Decorators typically focus on the decorative elements of a home, such as paint color, furniture, décor, window treatments, bedding, etc. Interior Designers, in addition to all these things, also have formal training and knowledge of interior architecture principals, drafting skills, extensive relationships with trade vendors and contractors, knowledge of general building code guidelines.

Retail in-store decorators, often, are primarily salespeople. They will likely have some education in interior design and space planning; however, they may not be as well-versed as a trained interior designer in scale, proportion, space planning, color theory, and health and safety issues. They typically only on product selections from their featured lines, as opposed to the wider variety of vendors available through an Interior Designer. If you decide to use an in-store designer, be sure to ask about their qualifications to determine if they’re the right match for your job.

We work primarily in the Greater Boston Area, with projects as far as the Berkshires and Maine. When working with clients outside of the Boston metro region, travel fees apply for distances exceeding 30 miles one way.

The “Our Work Gallery” on our home page has a sampling of our home design projects. Feel free to contact us to see more images of other projects. You can also see our projects on Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest!

References are available upon request.

We do not have a strictly defined style. Our clients’ preferences, the architecture of the home or building, and the natural surroundings influence the interior design style and direction. At Joanne Modica Interior Design, our goal is to infuse our clients’ personalities into each project.

We hear this concern frequently. We address it by assessing how colors, textures, images, shapes, finishes, and feelings resonate with you. Your answers guide the design process. Our favorite part of our job is helping you create a space that’s unique to your personality and not a replica of a “specific style” that looks done and impersonal.

We purchase products from a variety of sources, curated over years of trade experience. We also use local stores, to-the-trade showrooms and retail locations, and online and catalog retailers. If our clients have sources that they prefer to work with, we are more than happy to do so. We also work with local custom upholstery, cabinetry, and drapery workrooms.

No. We will work with your builder or tradespeople. We are more than happy to refer you to those who can help as well. You will not pay us for construction-related labor, that is between you and those contractors.

No. You are welcome to make any purchases on your own. Most clients do purchase through us because of the discount we pass along, coupled with our trade contacts and procurement and installation experience. It is very important to agree upon who purchases which items early on in the process. We cannot take responsibility for items purchased by clients that turn out to be the wrong size or wrong materials, should the client change our agreed-upon selections. We are also not responsible for tracking/receiving items we did not procure directly.

When you have a larger project that you need a lot of help with, full-scale Interior Design Projects are probably the way to go. Many smaller projects also benefit from our full attention. Here are some examples of interior design projects we work on:

• Assisting with furnishing a single room or an entire home.
• Designing a new powder room or bathroom.
• Helping you design the kitchen you have been dreaming about for years.
• Choosing artwork and accessories that finish off a room.
• Designing a furniture layout for a new home. We can help you decide which pieces to move, donate, or discard.
•  Finding and interviewing contractors.

We have a variety of different options to fit your needs. They go from a few hours (Mini Consult) to a full day (Professional Day) to full service (hourly). You can read more about each one here. If you are unsure where you want to start, you can book a free 15-minute Discovery Call to discuss options. 

Please note that the Casa Piccolo or Casa Medio costs are applied to your next interior design project with Joanne Modica Interiors if you choose to do more work.

Yes, we can!

We believe that wall color (and lighting) is one of the most important aspects of a beautiful space; however, picking paint colors is a task that is more difficult than many would like to admit. This service is part of Casa Piccolo. We ask that you send pictures before our meeting. We will arrive at your home for an intense paint selection session that typically lasts 2.5+ hours. We use individual oversized paint samples to get a better idea for the colors than the standard paint chips. At the end of the meeting, you will have a list of the paint colors, sheen, and surfaces that we think would look great in your home. We work with all of the major brands of paints, so you can either hire a painter to perform the actual painting or roll up your sleeves and do it yourself.

Interior Design, we request a phone conversation to help us evaluate your project and see if we may be a good fit for you. We then schedule an initial consultation. In this one-and-a-half-hour meeting, we will walk through your home or business and discuss your interior design or construction project’s specific needs. We will also review your aesthetic and functional needs. The actual design is not done in this meeting, just an evaluation of the project scope and your particular needs and timing.

We’ll send you a questionnaire before the meeting to help the conversation along. At the meeting, we’ll ask several detailed questions, photograph your current space, and discuss your project budget and timeline. The fee for this consultation is $150.00, which is credited to you if you hire us to create your vision. After this meeting, a contract and design fee proposal is sent to you for your review.

Before beginning work, we will send a contract for your review, which includes a non-refundable retainer fee and the total design fee proposal. After the contract is signed and the retainer fee is received, we return for a more detailed session. This session includes more discussion on preferred design styles, requirements for each room, etc. We then take formal measurements and more photographs. Next, we prepare a schematic design presentation. This phase includes showing you our initial drawings, proposed material selections, palette options, and concepts. After design approval of this phase, we work with you on narrowing down the final selections, pricing, and implementing the design.

The retainer fee covers time spent on preparing presentations. This includes time for sourcing materials, creating budgets, purchasing samples (when required). Small costs may pop up along the way (higher shipping costs than expected, maybe an extra can of paint) and final hours at the end of the project. You will receive a paid invoice for every charge, so you know when and how the retainer fee has been used.

Project timelines vary per project. Every project has five phases: kick-off, design, execution, installation/delivery, and wrap-up. Things that directly affect the length of the timeline include the size of the project, how quickly you make decisions, availability of a product, the time needed for customized work, contractors’ availability, delivery of the product(s), and scheduling an installation date (if required).

Here are some examples. Keep in mind the estimates are from the beginning of the design process, not from the first meeting with the Joanne Modica Interior Design team.

A typical kitchen remodel may take 3-4 months to design and build. A living room remodel may take a month to design and 2-4 months to receive and install products and furniture.

If you are doing a bathroom remodel, the process could take 3 months from start to finish (if all subcontractors’ time is aligned).

A custom home design from start to finish could take 3 months to layout and plan the details and 3-4 months to procure and install; potentially longer if there is detailed custom work (draperies, cabinetry, and furniture). We are happy to work with you on your timelines and advise on how best to meet them.