The economic rhythm

The payment structure defines the rhythm at which the project proceeds sustainably for everyone. It means establishing in advance when the different phases of work are recognised, how they link to deliverables and what conditions regulate potential pauses or changes of direction.

The initial advance payment

We ask for a 35% advance payment to undertake a design journey, which is useful to start the work on a solid footing. In the first few weeks we concentrate a significant amount of energy:

  • preliminary analysis and general project setup;
  • definition of the vision and guiding principles;
  • study of the layout with a view already directed towards technical and executive aspects.

It is a dense phase, requiring a real investment of time and internal resources. The advance payment allows us to activate this process without leaving the studio overexposed and guarantees the client that the project is tackled with the right depth from the start. If substantial uncertainties regarding the start emerge at this stage, it is preferable to postpone the beginning of the journey. The deadlines indicated in the contract are always linked to the actual receipt of payments: if a transfer arrives late, the delivery schedule also slips accordingly.

Intermediate payments and work stages

Intermediate payments do not follow arbitrary dates, but clearly identified stages of progress. In the case of a complete refurbishment, they usually coincide with major design reviews:

  • definitive layout setup;
  • development of decoration and styling;
  • lighting design;
  • definition of main cost estimates and key choices.

At the beginning we trace a shared timeline: every point of progress corresponds to a completed stretch of the project and the relative economic recognition. More than listing every single drawing, we are interested in the client having a clear idea of where we are in the journey and which steps we have already consolidated. Defining stages and amounts in advance reduces grey areas and allows both parties to plan the flow of payments with lucidity, in parallel with the progress of the project.

The final balance

The final balance is linked to the substantial conclusion of the work: the moment when the site closes and the house becomes effectively habitable. We do not use particularly rigid bureaucratic protocols; we prefer to rely on common sense. A house can never be delivered "finished" in an absolute sense: there always remains a margin of personalisation that belongs to the client, between objects, books and details that will arrive with time. What we deliver is a complete, coherent and functioning space.

The balance concerns the work actually performed, not a search for infinite perfection. In this phase the discussion focuses on the journey completed and any adjustments, without transforming the balance into leverage to prolong the revision of every single detail indefinitely. It is a form of mutual respect that protects the sustainability of the project.

Balance and mutual protection

The payment structure protects both the client and the studio. In the contract clear rules are defined for:

  • studio delays, with potential penalties for deliveries that slip beyond agreed margins;
  • client delays, with protections in case payments are not honoured within deadlines;
  • early withdrawal, which regulates exit from the contract when the project is interrupted before its natural conclusion.

Starting a project, investing time and resources and not being able to bring it to completion has an economic cost and an image cost: this too is regulated from the start. The simplest comparison is that of a journey: the studio is the engine, the economic structure is the fuel. When this part is clear and respected, the path can proceed with continuity and without jolts.

Pauses, slowdowns and changes of pace

It may happen that the client needs to slow down or pause the project. In these cases we can suspend the path, provided the agreement is formalised:

  • phases already completed are recognised and paid for;
  • subsequent stages, with relative payments, are put on hold;
  • new deadlines are rescheduled the moment it is decided to restart.

We manage changes of direction in the same way. The contract foresees a defined number of revisions and integrations for each phase. Beyond that threshold, extra work is agreed upon and recognised as such, to avoid the project entering an undefined zone where it is no longer clear what was asked for and what was done. Flexibility remains, but always within clear boundaries.

Extras, variations and out-of-scope work

Variations that go beyond the framework agreed at the start are managed as dedicated extras, with separate documents and invoicing. They are not silently absorbed into intermediate payments, because this would generate confusion.

The contract specifies with precision what is included:

  • substantial changes of course;
  • expansions of scope (new rooms, new functions);
  • interventions that go beyond the scale or nature of the project defined at the start.

In all these cases the economic framework is updated transparently. It is better to clarify it immediately, with a pragmatic tone, rather than facing it when the project is advanced.

Managing early exit

If for personal, economic or other reasons the client decides to interrupt the project before conclusion, precise rules exist:

  • the work done up to that moment is recognised financially;
  • a penalty is foreseen for early withdrawal;
  • the prohibition on using design materials and contents with other professionals or independently is made explicit, in respect of copyright.

On this point we are rigorous: the project is not a catalogue of ideas to draw from freely once the relationship is broken off. Stopping is possible, but conditions and consequences must be shared from the start, transparently.

Mutual alignment

This structure naturally appeals to those who desire a clear relationship regarding time, costs and responsibility. It is the right choice for those who recognise that economic planning is as important as design planning, and consider respect for deadlines part of the collaboration pact. It is not the right context for those who put the minimum price first regardless of the journey, for those who use the studio's work as a base to adapt elsewhere without recognising its value, or for those who do not give weight to the punctuality of commitments made. For us sustainability must apply to everyone: for the client, who can count on a predictable framework; for the studio, which can work with continuity; for suppliers, who enter the project with clear conditions.

Economic order and creative freedom

Clarity on payments is, first of all, a tool for serenity. Knowing when and how work will be recognised allows attention to be shifted to what really counts: the quality of the project and of the time that will be lived in the spaces we are building.

Punctuality is the first element to make this balance possible: when the economic framework is stable and shared, the creative path can also proceed in a lighter, more orderly and natural way.