What we need from our clients when we work together
Working with an interior designer can be a new experience for many, and you may be wondering how you can best prepare for the process or understand more about what we will need from you. To help, we have detailed 5 things for you to consider when working with an interior designer to obtain as much as you can from the process and to help it run smoothly.
Decide on a budget, timescale and priorities
Deciding on your budget can be a difficult task but is a very important element when enlisting an interior designer. Depending on the suppliers they use and the designs they produce, the budget from designer to designer can vary greatly. Therefore, it is best to decide how much you would like to spend before contacting us. We will then be able to guide you on whether your expectations are realistic for the budget you have set.
It’s also a good idea for you to think about the timeline you would like the works complete by. Do you have family coming to stay later in the year, or a big event to get ready for? Knowing this well in advance will allow us to plan ahead to ensure that we complete the work in good time. We also recommend that you make a list of priorities, for each area in your home you would like us to work on. For example, if you would prefer, we complete the bedrooms first or rather prioritised main living areas first. The more information we have at the beginning, the better prepared we will be when project managing the installation, and the less disruption for you.
2. Declutter & decide what you want to keep
Either before we work together, or at the start of the process, it is always a good idea to move through your house and make sure everything in it, you intend to keep. Doing so, enables us to assess your storage requirements effectively and helps us to design the room exactly how you will need it. Once you have done so, let us know what your favourite furniture pieces, paintings or ornaments are, that you would like us to incorporate into the design. We can create a room design around your most treasured items whilst giving them a new lease of life and restoring them to be a centrepiece in your home.
3. Communication, Questions & Feedback
At all stages of the design and installation process we encourage communication and feedback from our clients wherever possible. Although it’s our job to manage the process for you, we always ensure that you remain in the loop on how your home is progressing to ensure that you are fully confident in the process. If there is ever anything you need explaining or revising, it’s important to ask questions as soon as you feel the need to enable us to move quickly if any changes need to be made.
4. Brief the designer on as much as possible
We love to learn more about our clients to ensure that we give you a home you will enjoy for years to come. Before we do anything, we will send you our tailored design survey where you will be able to tell us about your likes and dislikes when it comes to interior design and how you use the space. We ask that you give us an much information as possible at this stage to give us a greater understanding of your style. We will also meet with you in person to talk through your brief and the answers to your questions before we begin. This allows us create a design which we know you will love.
5. Trust & Confidence is Key
Above all we need you to have faith in us and trust our design decisions. Our job is to push you into new directions you may not have considered before which can be daunting when it comes to your home. Therefore, when you decide to work with us, we need you to essentially have more confidence in us, than yourself. Afterall, if you wanted to make all the design decisions you wouldn’t have enlisted our services! A lot of the time, the design elements, which might be unusual to you, are often the pieces that make your home special and unique.
If you live locally in Surrey or West London and are thinking about hiring an Interior designer, please feel free to take a look through our portfolio and get in touch below to understand how we can help you, enjoy how you live!