Building a custom home means making thousands of decisions, most of them long before move-in. Leigh Hull Designs joins your project early — coordinating with the architect and builder so layouts, cabinetry, lighting, finishes and furnishings are designed as one home, not decided one job-site question at a time.
What the designer handles on a new build
- Space planning and furniture-driven room layouts
- Interior architectural details and millwork
- Cabinetry design for kitchens, baths, mudrooms and built-ins
- Flooring, tile and stone selections
- Plumbing fixtures and hardware
- Lighting plans and fixture selections
- Paint and finish specifications
- Furniture, window treatments and textiles
- Art, accessories and final styling
- Procurement, delivery and installation
Why early involvement protects the project
A home is much easier to change on paper than in framing. When the designer is at the table during planning, the kitchen is laid out around how you cook, the lighting plan matches the furniture plan, and the millwork, stone and tile packages are selected with enough lead time to arrive when the builder needs them. That coordination protects both the schedule and the budget — and it is the difference between a house full of good products and a home that feels inevitable.
The studio’s process is deliberately linear and transparent: discovery, concept, a comprehensive design presentation, documentation for the builder, procurement and finally installation. You approve the design as a whole, then we manage the details.
Related
Planning a project on the lake? See Lake Minnetonka interior design. Renovating instead of building? See renovation interior design. Wondering about fees? Read how much an interior designer costs in Minnesota.
New Construction Questions
When should I hire an interior designer for a new construction home?
Ideally, an interior designer should join the project during architectural planning or before construction begins. Early involvement lets the designer coordinate layouts, cabinetry, lighting, millwork, finishes and furnishings with the architect and builder rather than making costly changes later.
Does the builder choose the finishes, or does the designer?
On a designed home, the designer leads selections — tile, stone, flooring, plumbing, lighting, hardware and paint — and documents them for the builder. The builder prices and installs; the designer makes sure every selection works together and arrives on schedule, so decisions don’t get made ad hoc at the job site.
Does an interior designer work with my architect?
Yes — the best results come from collaboration. The designer brings the perspective of how rooms will be furnished and used day to day: where the sofa wall needs to be, how the kitchen actually functions, where lighting and outlets should land. Catching those details on paper is far cheaper than fixing them in drywall.
What does full-service mean on a new build?
It means one point of design responsibility from plans through installation: space planning, interior architectural details, all finish and fixture selections, furniture, window treatments, art and styling — delivered as a coordinated whole rather than a series of disconnected decisions.
Planning a project in Wayzata, on Lake Minnetonka or in Minneapolis? Email Leigh to start the conversation, or view recent projects.