How To Work With An Interior Designer?
How To Work With An Interior Designer?
Often when I’m chatting to perspective clients, they know they want to work with a designer but they are not sure how to work with a designer?
Working with an interior designer can greatly benefit your project. Our knowledge and expertise means we know how to design beautiful, functional, unique spaces that are personal to you. Sadie Pizzey Interiors have excellent project management skills, so projects run to time and budget. We design with practicality, incorporating essential elements like clever storage and space saving ideas to get the most out of your homes. SP Interiors have so many unique design ideas. Your home won’t be a carbon copy of all your friends and families homes. Most importantly we save you time and stress, you can continue to enjoy life, whist we take care of your project.
Every design practice is different and offers different services. We offer a selection of services that vary on how much input we have and therefore how much our design fees are. We also offer some fixed priced services for clients, who want some design guidance but are limited with their budget.
Full Service Design
Full service design is exactly what it says, we literally take care of everything. Our initial, meeting is to really get an idea of your project and what you are hoping to achieve. We will move through each space, discuss the practical elements and chat through some initial ideas that you may have. This allows us to produce our quote and scope for each space and explain the different steps to our process.
Once we have the green light, then we visit your home again for photos, measuring and the “drill down chat”! We want to know about everything that is important to you and your family. Whether that’s work, travel, hobbies, this knowledge allows us to start to understand you and the other people who use the spaces. We then translate this into unique designs that represent you.
SP Interiors then move to the sharing element of the design. We encourage our clients to share images they have found, that represent the essence they want to achieve with their spaces. We bounce ideas back and forth and this allows us a deeper understanding of your preferred styles, colours and materials you want to use in your home and also any design elements that you really don’t like. All this is used and expanded on to create unique, incredible spaces that you will all love.
Floor plans, elevation drawings and 3D images of spaces are an essential part of the design. This allows us to space plan, design bespoke joinery and understand how the spaces will all work together. It is also the stage where our clients realise the space. These drawings bring the vision to life, so we can all see what we are working towards.
Project management is an important factor in full service design. We meet all potential contractors, produce detailed quote requests and talk through all the elements of the design that they will be involved with. We compile all quotes, to produce accurate costings before a single contractor begins working on your project. This allows our clients to have a full understanding of their budgets before anything starts. Regular site visits are essential for a project to be successful. Our constant communication with contractors prevents mistakes happening and the budget escalating!
Full service design also covers full sourcing and procurement. Everything from kitchens to furniture, to bespoke joinery, to lighting, to door handles. We source and present it all to you. We pull together concept and sample boards to showcase the overall look and feel of each space. This allows you to visualise each room and see how the different components will work together.
Our procurement service is an opportunity for our clients to save money. We source using as much trade resources as possible and we share our discounts with our clients. On larger projects our procurement service can virtually wipe out our design fees and of course you have access to F,F&E that isn’t available in everyday retail.
Once construction is completed, we manage all deliveries, help with furniture installation and style all the spaces to complete the amazing transformation.
This service allows our clients to enjoy the best parts of the design process, whilst we take care of the complex, problem solving issues that regularly crop up on a project.
If you would like to know more about our Full Service Design, go to our services page for more info!
Bits and Pieces
Although you won’t find on our website a service called bits and pieces. We do offer our clients the option of pick and choosing parts of our full service design.
The space planning element of the design is crucial in making sure everything fits and flows that you wanted in the space. Opting for this part of our service gives you the reassurance that everything works before you begin ordering and making costly mistakes.
Creating concept boards and sample boards, allows our clients to collaborate with us to pull all the aspects of a space together. If you are a little unsure of bringing together a whole room, then we can take this stress away by collating samples and images that brings cohesion and beauty to a space, whilst creating a design that represents you and your loved ones. You can then choose to move forward with managing and procuring all your requirements without a designer.
Finishing spaces is often a difficult stage of a project. Sometimes clients have made it fairly far through a renovation. The last stage of making the home look like the incredible space they envisaged is a step too far. We love helping clients at this stage, selecting any missing components in the space and bringing extra materials and textures to a room to add depth and interest. Bringing us in at this stage means we can help you style the spaces. We also suggest any accessories that will bring it all together.
The Walk and Talk Through
This service is a fixed rate service on our website. It is ideal for the beginning of a project. Our 90 minute consultation offers a quick injection of design expertise. You can ask us about any design choices you are facing or use the time for us to guide you with colour palettes, space planning or furniture selection.
If you are starting a large renovation, this is a perfect opportunity for us to talk you through the process and offer some suggestions to get you started.
This service is perfect for lower budget projects, and sets you in the right direction before it all begins.
If you would like to book this affordable service, then head over to our Walk and Talk Page!
Designer on Call
Designer on Call is a unique service that is more suited to a client mid-project. Another set fee option, it is bookable as 5 hour and 10 hour packages. To be used when you need expertise and guidance at crucial points in your renovation.
We know that despite all your best intensions, once a project begins it can snowball. Before you know it, your contractors are asking you to make lots of decisions.
Designer on call allows us to support you through those decisions. Removing the stress and mistakes that can occur during a renovation.
Whether it’s help finalising layouts before your builders start the internal fit out, or planning positions and options for electrics and lighting as your build moves to second fix, or simply helping you with colour palettes and material suggestions. These hours are to be used how you wish.
To book this service, head over to our Designer On Call page!
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DIY E-Design
This is our online, virtual service so it is perfect for lower budget projects or for further a field clients. We design your room and source online furniture and furnishings and you implement.
This service begins with a virtual chat through Skype, WhatsApp or Zoom to discuss the project and what you want to achieve from the space. We chat design influences, what you do and don’t like about the space, colour palettes, furniture and furnishing requirements and of course budget.
For the next stage, we email you a measuring form to complete, which allows us to create your floor plan.
An initial concept board is sent to you so we can both check we are on the right page before the design is completed.
We then produce the full design: a detailed layout, concept board, design brief and shopping list. The design brief provides details of your listed items, with any styling and DIY tips. The shopping list produces links, prices, shipping, dimensions and any other elements to consider when ordering you items.
If you would like to know more about the E-design process, then visit our YouTube channel to watch our Webisode!
As you can see, there are many ways to work with an interior designer. I love working with clients in all sorts of different ways and with a variety of different budgets. If you would like us to help you with your project, then please get in touch!