Frequently Asked Questions - Working with an Interior Designer
When hiring an interior designer it is essential that you trust that you are working with someone who can help execute your vision or help shape and guide you to create something you love. We appreciate that for some it can be difficult to know where to start and with our expertise we can create interiors that balance aesthetics, form and function to give you spaces that flow and feel effortless to spend time in. To ensure we achieve this for you, we spend time getting to know you, what you love, how you live or work, and your aspirations for the future so we can develop a design that works for you now and in the years to come.
For home design FAQs click here & for our commercial design FAQs you can find them here.
Home Design - Frequently Asked Questions
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What can I expect from the design process?
These are fully laid out on our residential design page, there are some differences depending on which interior design service you use, but all projects start with a design brief, this allows us to explore your ideas and understand more about your requirements, we then start work on the scheme, this phase is called concept design, this is the foundation of your project, so this stage is essential to ensure you are confident and happy, we have understood all of your desires and we will work together at this stage to ensure we have a cohesive vision for your home. Next is the development phase, this is where we start to pull together the full scheme and final design for your home. We then share the final design presentation for review. For our interior design online services, following agreement on the final design, we prepare your recommended purchases, we will arrange a final presentation for you to review before we share this with you. For our full service after the development phase, we complete our installation phase, this is where we bring together all of the plans and final styling. We will support you after your project completion, with some planned follow-up consultations to ensure that you are delighted.
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How long does a typical home interior design project take?
The duration of a project depends on its scope and complexity. A virtual room design is an online interior design service, that can typically take four to six weeks depending on the size of the room. A full home renovation that is mostly completed in person can take several months, or even up to a year depending on building work and planning requirements; we will provide a detailed timeline after the initial consultation, and what you can expect at each stage.
Following the consultation call, what is the lead time for starting our interior design project?
For our online interior design services, the lead times are typically shorter as there is less dependence on other contractors and third parties, for full home design the lead times for your start-on-site date will vary as we need to align contractors and supplier lead times to your interior design project. We can often be working on your design whilst we align these. All projects have set phases and deliverables that are set out in your project proposal, this will outline what you can expect at each phase and the timings. We will, however, discuss expected timelines at your consultation call or at your design brief, depending on which service you have booked.
Typically our online services we would expect four to six weeks, and for our full home design service, you should expect three to four months; this will depend on the time of year, other projects we are working on and your home design requirements.
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Is any project too small?
Simply no; we are as happy working with you on tiny rooms such as a water closet, boot room or entrance way, as we are full home designs. We want you to love every inch of your home, and we put as much care and attention into these spaces as we would any other.
At what stage should I be thinking of hiring an Interior Designer?
We would always recommend that you hire your designer very early on in your project, having the interior design team involved at initiation of your project ensures that we work collaboratively with the architect and contractors to create a renovation and design scheme that is truly developed around how you want to live. We will consider furniture layouts from the offset, the flow of space, and how you will live, work and relax; that allows us to direct where the electrical points should go, or help decide where a door may be better positioned to maximise the space and flow to create a design that truly meets its intended purpose. We are able to innovate, problem solve, and curate interiors that reflect you, the property and how you want to live.
Do I really need an architect and an interior designer?
Depending on the scope of the project and your needs, we believe its beneficial to have both at the offset of your project, both possess a different skill set but by working collaboratively together on your home design, particularly on large scale projects, we can create an exceptional scheme that exceeds all your expectations.
What if I am unsure of my interior design style or design needs?
Perfect! Don't worry, we are ready and able to help you discover your personal style and develop the right solution for your home design. Working together and getting to know you helps us identify a style that is truly connected to you and how you live. We will help tease out both your design taste and needs so we can create a home that achieves the aspirations you didn't know you had. It can be difficult sometimes to hone in on a style, select furnishings or to pinpoint what it is you exactly need to change; by hiring us as your interior design team, we will, inspired by you, the space, and how you want to live and feel, craft a scheme perfect for you.
What is sustainable Interior Design?
Sustainable interior design is an approach to designing spaces that seeks to minimise the negative impact on the environment while promoting the health and well-being of those that live there. For us here at Design@Studio17, this means that throughout the design process, we consider the materials we select, energy efficiencies, how we can seek to reduce waste and select furniture and pieces from suppliers that also strive to minimise their overall environmental impact. We also love to give antiques and vintage pieces a new life and we will also work designs around items you already own and love. Additionally, we are passionate about working with suppliers that have ethical practices, such as paying fair wages, having an environment of inclusivity and equal opportunities and wherever possible, will select to work with local craftspeople, small businesses, and artisans. We are committed to creating timeless designs that aim to leave things better than we found them, As an example, when working on garden schemes we use native planting that encourages wildlife, and our values mean we won't work with fast furniture producers; we are passionate about unpicking this 'it will do for now' culture.
What is the difference between an interior designer and an interior stylist?
An interior stylist, focuses primarily on aesthetics, helping select colour schemes, furniture, and accessories to enhance the look of a space. An interior designer focuses on both the functionality and appearance of a space, often working on structural changes, space planning, and design concepts. At Design@Studio17, we believe that these often overlap, and our services are designed to help you only pay for what you need, by guiding you to the design service for you. If we are completing a full redesign we will also complete the styling to ensure each detail has been considered to create a cohesive home design.
What should I budget for a room or full home design?
Budgets will vary depending on the size of the space, your requirements, if any existing pieces can be repurposed and the condition of the existing foundation. There are so many additional elements that can be part of a room design or full renovation, be that flooring, replastering, the requirement of bespoke pieces or sourcing of new furniture and finishes. We will work with you to set a realistic budget, that aligns with your goals and aspirations, helping guide where you can save money, but also where you might need to invest to ensure your design lasts for years to come, saving you money for the long term.
What can I expect at a consultation call ?
The consultation call allows us to get to know each other a little better, it helps us to draw out your needs and ambitions a little further so we can learn a bit more about how you live, your aspirations, what you love and what might be driving you a little nuts. We will explore your ideas, style, budget and timelines but we can help if you are unsure of where to start. It's very informal, and is the start of getting to understand how we work together allowing you to get comfortable that we are the right interior design team to help bring your vision to life.
How can I best prepare for my home design brief?
Don't worry, ahead of this meeting we will be in touch to let you know what to expect and what would be helpful for you to prepare so we can make the most of our time together. Please do not panic clean or do to a tidying spree; seeing your 'lived in' home allows us to incorporate solutions that enable a little more zen energy in your home.