Method

Doane Design provides tile and stone design services for residential and commercial building owners, as well as architects, designers, building suppliers and contractors.   Twenty years experience as both home designer and fine artist support the delivery of fresh and innovative tile and stone project solutions that are custom designed to the aesthetic as well as functional and budgetary needs of the client.

Building Owners We understand how frustrating and time consuming a home improvement project can be for the average residential and commercial building owner. For this reason, our tile and stone design "solutions" provide more than just a cost estimate and working drawing for the exclusive use of the installer. Our solutions for the building owner can include:

Designs.  Ideas and sketches on recommended design solutions most suitable for an architectural environment, and a client's aesthetic preferences and functional needs in addition to budget;

·Materials Advice. Consulting on the nature, availability and pricing of such stone materials as marble, travertine, limestone, granite; and such tile materials as ceramic, porcelain, mosaics, metals, and artisan hand made tiles.

·Working Plans. A stone/tile blueprint that gives the residential or commercial building owner control over the outcome of a tile contractor's installation as well as a clear, scaled, visual instructions to the installer to prevent mistakes, waste, overage, and call backs or delays.

·Renderings. A choice of optional hand-drawn and computer assisted images that can range from the above project sketches to more detailed in-scale elevation drawings and even detailed, perspective, project renderings, hand drawn and suitable for framing.

Whether your needs include a remodeled Master Bathroom with imported stone and hand made tile; a new, highly space and budget efficient guesthouse kitchen space; or a large outside tile dining patio, contact us. We will be more than happy to discuss design pricing schedules and your design options.

Contractors and Suppliers. High quality but cost effective design services can add tremendous value to a tile and stone installation contractor or building supply business. Doane Designs is prepared to work closely with contractors and building suppliers to ensure that their clients' receive not only highly professional but cost effective design support; but also satisfaction with their choices for the supplier's stone and tile materials. To this end, Doane Design has developed these options for working with its contractor, trade, and supplier partners:

·Fee Service Schedule. Doane Design will work with a building contractor or supplier according to either flat or commission based fee schedules. Customers referred to Doane Design will be provided a partnership discount to be arranged.  Fee schedules are tiered according to the complexity and estimated times to complete a design, and the number of hours spent in consultation with a client.

·Retainer Service Schedule. Doane Design offers building suppliers and contractors retainer-based design services. These services are designed for suppliers, builders, designers and architects who are in frequent need of immediate, high quality but cost effective design services for their tile and stone clients. The retainers differ only in the number of free-support hours that are provided by the retainer, and the type of freehand and hand drawn, computer-enhanced graphics designs, to be provided in the deliverables.

You may wish to have Doane Design bill your clients for these services at our prearranged partnership discount rate. Or you may wish to simply include our retainer service as a value-added component of your own reseller or trade service.  In either case, our goal will be that of satisfying your customers to our mutual benefit.  Contact us and we will be more than happy to discuss these fee and retainer based services with you in more detail.

The first step is to pick the types of materials you like for the project at hand. Your local tile store can help you pick materials that are most appropriate for your architectural style, lifestyle & budget. I am also available to help you on an appointment basis if you feel you need further design and esthetic help or if you still have questions about the appropriateness of the materials, durability and upkeep questions, etc.

Below is an example of a kitchen back splash design I did using hand made tiles by Trikeenen Tile on the right. Artisan tiles have beautiful patinas and irregularities....

When I know what materials you've decided on, I can start the design process. Using artist materials and the notes I've taken in our interviews, and the measurements, I can get to work...Here's a detail of the design drawing I came up with and a detail photo of the completed tile.

And, below is the full drawing and the full photo of the completed tile installation.

Photo courtesy Christopher Light Photography

This was obviously a simplified explanation, but most design jobs are handled in similar ways. Some may only warrant a simple sketch, others require scaled elevation views, and many can benefit from perspective renderings such as the one above.

Whether your design needs are large or small, residential or commercial, I can come up with a customized solution that best suits an existing architectural and site environment, and a client's aesthetic values, functional needs, and budget. Let me explain some of the techniques used and you can take a look at my tile and stone design portfolio.   Then contact me by telephone or email. I look forward to working with you.

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©2008 R.Doane Hoag