THE TOP 4 QUESTIONS OUR INTERIOR DESIGN FIRM IS ASKED MOST FREQUENTLY
Interior Design can be confusing, with many preconceptions and misunderstandings around what we actually do.
TV shows mostly focus on the design only section of work, but we do so much more than that in reality. So much of our time is spent Spatially Planning your home to make sure it works, drawing technical drawings so manufacturers can make what we have designed and of course then seeing the project over the finish line. So what do we actually do?
FAQ #1 - HOW CAN YOU CAPTURE MY UNIQUE DESIGN STYLE ?
If you find yourself trawling through Instagram and Pinterest or through the many magazines on offer today for ideas but end up with nothing more than hundreds of pinned images and home envy, perhaps it is time to call in the experts. We will work with you to make you feel more at home than ever before.
We work with all of our clients to discover what we call your ‘core style’. For example, the Studio Dean core style is “quiet luxury”. This really helps to focus you on what you actually love and what will make you personally love your home rather than just showing you algorithm-created images based on your last 'like'. It is amazing when we work with clients in this way how much they realise they were swayed down a route because of what they were shown but in reality they liked something totally different.
Once your core style is found we can truly design through your eyes. From there we work up the designs for your home, always seeing the world through your lens and adding design magic!
FAQ #2 - WHERE DO YOU SOURCE PRODUCTS?
Oh so many places!
We do use some high street stores just as you would but we have trade discounts with them due to frequent purchasing.
We also use trade only suppliers to find products you will not see everywhere and also to negotiate a better price for our clients. We charge fees but we transparently pass on all our full trade discounts to you if you use us for procurement so there are often significant savings. Our end goal is for you to have a beautiful home and if we can make that happen and you can save a few pounds too then it's a win for both sides!
In addition to these off the shelf items, an awful lot of the pieces you see on our website are bespoke and have been commissioned and made for our clients. We've worked with various trades people over many years and have built up a relationship with talented people who can make pretty much anything happen! We think about it, design it, specify it, draw it and have it all made especially for your home.
We've been called 'the house fairies' by some of our clients, and we like to think of ourselves that way too!
FAQ #3 - HOW MUCH DO INTERIOR DESIGNERS CHARGE FOR THEIR SERVICES?
The holy grail of an FAQ here, and there is no single answer. Interior designers all charge differently and there is no standard model, so I can only answer for us. Hold on tight, this is a long answer! In short we charge on a fixed fee basis so you will know upfront what you are likely to spend. We are not fans of surprises, and even if the figure looks scary we'd rather share it with you upfront than surprise you with an hourly bill at the end of the month you were not expecting! We split our work into phases:
Spatial Planning
In this phase of work we aim to elevate every moment of your everyday life, from arriving home from work laden with bags, to throwing a dinner party. To achieve this, we get to know who you are and what you need from your home. Before a single paint chip is considered we work out the ideal layout of your home. Fees for this for a standard 200m2 home would be around £3,000-£4,000.
Design
This phase begins with a face-to-face meeting to find your core style, We are then fully equipped to design through your eyes. We will use all of the inspiration we gathered to inform decisions and create your home. The finished design will share visuals, product specification and mood boards and will make your design aspirations work with your everyday life. Fees for this for an 200m2 home would be around £8,000-£11,000.
Technical Design
It is essential all of the nuance of the design is fully realised. We create technical drawings and briefing packs for all manufacturers and trades. We create a clear instruction manual for everyone involved to quote and deliver on. Fees for this for an 200m2 home would be around £6,000-£9,000.
Following these Design development phases of work it is time to make things happen! We then offer:
Design Installation
This phase is much harder to give a guideline as it is very project dependent. We will detail out for our clients how many site visits we will do, how much time per week we have allocated to their project and how many weeks we believe it will take. We then keep clients informed if we are going over the time, advise them of the reasons and we begin to charge hourly for time if it runs over the estimate.
Procurement
For all of our clients who use us for design installation we offer a full procurement service. We take the stress out of liaising with suppliers, managing deliveries, returns, delays and lost parcels. We order all items, manage bespoke items through manufacture and manage all storage, warehousing and deliveries to site at point of need. Fees for this are based on the budgeted spend and we charge a 20% procurement fee but pass on the full trade discount to our clients.
FAQ#4 - WHAT LOCATIONS DO YOU SERVE?
We offer our Design Development service nationally. We charge for travel outside of our core areas. Our Design Installation service is only available in core areas currently, but we are working on plans to cover further afield!
Our core areas are the North East of England, from Northumberland to Newcastle running down the country as far south as Durham, we also cover Central Edinburgh.
If you have additional questions we didn't answer in this post, reach out to us. We would love to chat and answer those questions!
Until next time,
