When should I bring in an interior designer?

The honest answer is: earlier than you think.

Most people assume an interior designer gets involved at the end of a project - choosing fabrics, picking paint colours, making a room look finished. And while that is part of what we do, it is probably the least important part.

The most valuable thing an interior designer brings is what happens long before a single wall goes up (or down!)

WORKING ALONGSIDE YOUR ARCHITECT

Think of it this way. Your architect is responsible for the exterior of your home: the integrity of materials, the structure and how light enters the building. An interior designer works alongside them to make sure the building reflects who you are and how you actually live.

That means being in the conversation when decisions are made that most people never think to question.

Where are the light switches positioned? What do you see the moment you walk through the front door, and how do you want to feel? How does the family live? Do they entertain often, go on long muddy walks, prefer to stay in and enjoy movies? The placement and importance given to the look and feel of rooms are directly related to the family and how they live. Parents with light sleepers will not want a nursery above their dining area where they entertain friends late in the evening.

These are not finishing touches. They are structural decisions that cannot be undone once the building work is complete.

THE QUESTIONS THAT SHAPE A HOME

When I take on a project, I spend a significant amount of time researching my clients before I make a single design decision. I want to understand how they live, not just how they want the rooms to look.

When you sit down, how high is your sofa? What are the ceiling heights, and where is the lighting in relation to where people actually sit? How does a room's mood shift throughout the day, from morning light to an evening with friends?

I think about sight lines. If someone is in the kitchen and their children are in the living room, can they see them? How does that relationship change as the children grow up?

I think about entertaining. Do they like to have people over? What does that actually look like? - pre-dinner drinks, a long meal, somewhere to settle afterwards? Should there be multiple spaces for different moments in an evening? How does all of this flow into the garden as our summers get warmer?

I design lighting and electrical plans, which must be completed before the building work starts. How many plug sockets do you need and where? It’s never the same for each family. What about the bulb temperature? Some prefer cooler and others warmer, dimmer light.

THE COST OF BRINGING SOMEONE IN LATE

Getting an interior designer involved at the end of a project to “tie things together” is not necessarily more cost-effective. In many ways, there is significantly more work to be done, because decisions have already been made that cannot easily be changed.

More than that, it can mean missing out on the potential your home could have had. The sightlines, the flow, the moments of light and space, the inexplicable feeling you get when you walk into your favourite hotel, room, restaurant - that could have been designed in from the beginning are simply harder to create when an interior designer arrives at the end.

That said, if you are partway through a project or even nearing completion, please don’t be put off. There are always things that can be done, and sometimes circumstances simply don’t allow for an interior designer from the start. I work with clients at every stage, and there is almost always more value to be added than you might think.

The best time to bring in an interior designer is at the very beginning but the second best time is as soon as possible.

If you would like to talk through what working together might look like, the discovery call is always free.

Rhiannon x