Residential contract projects: the point of view of our professionals

Residential contract projects: What’s behind a residential interior contract project? How important is the relationship with the client? What does bulding and furnishing a private house mean and how much do emotions get involved? What does “customization” mean for the client and the professionals working on the project? 

How different is a residential project from the other kinds of projects? Is it just its dimension? This is what some of us think about it!

YOU KNOW WHY IT IS DIFFERENT WITH HOUSES? Because what you are installing is their actual bed, wardrobe, the kitchen they are going to use everyday… 

Is it really that different to work on a residential contract projects and, if so, how? We asked Luca (Sales Manager), Federica (Project Manager), Francesco (Designer) and Fabrizio (Head joiner).

Here is what they said!

How much does your approach to a residential project change if compared to all the other kinds of projects?

“IT CHANGES THE FACT THAT YOU ARE DEALING WITH THE FINAL USER of the space you’re furnishing and that you have to take care of the place that the client is going to live in every day.  This requires greater attention to their needs and wishes. In a way you feel more involved because our home is our refuge and our happy place, right? so it is our duty to grant the client safety and cozyness through our services and care.” (Luca, Sales Manager)

Does ti feel “special” to our project managers too?

“YES, RESIDENTIAL PROJECT ARE A BIT SPECIAL IN A WAY, because you get in touch with the final client, something that is not really common in other kinds of projects where many players are involved and you never get to know the client. It is important to establish a connection with them, a relationship of trust. And what a delight when – towards the end of the project – you spontaneously come to address each other informally and fondly. It is rewarding!” (Federica, Project Manager) 

What if the client changes their mind or comes to second thoughts?

Well, the dark side of the moon is that you have to be flexible and patient with the sudden changes-of-mind and second thoughts that the client might come up with. But I never perceive them as a problem since they can be important moments of exchange of ideas: the client trusts us and relies on us, ready to listen to our opinion and to be counselled. This is a great surge of pride and a chance of growth to us, always.” (Federica, Project Manager) 

Of course the customer care in these projects is focused on a deeper emotional involvement, because we all feel the importance – also on a metaphorical and symbolical level – of the residential environment.

What makes a residential project special to a designer?

“WELL, LET’S BE HONEST HERE: a residential project is seldom as stimulating as a project made of complex geometry, organic surfaces and big areas. On the other hand they do have a snug dimension, more relaxed and intimate that make them special. Moreover they often require a contract formula, meaning that we deliver all the supplies and works and that we have to deal with other players and subcontractors and that is always an opportunity for professional growth. There is always something to learn!” (Francesco, Designer)

The direct relationship with the client becomes even deeper during the installation process, when the design and ideas turns into the shapes and the elments that compose the interior furniture that creates the emotional and visual identity of the house environment. Our joiners are the ones that better can explain this:

“As long as we are in our workshop producing all the items and pieces of furniture, a residential project is one of the many.. Everything changes when the installation works start: we feel a sort of pressure from the client that often comes and visits the site to check and supervise the works – an undisputed right, by the way. Inspections are part of all projects of course, but when it comes to a private house it is different because you are delivering the client’s own bed, wardrobe, and the kitchen they are going to use everyday. It is a sort of different pressure, a positive pressure, don’t mistake me.. Because the truth is that with these kinds of projects you want to make a good impression and to make the client happy.” (Fabrizio, joiner)

Do you have a residential contract project you want to discuss with our professionals?