FAQ

ORLIVING is a Milan-based design consultancy studio for international families. We provide two services: turnkey interiors for people buying property in Northern Italy, and curated Made-in-Italy sourcing for people furnishing homes abroad. The studio is run by its founder, who is the single point of contact on every project.

We deliver turnkey interior projects across Northern Italy — Milan, Lake Como, Lake Garda, Brescia, Verona and the Bergamo area. These regions are our 2026 focus. Other Italian regions, including Tuscany and the Lakes beyond Como, are planned for future expansion.

We work in five languages: Italian, Hebrew, English, Russian and Ukrainian. You can discuss your project in the language you are most comfortable in. For international families making decisions about a home, being understood precisely in your own language removes a real source of friction.

Yes. We offer property search support as a separate service, before the design project begins. We are not a real estate agent and do not handle the legal closing, but we guide you through the Italian market and connect you with trusted agents and lawyers.

ORLIVING is a consultancy studio, not a single-discipline interior designer. We coordinate the whole project — design, sourcing, finishes, contractors and logistics — as one accountable service. Our focus is international families who need a finished home delivered, not a renovation to manage themselves from abroad.

Turnkey fees are a transparent percentage of the total project budget, fixed in advance before any work begins. The percentage depends on the service tier. Suppliers and contractors are paid directly by you — ORLIVING never adds hidden markup to materials or furniture.

Sourcing fees are a commission, disclosed before you commit, calculated on the value of the pieces sourced. Every item shows its real price. You pay the Italian supplier directly. This keeps the whole cost visible and means our fee is never hidden inside a marked-up product price.

You pay suppliers and contractors directly. ORLIVING coordinates, negotiates and verifies, but never holds your money for materials or takes title to goods. You receive every supplier quotation and invoice unedited. This keeps costs fully transparent and the studio legally structured as consulting.

Yes — most of our clients do. We run first calls and design reviews by video, share 3D visualisations so you see rooms before they are built, and provide regular updates in your language. For property closings you cannot attend in person, we coordinate with trusted Italian lawyers.

A furnishing-only project typically takes three to four months; a full renovation, six to seven months; a villa or large renovation, longer. Part of every timeline depends on Italian suppliers' production schedules. We manage the critical path closely and never hide a delay.

Yes. We act as an Italian sourcing partner for designers and studios abroad — most often in the United States. You keep your client relationship; we handle the European procurement, negotiation, quality control and logistics. The arrangement is recurring and built to be discreet.

Buying Italian pieces from an overseas showroom usually carries a 30 to 50 percent markup. With ORLIVING you pay the Italian supplier's price directly, plus our disclosed commission. For most projects this is meaningfully lower than the showroom route, and you reach ateliers showrooms do not carry.

Yes. For sourcing projects we coordinate export documentation, customs and shipping through trusted logistics partners, and we stay involved until the pieces arrive and are accepted. If anything is wrong on arrival, we handle the conversation with the supplier on your behalf.

Send a message through the contact form, or write directly. Tell us whether you are buying a home in Italy or furnishing one abroad, and a little about the project. The founder reads every enquiry personally and replies within one working day.

Turnkey projects work best above a certain budget; for smaller needs we offer a focused paid consultation instead, where you receive design direction and a curated supplier list to use yourself. Sourcing has no large minimum — a single well-chosen piece is a fine place to begin.