Terms and Conditions
Last updated: 10 September 2026
These Terms and Conditions apply to all consultations, design services and related services purchased from Ale Atelier through www.aleatelier.com or agreed directly by email.
By booking, ordering or paying for a service, you confirm that you have read and accepted these Terms and Conditions.
1. Service provider
Ale Atelier is operated by:
Ale Atelier
Alexandra Kostakos
Email: info@aleatelier.com
In these Terms, “Ale Atelier”, “we”, “us” and “our” refer to Alexandra Kostakos trading as Ale Atelier. “Client”, “you” and “your” refer to the person purchasing or receiving the service.
2. Services
Ale Atelier provides architectural consultations, interior-design consultations, design advice, spatial analysis, property-related guidance and other design services described on the website or in an individual written proposal.
The exact scope, price, deliverables, schedule and number of revisions are defined in the relevant service description, booking confirmation, proposal or written agreement.
Anything not expressly included is outside the agreed scope and may require an additional fee.
3. Nature of the services
Ale Atelier provides professional architectural and design advice based on the information available at the time of the service.
Unless expressly included in writing, the services do not include:
structural, electrical, mechanical or specialist engineering;
official building applications or authority approvals;
legal, tax, financial or property-valuation advice;
construction supervision or contractor management;
certified measurements or technical inspections;
guarantees concerning construction costs, permits, property value or project outcomes.
Where specialist advice is required, the Client is responsible for appointing an appropriately qualified professional.
4. Booking and formation of the agreement
A booking or order is submitted when the Client completes the checkout process and payment is authorised.
The agreement becomes binding when Ale Atelier sends an order or booking confirmation by email.
Ale Atelier may refuse or cancel an order where:
the service is unavailable;
the request falls outside Ale Atelier’s expertise or capacity;
incorrect pricing or service information was displayed;
the project presents a legal, ethical, safety or professional concern;
the Client has provided incomplete, misleading or inappropriate information.
If Ale Atelier refuses an order before beginning work, any amount already paid for that order will be refunded.
5. Prices and payment
Prices and currencies are displayed on the website, at checkout or in the applicable proposal.
Full payment is required before a consultation or service begins unless a written instalment plan has been agreed.
Payments are processed through Stripe or another payment provider made available at checkout. Ale Atelier does not store complete payment-card details.
The Client is responsible for any bank charges, currency-conversion fees or other charges imposed by the Client’s payment provider.
Third-party expenses, travel, printing, materials, contractor fees, permits and specialist-consultant fees are not included unless expressly stated.
6. No-refund policy
All purchases, bookings, deposits and advance payments are non-refundable, including when the Client:
changes their mind;
no longer requires the service;
chooses not to proceed with the project;
provides incorrect or incomplete information;
fails to attend a consultation;
delays the project;
does not use all the advice or deliverables provided.
This policy does not limit any mandatory rights that cannot legally be excluded.
If Ale Atelier is unable to provide a paid service for reasons within its control, Ale Atelier may offer a replacement date, an equivalent service or a refund for the part of the service that has not been provided.
7. Rescheduling consultations
The Client may reschedule a booked consultation once, provided the request is received by email at least 48 hours before the scheduled start time.
The replacement appointment:
is subject to availability;
must normally take place within 60 days of the original booking;
cannot be rescheduled a second time.
Requests received less than 48 hours before the appointment, missed appointments and late arrivals are not eligible for rescheduling or a refund.
If the Client arrives late, the consultation will still end at the originally scheduled time. If Ale Atelier is able to extend the consultation, additional time may be charged separately.
8. Design-project cancellations and delays
Design-service payments are non-refundable once the order has been accepted, time has been reserved or work has begun.
If the Client pauses, cancels or abandons a project:
completed work and payments already made remain payable and non-refundable;
Ale Atelier may provide the work completed up to the cancellation date;
unused time or services are not automatically transferable to another project;
any additional amounts due for completed work, approved expenses or work outside the original scope remain payable.
If the Client fails to provide required information, feedback, documents or approvals, Ale Atelier may adjust the project schedule.
If there is no meaningful response from the Client for more than 30 days, Ale Atelier may place the project on hold. Restarting the project will depend on availability and may require an additional fee.
9. Client responsibilities
The Client agrees to:
provide complete, accurate and current information;
provide plans, photographs, measurements and documents reasonably required for the service;
disclose known restrictions, defects, risks and relevant project conditions;
review deliverables carefully and provide feedback within the requested timeframe;
verify important dimensions and site conditions before ordering, purchasing or constructing anything;
obtain necessary permissions, approvals and specialist advice;
ensure that final decisions comply with applicable laws, regulations, leases and building requirements.
Ale Atelier is not responsible for errors or delays caused by inaccurate, incomplete or late information supplied by the Client or a third party.
10. Measurements, plans and visual materials
Unless an on-site survey or verified measurement service is expressly included, Ale Atelier may rely on measurements, plans, photographs and information provided by the Client or third parties.
Drawings, layouts, sketches, mood boards, renders and visualisations are design and communication tools. Colours, proportions, materials and finishes may appear differently in reality or on different screens.
The Client must verify all dimensions, quantities, technical details and site conditions with the relevant contractor, supplier or qualified professional before construction, production or purchase.
11. Deliverables and revisions
Deliverables will be provided in the format described in the service description or proposal.
Only the number of revisions expressly included in the purchased service is included in the price.
Additional revisions, new requests, changes to previously approved decisions or work outside the agreed scope may be charged separately. Ale Atelier will inform the Client before carrying out material additional work.
A revision means a reasonable adjustment to the agreed direction. It does not include developing a completely new concept or changing the original project brief.
12. Timelines
Any delivery date or project schedule is an estimate unless expressly confirmed as a fixed deadline in writing.
Ale Atelier is not responsible for delays caused by:
incomplete or late Client information;
delayed feedback or approvals;
third-party suppliers, consultants or contractors;
changes to the agreed scope;
technical problems, illness or events outside reasonable control.
Ale Atelier will make reasonable efforts to inform the Client of significant delays and propose an adjusted schedule.
13. Decisions, purchases and third parties
The Client remains responsible for all final decisions, purchases, contracts and instructions given to contractors, suppliers or consultants.
Ale Atelier may recommend products, materials, contractors, suppliers or other professionals but does not guarantee their availability, price, quality, performance or suitability.
Unless expressly agreed otherwise, contracts with third parties are entered into directly between the Client and the third party. Ale Atelier is not responsible for the acts, omissions, delays, workmanship or insolvency of third parties.
14. Intellectual property
All concepts, drawings, layouts, reports, templates, texts, presentations, methods and other materials created by Ale Atelier remain protected intellectual property.
After full payment, the Client receives a limited, non-exclusive and non-transferable right to use the final deliverables for the specific personal project for which they were created.
The Client may not, without prior written permission:
sell, sublicense or commercially distribute the deliverables;
reproduce them for another property or project;
remove authorship or copyright information;
present Ale Atelier’s work as the work of another person;
give editable source files to another designer for reuse;
use unfinished concepts or rejected proposals.
Editable or original working files are not included unless expressly agreed in writing.
Ale Atelier may display non-confidential work in its portfolio, website and professional social-media channels after removing personal information, unless the Client and Ale Atelier have agreed otherwise in writing.
15. Confidentiality
Ale Atelier will treat non-public project information as confidential and will not intentionally disclose it except:
where necessary to provide the service;
to trusted service providers or professional advisers;
with the Client’s permission;
where disclosure is required by law.
The Client agrees not to share Ale Atelier’s confidential processes, templates, pricing documents or working materials beyond what is reasonably necessary for the agreed project.
16. Liability
Ale Atelier will perform the services with reasonable professional care.
However, no particular result, approval, cost saving, property value, construction outcome or commercial result is guaranteed.
To the maximum extent permitted by law:
Ale Atelier is liable only for direct damage caused by a proven breach of its contractual obligations;
Ale Atelier is not liable for indirect, incidental or consequential losses, lost profit, lost opportunity or loss caused by third parties;
Ale Atelier’s total liability relating to a service is limited to the amount paid by the Client for the specific service giving rise to the claim.
Nothing in these Terms excludes or limits liability where such exclusion or limitation is prohibited by mandatory law, including liability for intentional misconduct or gross negligence.
17. Force majeure
Ale Atelier is not responsible for failure or delay caused by circumstances outside its reasonable control, including serious illness, accidents, internet or platform failures, natural events, government measures, transport disruption, strikes or failures by essential third-party providers.
Where possible, Ale Atelier will propose a reasonable alternative date or solution.
18. Complaints
Any concern regarding a service should be sent to info@aleatelier.com as soon as possible and include:
the Client’s name;
the booking or order number;
a description of the issue;
relevant documents or photographs;
the requested resolution.
The Client should allow Ale Atelier a reasonable opportunity to review and, where appropriate, correct the issue before engaging a third party or taking further action.
19. Personal data
Personal data is processed according to the Ale Atelier Privacy Policy, available on the website.
By using the website or purchasing a service, the Client acknowledges that payment providers, website platforms, email providers and other necessary service providers may process data for the purpose of completing the transaction and delivering the service.
20. Mandatory consumer rights
Nothing in these Terms removes rights granted to consumers by mandatory applicable law.
Where a mandatory statutory withdrawal right applies and the Client asks Ale Atelier to begin providing the service before the withdrawal period has expired, the Client expressly requests immediate performance.
Where legally permitted, the Client agrees to pay for work performed before exercising a valid withdrawal right and acknowledges that the withdrawal right may end once the service has been fully performed.
21. Changes to these Terms
Ale Atelier may update these Terms when its services, business operations or legal obligations change.
The version applicable to an order is normally the version accepted by the Client at the time of purchase. Material changes will not be applied retroactively to an existing confirmed order unless required by law or agreed with the Client.
22. Severability
If any provision of these Terms is found to be invalid or unenforceable, the remaining provisions will continue to apply.
The invalid provision will be replaced, where possible, by a valid provision that most closely reflects its original purpose.
23. Governing law and jurisdiction
These Terms and the contractual relationship between Ale Atelier and the Client are governed by Swiss law.
The courts of Zürich, Switzerland, have jurisdiction, subject to any mandatory consumer-protection rules concerning jurisdiction or applicable law.
24. AI-generated imagery
Some visual imagery on this website has been generated or enhanced using artificial intelligence and is used for illustrative and conceptual purposes only. Such imagery does not represent completed Ale Atelier projects unless expressly stated otherwise.
25. Contact
Questions concerning these Terms and Conditions may be sent to:
Email: info@aleatelier.com