For interior designers and design-build professionals, delivering a project is rarely about creativity alone. Behind every beautifully designed space is a complicated network of plans, selections, budgets, approvals, purchase orders, deliveries, client decisions, contractor communications, and installation details. Materio was created to bring all of those moving parts into one connected system.

The company’s story began with a personal experience. Co-founders Mary Beth and Thomas Chau encountered the frustrations of managing an apartment remodel, where project information became scattered across emails, text messages, spreadsheets, documents, and conversations. The experience exposed a larger problem across the design-build industry: many professionals were relying on disconnected software tools that served either designers or builders, but rarely both.

Materio set out to change that model. Launched in 2020, the company developed what it describes as a Project Delivery System for interior design and build teams. Rather than forcing firms to manage separate systems for different stages of a project, Materio connects planning, design, procurement, construction, and closeout. More than 1,500 design professionals currently use the platform, according to the company, with users reporting significant time savings.

At its core, Materio is designed around one simple idea: project information should remain connected from the first decision to the final installation.

Stop managing projects. Start delivering them.

Planning Phase

The planning phase establishes the foundation for everything that follows, and Materio approaches it by bringing project information into a shared visual environment. Teams can upload floor plans and elevations and use them as a common source of truth throughout the project. Selections can then be mapped directly onto floor plans, allowing teams to identify exactly where products and materials belong.

This approach turns a conventional selection list into a visual project scope. Instead of relying on spreadsheets or separate documents to explain what belongs where, designers and project teams can associate items with specific locations. As selections are mapped, the project scope develops alongside them, while item budgets can be entered as early estimates and refined as the project progresses.

The result is greater visibility from the beginning. Designers, clients, installers, and other stakeholders can work from the same information, reducing ambiguity before the project moves into design development and procurement.

Design Phase

Once the project scope has been established, Materio moves the workflow into a design environment where ideas can be developed into client-ready concepts. Designers can pull options from their design libraries and use the Materio Selections Clipper to collect relevant products and materials efficiently.

The platform also enables teams to combine selections and inspiration imagery into concept boards, giving clients a visual way to understand and respond to proposed designs. From there, concepts can become detailed proposals that include quantities, pricing, and specifications.

A key element is the connection between design decisions and the established project scope. Rather than rebuilding information at every stage, approved selections can flow forward into the next steps. Clients can review visual proposals and provide sign-off, creating a clearer record of decisions and helping prevent misunderstandings later in the project.

For design teams, this creates a more structured path from creative concept to confirmed specification.

Procurement Phase

Procurement is where creative decisions become physical products, and it is also where delays, incorrect orders, missing information, and communication gaps can create significant problems. Materio connects approved scope items with the purchasing process, helping teams move from selection approval to order management without recreating information manually.

The platform can automatically draft purchase orders once scope items are approved. Teams can review the information, generate purchase-order documents, and prepare vendor communications. Once orders are placed, Materio provides a central place to track lead times, tracking numbers, and delivery status.

Financial visibility is also connected to procurement. Actual costs can synchronize with the project, allowing teams to compare spending against estimates as the project progresses. Materio’s integration with QuickBooks further connects project purchasing and financial administration.

This creates a procurement workflow where teams can see what has been approved, ordered, shipped, and received without depending on disconnected spreadsheets or lengthy email chains.

Construction & Closeout Phase

Keep the install smooth and wrap the project with zero loose ends.

The final phase brings the project from digital planning into physical installation. Materio provides teams with finish schedules containing items, vendors, and delivery information that can be shared with contractors and build teams. The objective is straightforward: everyone involved in installation should know what is arriving and where it belongs.

The platform also provides on-site access to product information through QR codes. Trades can connect directly to item details and associated installation instructions or reference documents. Once an item has been installed, teams can mark it complete and add notes, creating a record of progress.

Closeout then becomes an extension of the same system rather than a separate administrative exercise. Project details, documents, finances, approvals, and other records can be archived in one location for future reference.

By connecting the final construction activities back to the information created during planning and design, Materio aims to reduce the loose ends that can remain after installation and give teams a clearer record of the completed project.

Building the Next Standard for Design-Build Operations

Materio’s future direction is closely connected to its broader ambition of becoming the operating system for the design-build industry. The company says it is continuously researching real-world workflows and using feedback from professionals to evolve the platform. Its current product structure already extends beyond basic project management into planning, design, client collaboration, financials, procurement, and construction.

The company’s current roadmap provides an indication of where that development is heading. Its Team Plus offering includes construction-focused capabilities such as field notes, dynamic billing rates, cost-plus billing, change orders, Scenario Mode, and timesheets, while redlining is listed as coming soon.

That direction suggests a continued effort to connect the commercial, creative, and operational sides of design-build work within one environment. Materio is also investing in workflow automation, templates, financial tools, client communication, and construction-phase functionality as it expands its platform for growing studios and design-build firms.

The company’s customer stories provide another indication of the opportunity ahead. Firms using Materio have reported managing larger numbers of active projects, reducing administrative work, and improving coordination between design, project management, and field teams.

Ultimately, Materio’s ambition is not simply to digitize existing paperwork. It is to rethink how design-build projects are delivered, creating a connected workflow in which every decision, document, selection, cost, approval, order, and installation detail remains part of the same project story. As the platform continues to develop, that approach positions Materio to play a larger role in helping design and build professionals spend less time managing fragmented information and more time delivering exceptional spaces.

Thomas Chau & Mary Beth Chau | Co-founders

“Great design deserves an equally great delivery process. We built Materio to connect every decision, detail, and team involved in a project, so designers can spend less time managing complexity and more time creating spaces that truly matter.”