Phase 01 — Discovery
Discovery
Before a single line is drawn, we listen — to the space, the brief, and the life it will hold. Discovery is where a project's real constraints and ambitions come out, in Toronto and Los Angeles homes alike.
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What this phase covers
Site visit & measure
We walk the space, photograph it, and take the measurements every later drawing depends on.
The brief, in your words
How you actually live, what isn't working, the budget, and the deadline that can't move.
Feasibility & scope
An honest read on what the space can take, what it will cost, and where to start.
Where the design actually starts
Most clients call us with a room they can't make work. A kitchen that fights the light. A primary bedroom that holds a bed and not much else. Discovery is the visit where we figure out why. We walk every room you want touched, open the cupboards, and watch how you move between them. We note where the morning sun lands and where it never reaches. None of this shows up on a floor plan, and all of it changes the design.
The measured survey
After the walkthrough, we measure. Every wall, opening, ceiling height, radiator, and service run gets recorded, because a drawing built on a guess fails at the joinery stage. For a typical Toronto semi or an LA bungalow, that's half a day on site. You walk away with a set of existing-condition drawings every later phase is built on — yours to keep, even if you stop here.
An honest read before you commit
By the end of discovery you know three things: what the space can realistically take, a budget band wide enough to be true, and where we'd start. If the project doesn't make sense — the budget won't stretch, the wall you want gone turns out to be structural and not worth it — we say so now. It's cheaper to hear that over coffee than three drawings in.
Questions, answered
What do I need to prepare for the first meeting?
Nothing formal. Photos, a rough budget, and any floor plans you have all help — but mostly we want to hear how you use the space and what's bothering you about it.
Do you do discovery visits outside Toronto and LA?
Our two bases cover most of the work. For projects elsewhere we usually start discovery over video, then visit once. Ask, and we'll tell you honestly whether it works.
Is the discovery meeting a paid consultation?
The first conversation is to see whether we're a fit. A detailed feasibility study and measured survey are part of a paid engagement — we'll be clear about that line before any invoice.
Ready to start with a conversation?
Tell us about the space and how you want to live in it. We reply to every enquiry within two working days.