Custom Design Service

My Custom Design Service is all about finding out what YOUR requirements are, and working out a design solution to suit YOU. This means I will design according to your taste and budget as well as the job's practical requirements and time-frame.

The usual process goes like this:

I come to see you on-site. If you haven't built yet I will come to see you where it is possible to view anything you might like to include in the finished design. (This might be paintings, rugs, existing furniture or a special wedding gift you want to display, for example. Whatever it is, now is the time to show them to me.) I usually work with some basic colour samples to start things off and I work WITH you to ensure a good end result. Before I leave we will both have a good idea of where we are going design-wise.

The next step involves me going away with the starting-point design we have just come up with together, and working on it some more. This involves selecting suitable materials so I can put together a broad picture of the design elements we will be needing in real life when the time comes. In most cases this includes paint and/or wallpaper, drapery fabrics, carpet, tiles and/or timber flooring, upholstery fabrics, as well as some clear ideas on furniture style etc. (Of course each job is unique, this is just a basic description I am giving here). At this stage I check availability to suit your job time-frame.

Then I return with these elements in sample form. I keep a fairly open range of possibilities on this visit usually, so it is possible to refine the ideas more to suit your taste before getting into detail. I any case I am checking-in to make sure I am on the right track for YOUR taste and needs.

Now it is time to record the ideas in the form of a design schedule. Before I do this though, usually there are one or two things to be finalised to bring the job to a suitable end-point. Once I have done this, I make notes and send them to you. At this stage I also arrange for a measure and quote for the drapes and blinds, and sometimes tile-laying, carpet-laying and furniture manufacture. This is optional, but the best results are gained from a first-hand connection between the designer and the relevant trades-people. If you wish to use your own contacts I will want to brief them to ensure a full understanding of the design is in place before their work is started.

Of course the work goes on, and I am available to complete the bigger picture by getting into detail. This might include designing a lighting plan, a kitchen, bathrooms, selecting hardware, taps, pots for plants, art for the walls, sculpture, platters and so on. As you have probably seen by now, I will work to suit YOUR requirements, but the best results always come from consulting me right at the beginning of a job, (not half-way down the track when some things cannot be changed); and from a co-operative approach between the designers (that is me the interior designer and possibly an architect and a landscape gardener), you the client, and all the trades working on the job.

Give me a call, I'd love to help!  021-240 5356