Whether you’re looking to refurbish a single room or renovate an entire house, employing the expertise of an interior designer can ensure that the process is enjoyable and rewarding, and crucially that costly mistakes are avoided.
Here are our top five things to consider before taking the decision to hire an interior designer.
1 – Work out your timescales and budget from the very beginning
Interior design projects take time to plan and implement. Good builders and tradespeople get booked up months in advance, and lead times for bespoke furniture and bathroom sanitaryware, for example, can be over 12 weeks. As such, it pays to plan in advance wherever possible.
On larger scale renovations where several parties are involved, the best results happen when the architect and interior designer work closely together from the very outset, balancing interesting design elements with a beautifully thought through interior scheme. Architects focus mainly on the structure of the house and the external aesthetics. They want to give their design the “wow” factor without always focusing on the practicalities of day to day living. As interior designers we consider the desired look, feel and outcome of the inside of your house whilst ensuring the home can stand up to the rigours of daily life, and adapt to different life stages.
When it comes to budget, we ask clients to be clear and open from the outset. We understand that discussing money can be awkward, however without financial guidelines to work within we are unable to know if we are the right fit for the project or to carry out our role successfully. We realise that it can be hard to allocate budget or to know what spend is required, and as such we are very much on hand to advise.
2 – Decide what degree of involvement you require
Many people have an idea of what they like and the look that they want to achieve, but don’t know how to pull a scheme together and create a cohesive, layered result across a home. By working with an interior designer, they have someone else to guide them, give them confidence and nudge them out of their comfort zone. We form close relationships with our clients and take huge pleasure in taking them on a journey of design and exploration. At Otta Design we have two routes you can take, depending on the degree of involvement you want or require, and the scale of your project – our full design service, or our virtual one-on-one consultancy service. Typically, the projects we work on involve designing the entire home or full room schemes, and as such require our full design service.
The key stages of this process are:
Initial Briefing
This is a detailed discussion of your requirements. We take time to listen and to understand how you live your lives, how you want to feel about your home, and the scope of the works you wish to undertake. It is also important for us to understand how you like to work, how involved you would like to be in the design process, and to get a firm idea of the budget allocated for the project.
Design Development
We work together to shape the style, look and feel of your home; creating an overall vision that will act as an anchor throughout the project.
During the design development phase, you will be presented with the following:
- Floorplans showing furniture layouts
- Moodboards to develop concepts and schemes
- Sample trays showing colours, fabrics and finishes
- Moodboards and visuals showing suggested styles of FF&E
- Electrical and lighting plans
- Rendered elevations which allow you to visualise each scheme as a whole
- A detailed estimate for budgeting purposes, to be approved by client
Procuring and Project Coordination
This phase covers every aspect of the project following approval of the design schemes through to installation. Once the scheme(s) and budget have been signed off, we produce:
- Specification lists of all FF&E to procure
- Full decorative schedules for each room which are used to brief the builder
- We request invoices from suppliers and once the client has made payment we place all orders on your behalf
- We co-ordinate and manage lead times and deliveries with suppliers and tradespeople, ensuring items arrive when they are required
- We update and circulate the FF&E schedule on a regular basis so that clients are kept up to speed with the status of all items ordered by Otta Design
- Scheduled site visits are undertaken to check on progress, ensure quality control, and iron out any unforeseen changes with the building team and architects
Installation and Styling
Once the project is complete, we can oversee the installation of furniture and furnishings. We provide a comprehensive styling service which involves sourcing, ordering and placing the many finishing touches which make a house a home – from artwork to decorative accessories, new bedding to styling bookshelves.
For those who don’t know where to start, are bamboozled by the endless options of fabric, colours and furnishings, have a particular interior design conundrum or simply need a nudge in the right direction, a virtual one-to-one interior design consultation may be the most suitable option. Conducted over Zoom (and prepared for in advance), during the hour long call we can advise on:
- Spatial planning – how to design a layout which flows and makes the best use of a space
- Furniture selection and placement – including brands and suppliers to consider
- Lighting design – fittings, circuits and layout
- Hard finishes – flooring, tiles, panelling and how to create a coherent scheme
- Paint colours and wallpaper – with consideration to lighting, room direction and use, and brands to consider
- Window treatments – from blind and curtain styles to fabric suggestions
- Joinery – including kitchens, dressing rooms, libraries, ancillary rooms and individual pieces
- Styling – the finishing touches, from bed linen and cushions to placement of art and accessories
Further consultations can be scheduled if additional help is required.
3 – Take time to find the right designer for you
We suggest asking for recommendations from friends and family, looking on social media (particularly Instagram) and leafing through magazines as strong starting points when it comes to choosing an interior designer.
The portfolio pages on designers websites cut through words and give the best indication as to whether the designer’s aesthetic is aligned to yours, and also whether they have experience of taking on projects of a similar scope and scale.
Take time to look into the size and make up of the studio. Would you prefer to work with a larger team with varying experience levels and specific skills, or an individual designer? At Otta Design, Ali and Alex work in tandem across each and every project, two experienced heads bestows on our clients a breadth of ideas and results in a more streamlined design process.
There are many different ways interior designers structure their fees (hourly rates, flat fees, retainers, percentage of total budget), and this too is worth researching and considering in order to find the option that best suits your situation.
Lastly, having a strong rapport with the designer is absolutely key to the joy and success of any interior design project. Once you’ve narrowed down a shortlist, always ask for an introductory call with the designers (in fact beware of anyone who don’t offer this as a matter of course!) At Otta Design we do not charge for the initial call – it is an opportunity for us to find out about yourselves and to discuss your project in more detail, so you can ensure there is affinity on both a design and a personal level. We want our clients to feel listened to. We take time to get to know you, to understand your lifestyle, how you want to feel about your home, and any preferences or practical considerations you may have.
4 – Consider how you wish to work
It is important consider how you like to work, how involved you can or would like to be in the design process, and how much time you have to devote to project from concepts through to project coordination. This will influence which designer is the best fit, and also the type of design service required. Whether our clients want to be hands-on or have little free time or interest, we adapt accordingly.
Each project and relationship is different and unique. Some people are more decisive than others – this will affect the number of meetings required and number of revisions for any given scheme.
Many of our clients are based overseas. We are adept at presenting ideas remotely and working in more of a virtual manner. Our diligent organisation and processes, along with efficient communication, means that we nurture a sense of ease and reassurance throughout the process and leave nothing to chance.
5 – Understand the value of using an interior designer
Employing an interior designer is seen by most as an unaffordable or unattainable extravagance, but the reality really isn’t as clear cut at this. There are many ways interior designers can save both time and money – from trade discounts and keeping within budget through to project co-ordination and avoiding costly mistakes.
A common misconception is that interior designers only deal with the “fluffy” parts of renovation projects such as picking fabrics and paint colours. In reality, over 80% of our time involves detailed planning, following processes, effective organisation and communication, budgeting, schedules and project coordination. This is where the true value of an established, respected interior designer lies.
Keeping to budget
An experienced designer will help keep track of costs and work within a given budget. At Otta Design, after concept sign off we create a detailed estimate for each room/scheme, working to your budget. This breaks down the price of every item, from large pieces of furniture all the way down to switches and sockets, ensuring everything is accounted for before the building works commence.
When to spend and when to save
We will always advise where and what to spend money on, and where savings can be made. For example, a good quality sofa will always be a better investment than a high end side table or lamp, because furniture bears the brunt of wear and tear. We have extensive knowledge of where to source items across the entire price spectrum and take pride in finding good value pieces that still give our clients the overall look and feel that they wish to
attain. We often incorporate existing, valued items of furniture into a scheme, or suggest reupholstering which saves on waste and helps cut costs.
Time saving and project coordination
Managing a project is all consuming, often frustrating and not to be underestimated. There are many moving parts which clients often don’t anticipate. We take on all the co-ordination required, working hand in hand with architects, builders and suppliers to ensure the project runs smoothly from beginning to end. We order all FF&E (furniture, fixtures and equipment) on your behalf, carry out regular site visits to check on progress, and once works are complete we oversee the installation and styling, ensuring quality control throughout.
Recommended tradespeople
Having the right team working on your project is essential to achieving the best finished result and within budget. Since setting up in 2014, we have built a trusted network of tradespeople and suppliers, with whom we have excellent working relationships. Being able to recommend these professionals to our clients removes a huge layer of time and anxiety.
Avoiding costly mistakes
Interior designers have an important role to play in working closely with architects and builders. If you are embarking on a renovation, it is wise to enlist the help of an interior designer from the start. When the details are thought of in advance and in collaboration with all parties involved, the margin of error is reduced, thus avoiding costly mistakes or inconveniences down the line. Fixing mistakes can be expensive and really eat into a budget.
