Who doesn’t love a makeover moment? While ceremony can’t always take top priority, when the pieces fall into place, a well-finished project can really sparkle. But sometimes there’s more than just a wow factor at play. We asked six designers—Ami McKay, Abby Gruman, Autumn Pochiro, Dijana Savic-Jambert, Guillaume Coutheillas and Brittany Hakimfar—to explain why they prefer one big reveal over room-by-room installations.
Reality Check
“In an ideal world, I would love a magical reveal for every renovation, where the homeowners return to a completely transformed space similar to what we see in the design television world. I have done it, and I find it immensely gratifying when clients request a reveal—the sheer satisfaction for everyone after our long journey together is truly incredible. There is a lot of raw emotion shared. They are overjoyed with a successful transformation, and I get to witness it. In reality, it is not always practical or possible to postpone the move-in date, and many clients move back in before the house is perfectly complete. In those cases, the home takes shape over several weeks.” —Ami McKay, Pure Design: Interior Design, Build & Shoppe, Vancouver
Keep It Simple
“Sometimes it’s hard for the client to envision the finished space, so I always like them to see it when it is done and perfect. Clients tend to second-guess some of their choices when they only see a space partially complete. I used to do little-by-little [installations] as items arrived, but from experience, I prefer to have one big install and one big reveal.” —Abby Gruman, Abby Leigh Designs, Tenafly, New Jersey
Team Effort
“As a kitchen and bath designer, [we] mainly [do] renovations, so we typically have a room-by-room installation due to construction [logistics]. I have a general rule that if the design is separate from the initial flat fee contract—what we call scope creep—the client must wait until the first design is complete before we design the additional space. That said, we always do a full reveal with ground-up construction. The full reveal helps me manage the project with the builder’s team and the move-in day. When you can plan a large installation simultaneously, it assures that each partner works in unison to deliver an end product beyond the client’s wildest dreams. This not only saves money, but it also protects the builder’s time, which saves money too.” —Autumn Pochiro, Autumn Dawn Design, Dublin, Ohio
Path of Least Resistance
“Generally speaking, [reveals are] a case-by-case basis for us, and largely dependent on project scope and client type. More often than not, we tend to follow a room-by-room install, especially when the scope is anything but an entire home renovation. This is how we have always operated, as it has felt the most natural when factors such as timeline, logistics, contractor work and client preference are considered. However, when we do a renovation of the entire home or even entire floors, the big reveal tends to be slightly easier to maneuver.” —Dijana Savic-Jambert, Maredi Design, Chicago
20/20 Vision
“We prefer a big reveal because completing the entire space allows us to stay consistent in the vision, intent and design. The spaces we create are only complete as a whole, so we prefer to save everything for the end, then make minor tweaks as needed.” —Guillaume Coutheillas, FrenchCalifornia, New York and San Francisco
Full Effect
“We always insist on a big reveal. It is really important to us that clients see the entire vision presented at once rather than piecemeal. This is a practice we have consistently followed and allows for the best outcome, where a client can truly see the completed home with every detail down to the styling.” —Brittany Hakimfar, Far Studio, Philadelphia
Homepage image: Ami McKay frames an open dining area with a dramatic archway | Janis Nicolay
