiring someone with professional design qualifications or someone offering purely decorative expertise.
Q: What services do you offer?
A: We’re a full-service interior design studio, which means we can work with clients from the very beginning, starting with the plans’ inception alongside their architect or draftsperson. Then, we can follow all the way through furnishing the entire home, completing all unpacking, and delivering a move-in-ready reveal.
While we prefer the full-service experience, because it allows us to best advocate for the client and ensure a seamless result, we also offer smaller, à la carte interior design services. These can include single-room designs, phased construction projects, and remodels.
We also provide pre-construction plan reviews, which we believe is one of the most valuable yet overlooked steps in the process. Too often, clients rely solely on their architect or builder’s plans, only to find after construction that the design doesn’t function the way they envisioned. Having an interior designer review your plans beforehand can save significant time, energy, and money. We notice functional and aesthetic opportunities that may not come up in conversations with your architect or builder, because we see your home through a different lens, with both beauty and livability in mind.
Q: What locations do you serve?
A: We serve Gainesville, Florida, and the surrounding areas, as well as North Houston and The Woodlands, Texas. While those are our two primary studio locations, we also work with clients throughout the United States, building lasting relationships no matter where they are located.
Q: Do you have credentials, certifications, and/or licenses?
A: I am a Firm Partner and Firm Associate with ASID (the American Society of Interior Designers). These qualifications are awarded based on my time in the industry and my experience owning two different businesses within the interior design field.
Q: What is your design process like?
A: My design process is typically collaborative, but we also offer a full-service, turnkey option where the client has very little interaction and can simply move into a fully completed home.
While some clients prefer minimal involvement, I personally love a collaborative interior design approach where I can educate the client from both an aesthetic and functional perspective so they can make the best investment decisions throughout the project. Sometimes we begin before the project starts, and other times we’re brought in mid-process to provide expertise and guidance.
For new construction, the ideal process begins with reviewing the plans before construction starts. This allows me to recommend any functional or aesthetic adjustments that can save time, money, and frustration later. From there, we move into finish selections: lighting, cabinetry, tile, and other design elements. Once those decisions are finalized, construction can proceed while we begin furniture planning, textile selection, and aesthetic details. Because elements like outlet placement affect furniture layouts, there’s often overlap between construction and design stages.
After final approvals, we handle purchasing, procurement, quality inspections, and coordination so that your new pieces arrive ready for installation. We then complete the move-in reveal so the home is truly ready to live in.
For remodels, the process can vary. Sometimes we reuse existing furniture, sometimes we add to what a client already owns, or even do a full redesign. Every project is tailored to the client’s needs, budget, and lifestyle, ensuring a seamless balance of luxury design and everyday functionality.
Q: How do you handle budgets?
A: Budgets are such a big part of a successful project because they create the foundation of understanding throughout the process. Of course, there are changes, additions, or wanting to spend more on certain things. That’s bound to happen along the way, but having a true, honest, and mostly realistic budget is extremely important to establish on the front end. Unfortunately, this often gets missed.
In new construction, contractors sometimes lower the numbers to get clients to sign, without giving them a real, true understanding of the level of what they want to build. This can create tension later in the project. As part of my pre-construction review, I go over the overall allowances and budgets being provided so I can comment on whether or not they’re realistic based on the style I know my clients want to move forward with.
Q: How many projects do you work on at one time?
A: The number of projects I take on has a direct relationship to the depth and timeline of the projects in question. Typically, I have at least four large custom homes in progress, along with anywhere from five to ten smaller projects happening behind the scenes. It’s really all about their timelines and construction schedules, and making sure I don’t have too many projects at the same phase at one time.
Q: Can you work with my existing furniture and decor?
A: I can absolutely work with existing furniture and decor! It’s all about having honest conversations about the client’s goals. If their current furnishings and decor don’t align with what they want the end product to be, that’s a conversation we have early on. Often, we can edit and add a few new pieces to enhance the eclectic nature of a design or bring it closer to the style they want without purchasing all new furniture.
It’s a conversation that needs to happen at the beginning of any project so we know what we’re using, not only from a space and scale perspective, but also to ensure the finished look is cohesive and not disjointed.
Q: How long does a typical project take?
A: Timelines vary greatly depending on the size and scope of the project. We’ve had jobs in the past that have taken five and a half years, all the way down to small edits or restaging a room, which can take just a day. Most projects fall somewhere in between, but on average, our projects take two-plus years because we work heavily in new construction and the luxury home realm.
Q: What design styles do you specialize in?
A: I don’t specialize in any one specific design or decor style. I appreciate and feel comfortable working within many different styles, or even an eclectic mix of them. You’ll see on our website that we’ve created spaces ranging from transitional to traditional lodge, heavily modern, mid-century, and French country.
I believe that with a client’s vision and collaboration, we can bring any style to life. There’s not a single style I focus on exclusively. It’s about creating a home that reflects each client’s unique taste and lifestyle.
Q: Can you design with my kids (or pets) in mind?
A: Kids and pets, the more the merrier! I have no problem selecting finishes and educating clients on fabrics and furnishings that work best. I focus on elements that can withstand the use of animals and kids, but also create functional routines through design, cabinetry, and furniture layouts. This allows your space to still feel neat and well put together, yet remain an embracing and inviting place to welcome kids and pets.
Q: Do I have to move out during a renovation?
A: This is a very popular question! Often, it comes down to personal preference—unless we are doing a whole-home remodel. In that case, it’s usually not efficient or comfortable for a family to remain in the home, so we often suggest renting an Airbnb or another temporary space.
Anytime a client can stay in their home during a renovation, we’re happy to accommodate that. We can make adjustments such as cordoning off certain areas where we’re working and moving thoughtfully through the project. However, construction as a whole typically moves more efficiently when clients are not living within the project.
Q: What if I have no idea what I want, I just know I need a change?
A: Not knowing what you want is actually a common theme, especially for people who have never worked with an interior designer before. For us, that can sometimes be a red flag, because if a client truly has no direction, it can lead to ongoing dissatisfaction with the project.
When someone says, “I have no idea what I want, I just know I need a change,” it really depends on what they mean by that. We can work through it with a lifestyle assessment, which is my first step in getting to know their needs, style, and big-picture vision. If, after that assessment and reviewing inspirational photos, the client still isn’t able to find a direction, I may determine that it’s not the right fit. In those cases, I’ll politely decline moving forward so we both avoid an experience where the client isn’t fully satisfied.
Q: Do you handle contractors and project management?
A: We often handle the recommendation of preferred contractors, or provide guidance and education on contractors the client may be interviewing. We do offer a form of project management, though not typically in the legal sense of the term.
In the design industry as a whole, our role has become more robust because we often create designs that aren’t standard or “the way things have always been done.” Contractors sometimes prefer to stick to familiar methods, so there’s a need for us to be involved in project implementation, making sure our designs are carried out as intended. This has created a blended role where we’re not only the designer but also checking on the quality of work and ensuring the design is being executed properly. All of that is part of the services we offer if the client chooses to invest in it. However, we are not a true project manager, especially if we have not had a hand in hiring the contractor.
Q: What is the first step if i want to work with you?
A: The first step in working with us is to visit our website and fill out the submission form. This helps us understand your project, including whether it’s within one of our two studio locations or outside our general areas, so we can plan for any travel and meeting considerations in our future working relationship.
After that, we set up either a Zoom call or an in-person meeting to get to know you better and gain a deeper understanding of your project. If we decide to move forward together, we’ll collect a retainer fee and prepare a contract based on how involved (or uninvolved) you’d like us to be in your project.
Your home should be as functional as it is beautiful, and the right design partner makes all the difference. If you’re ready to bring your vision to life (or discover it along the way), we’d love to connect. Explore our portfolio for inspiration, review our services to see what fits your needs, and reach out through our online submission form to start the conversation. Whether you’re in Gainesville, Florida, The Woodlands, Texas, or beyond, Rose Wade Interior Design is here to create spaces that are elevated, intentional, and uniquely yours.
