The design journey - A look at the different stages of working with an interior designer

rwdadmn

3 years ago

Categories: Design Advice

The design journey – A look at the different stages of working with an interior designer

In our recent blog posts, we’ve discussed the difference between the two design disciplines of interior design and interior architecture, and what to expect when working with an interior designer. In this post, we’d like to guide you through the design process you’ll embark on with us as you start your journey towards creating an exceptional interior. A home imbued with understated luxury and a welcoming sense of comfort.

A typical design journey with our clients includes the following stages:

Initial meeting
Concept design
Design development
Construction
Completion

Initial meeting

When you book an initial meeting with us, we’ll visit you at home, or at your newly acquired property, to see the space firsthand and get an idea of your requirements. This complimentary first meeting gives us the chance to get to know you as we find out more about your project. Although we prefer to see the space during our initial meeting, we’re more than happy to meet you at our studio if this is more convenient or if it isn’t possible for us to access your property.

Our job at this stage is to learn a little about your lifestyle and your tastes so that we can create a design that will truly reflect your individual style. This meeting also gives you the chance to establish whether you think we will be a good fit with your approach – something we believe is essential for a successful, collaborative client relationship. Our aim is to gain a full understanding of the life you lead and the way you want to live it, so that we can translate this into an exceptional, highly tailored interior.

Following the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) work stages, we will draw up a design brief for your project which will outline the scope of the work required. This structure of distinct phases allows for a smooth and stress-free process from conception to completion in which you are kept fully informed and involved throughout.

Concept Design

The Concept Design stage forms the foundations on which the more detailed elements of your design will be built. This is where – via research and careful analysis of your requirements – we establish the fundamental look and feel of your design scheme and provide an overview of all interior architecture and interior design work involved.

Depending on the specific brief, the concept design might be expressed via media such as mood boards, sketches, and floor plans. We will present our design concept to you for your review and feedback. Once this has been approved, we will be ready to flesh out our designs during the development stage.

Design Development

Taking your feedback on board from the Concept Design stage, we then move onto developing your designs further. This stage is all about turning concept into reality and includes elements such as 3D renders, plans, and elevations to guide the progression of our designs and to help you visualise the end result.

Design development covers all aspects of both interior design and interior architecture and may include technical drawings, joinery designs, lighting plans, and finish samples such as paint, fabric, joinery, tiles, and flooring. We will discuss all these elements in detail with you as the design journey evolves, resulting in a sophisticated and elegant design which both meets your brief and exceeds your expectations.

Construction

Work on your property will begin according to a carefully managed timeline of activity. We visit the site as required to assess the works being carried out and ensure they are in line with our design package. We troubleshoot enquiries as they occur to ensure that everything is completed to schedule and to the highest possible standard.

Our processes are set up to allow our clients complete visibility for peace of mind throughout the construction phase. We issue weekly progress reports, and all changes are carefully monitored on Client Variation Instruction (CVI) reports. Our clients often compliment us on how smoothly our schedules run and how surprisingly stress-free the process is for them.

Completion

On handover day, we will ensure that every single cornice, curtain, and cushion is perfect before we consider our work for you to be complete. If your remit requires, we will dress your home with thoughtfully placed accessories and floral arrangements to create a refined and calming space in which you will immediately feel at home.