How working with a Paris interior designer from the US actually works

The short answer: design travels, construction doesn't

There are two very different jobs in a renovation. Designing — understanding how you live, organising space, choosing materials, drawing precise plans — is intellectual work that can be done from anywhere. Building is physical, local, and always done by a contractor near you.

A Paris studio designs; your local contractor builds. That division is not a compromise — it is how many of the best projects are run. You get a design sensibility you cannot find locally, executed by trades you can meet in person.

Step 1 — A first call, on your time zone

Everything starts with a free video call, scheduled around your clock: Eastern, Central, Mountain or Pacific. We ask how you actually live in the space, what frustrates you today, what you love, your timeline and your budget range. No drawings yet — just listening.

Practical note: the six-hour gap between Paris and New York quickly becomes an advantage. We work while you sleep; you wake up to progress.

Step 2 — Measuring your home yourself (it's easier than it sounds)

This is the part clients worry about, and it is the simplest. We send a short survey guide telling you exactly what to measure and how to photograph each room: wall lengths, ceiling height, window and door positions, radiator and outlet locations, plus a set of photos from specific angles.

If you already have architectural drawings or a floor plan from your purchase, even better — send those. Most clients complete the survey in under an hour with a tape measure and a phone.

Step 3 — Layout options, discussed live

We come back with one or two design directions: how the space could be organised, what to open, what to keep, where the light should land. We present them online and talk them through. This is the stage where the project becomes yours — it is normal to change your mind here, and far cheaper than changing it later.

Step 4 — The detailed design

Once a direction is chosen, we develop it completely: fully dimensioned plans, elevations, lighting and electrical drawings, stone-cutting layouts, and built-in furniture details. These are technical documents, drawn to be priced and built from — not mood images.

Step 5 — Photorealistic 3D, before anything is built

You see your future interior in photorealistic 3D and approve it before a single wall is touched. For remote clients this step matters more than for anyone else: it replaces the reassurance of walking a site together. See it in practice in our Brooklyn loft case study.

Step 6 — Materials, with samples shipped to your door

You receive a curated material and finish book with precise references — and, when you want them, physical samples shipped to your home. Texture and colour are hard to judge on a screen, and we would rather you hold the stone than trust a photograph.

One detail we never skip: every material is checked for local availability. A beautiful finish that cannot be sourced in the US is worthless to you, so we always propose equivalents your contractor can actually buy.

Step 7 — Your contractor builds it

We hand over a complete package your local contractor can price and build from. You choose who builds — we have no financial interest in that choice, which is precisely what keeps our advice honest. We stay reachable throughout for any design question that comes up on site.

What US clients usually ask us

Is remote design right for you?

It works exceptionally well if you want a specific design point of view, are comfortable communicating online, and have — or can find — a good local contractor. It works less well if you want someone to manage your build day to day on site: that is a different job, and a local project manager should do it.

Ready to see the method in detail? Read how our remote interior design service works, or browse our projects.