Our Process
At MIM Architecture, the design process begins with connection. We take the time to get to know you—not just your goals for the project, but how you live, what matters most to you, and the rhythms of your daily life. We believe that good architecture is personal. It should respond to its landscape, support your lifestyle, and quietly hold space for life to unfold.
Our work blends architecture and interior design into one cohesive process. From the overall form down to the smallest detail, every element is considered in dialogue—ensuring your home feels intentional, grounded, and entirely your own.
Our services typically move through five key phases: Discovery, Schematic Design, Design Development, Construction Documentation, and Construction Administration.
Read on below for a breakdown of each phase.
1) Discovery
Every project begins with a conversation. We offer a complimentary introductory call or meeting to learn more about your goals, site, timeline, budget, and any early inspirations you’d like to share. You’ll also receive a lifestyle questionnaire to help us better understand how you live, what matters most to you, and how your home can best support your daily life.
This phase often includes a site visit, a review of zoning or permitting considerations, and a collaborative discussion about priorities, constraints, and opportunities. It sets the foundation for a design process that is personal, grounded, and responsive from the start.
2) Schematic Design
Building on everything uncovered during discovery, we begin developing early design ideas primarily through hand sketches, supported by simple 3D models and studies of light, form, and site. This phase is focused on shaping the core vision of your home—its layout, spatial relationships, orientation, and connection to the landscape.
You’ll receive conceptual floor plans, a preliminary material look-and-feel, and basic 3D models to help visualize the overall design direction. This phase is collaborative and iterative, with dedicated time to review, discuss, and refine the ideas until the form and flow of your home feel just right.
3) Design Development
Once the overall form and layout are established, we begin refining the design. This is where materiality, detail, and character start to come into focus. We study window compositions, casework and furniture layouts, lighting intent, and early finish selections. We also begin coordinating with your structural engineer and contractor to ensure alignment between design intent and construction planning.
By the end of this phase, we provide a progress set of drawings suitable for pricing and permitting. The goal for this phase is to make sure the design is clearly defined and ready to move into detailed construction documentation.
4) Construction Documentation
During this phase, we develop a detailed set of drawings and specifications that form the basis for construction. We work closely with the project team—including the structural engineer, general contractor, and, when applicable, the landscape architect and interior designer—to refine and coordinate all aspects of the design.
The construction drawing set typically includes a site plan, floor plans, elevations, building and wall sections, interior elevations, schedules, structural and electrical plans, and detailed selections for finishes and fixtures. We continue to build on the 3D model throughout this phase to ensure clarity, consistency, and alignment with the original design vision as the project moves toward construction.
We remain closely involved throughout construction to help guide the project to completion. This includes regular site visits, answering contractor questions, reviewing submittals and shop drawings, and providing clarifications or revisions as needed. Our role during construction is to support a smooth process and help ensure that your home is built with care, intention, and alignment with the original vision.
Interior Design
At MIM Architecture, we believe that architecture and interiors should speak the same language. Our interior design services are thoughtfully integrated into the architectural process to ensure a cohesive, well-resolved result. We work closely with clients to select materials and finishes that reflect both the architecture and their lifestyles—flooring, paint colors, plumbing and lighting fixtures, casework and door hardware, appliances, stone slabs, and window treatments.
Whether it's a custom kitchen, a hand-crafted sink, or a moody powder room, our goal is to create interiors that feel personal, grounded, and enduring.
