Creating a project

How a project is structured in Studiohaus, what to fill in when you create one, and what comes next.

A project is the actual work — the kitchen remodel, the whole-home renovation, the hospitality buildout, the virtual-design package. In Studiohaus, every project belongs to a client (so the client has to exist first), and once you create one it becomes the home for that engagement: its timeline, design boards, contracts, invoices, messages, and files all live in one place.

📸 Caption: the Projects page with the "New project" button and the table of existing projects.

Before you start

You need a client. If you haven't added one yet, go to Clients first — see Creating a client. The "New project" dialog won't let you create until you've picked one.

If you've built a project template (under Templates → Projects), you can pick it during creation and the project spins up with its phases, milestones, and folders pre-loaded. Templates are a productivity lever, not a requirement — feel free to skip.

How to create one

In the left nav, click Projects (it's a top-level item).
Click New project at the top right.
Fill in the dialog.

📸 Caption: the New project dialog showing the template dropdown, name, client, the status + project type pair, spaces, site address, the date fields, and the pre-populate timeline card.

What each field is for

Start from template (optional) — if you've made any project templates, this dropdown lists them; picking one copies its phases, milestones, and folder structure into the new project. Leave it on "Blank project" to skip.
Project name (required) — short and descriptive. "Adams kitchen," "Greenwood whole-home," "Park Hotel suite refresh." You'll see this everywhere.
Client (required) — pick from the dropdown. Don't see them? They aren't added yet — go add them, then come back.
Status — defaults to Onboarding. Status drives what shows up on the dashboard, in reports, and on the calendar. The picker filters to the statuses that fit the project type you choose (more below).
Project type — the kind of engagement. Five options:
- Furnishing — sourcing and procurement-only engagements.
- Remodel & Design — the classic full-lifecycle project (design through install).
- Virtual Design — packaged remote design, no procurement or install.
- New Construction — full lifecycle, ground-up builds.
- Hospitality — full lifecycle, commercial.
Defaults to Furnishing. You can change the type later; the status picker retunes to match.
Spaces (optional) — pick from your studio's spaces list (Kitchen, Primary Bath, and so on). The list is yours to shape under Settings → Custom values, and you can add a new space inline without leaving the dialog.
Site address (optional) — where the work happens. The route planner uses it as the destination when you plan a trip to the site.
Start date — anchors the schedule (required if you start from a template, since the template's phases calculate from it).
Install date and Completion date (both optional, estimates) — your own target dates for the install and the wrap.

Pre-populate timeline

📸 Caption: the "Pre-populate timeline from the project type" card showing the checkbox and explainer.

For a blank project, you'll see a "Pre-populate timeline from the project type" card, checked by default. When you save, Studiohaus generates one milestone per phase of the chosen project type — calculated from your start date — so the calendar fills in immediately instead of you keying every date by hand. (Starting from a template? This card is hidden — the template brings its own phases.)

The phases vary by project type:

Furnishing — Onboarding (1 wk), Design Development (3 wks), Procurement (8 wks), Install (1 wk), Completion & offboard (1 wk).
Remodel & Design / New Construction / Hospitality — Onboarding (1), Design Development (4), Documentation (2), Procurement (8), Construction (12), Install (1), Completion & offboard (1).
Virtual Design — Onboarding (1), Design Development (3), Recap & handoff (1).

You can edit any milestone afterward in the project's Timeline tab — durations, names, dates. The pre-populated set is a starting point, not a contract. Uncheck the box if you'd rather start clean and add milestones by hand.

Save

Click Create project. The dialog closes; the new project appears in the list, and (if you left pre-populate on) the calendar shows its milestones.

Project status — the lifecycle

Every project sits in one status at a time, and the available list depends on the project type:

Onboarding — paperwork, deposits, kickoff. The starting state for most projects.
Design Development — concept, schematic, the bulk of design work.
Documentation — drawings, specs, the technical package. (Hidden on Furnishing and Virtual Design.)
Procurement — sourcing, quoting, ordering. (Hidden on Virtual Design.)
Construction — work happening on site. (Hidden on Furnishing and Virtual Design.)
Install — final installs, styling, photo day. (Hidden on Virtual Design.)
Offboarding — closeout, punch list, final invoice, photo handoff.
On Hold — paused. Use it when a project stalls (client travel, financing delay) so it stops cluttering active views.

If you change a project's type partway through, its current status sticks even if it's no longer in the new type's list — so you're never stranded mid-flight. (You may also spot Exploratory Call Scheduled or Consultation Scheduled on older projects; those belong to legacy engagement types and aren't offered when you create a new project today.)

What's inside a project

Once created, the project detail page has a tab for everything that happens within it:

Overview — KPIs, recent activity, quick links
Project Library — products specified for this project
Timeline — milestones and dates (already pre-populated if you left the box checked)
Invoices — this project's invoices and payments (the firm-wide Financials hub rolls these up with proposals, POs, expenses, and time)
Contracts — design agreements, change orders, addenda
Messages — threaded chat with the client; they see it in their portal (and by email if notifications are on)
Approvals — items sent to the client for sign-off
Files — shared documents
Design Boards — mood and concept boards, image collections
Site visits — visit log with photos
Team — who's assigned
Client portal — manage this client's portal access and preview what they see

📸 Caption: the project detail tab dock showing the panels listed above.

Don't feel pressure to fill every panel on day one. Most studios start with the timeline (already pre-populated if you left the box checked), then invoices (the deposit), and the rest grows as the project moves.