What does an interior designer do? In plain terms, we help you decide what a room needs to do for the way you live, and then choose the layout, colour, lighting, furniture and finishes that make it do that. For us the process starts with a chat, moves through a brief, a mood board, a 3D view of the room if the project needs one, and samples, and ends with a plan you can act on at your own pace. Here’s each step, what you get from it, and how the cost works.
We work with homeowners in Bath, Somerset and Wiltshire, from a single tired room to a whole house. The steps below are the same for both; a small project just moves through them faster.
Step one: the first chat
Everything begins with a conversation, in person or on the phone. We want to know how you use the room now, what annoys you about it, who lives there, and what you’d like it to feel like. We’ll ask about the house too: its age, which way the room faces, what you’re keeping and what can go. You don’t need to have a style in mind. Most people arrive with a folder of pictures that contradict each other, and that’s useful; the contradictions tell us what matters.
This first chat is free and without obligation. We use it to agree together what the project needs from us, whether that’s some straightforward style advice or a full redesign. If you don’t feel it’s a good fit, you can walk away, and so can we.
Step two: the brief
After the chat we write down what we’ve agreed: the rooms, what each one has to do, the things you’re keeping, the budget range, and the timescale. A brief for a sitting room might be two paragraphs. A brief for a whole house is a few pages. Either way, it’s the document we check every later decision against, so if something’s wrong in it, say so early.
Where measurements matter, we visit the house to take them. Plans from an estate agent are rarely accurate enough to place furniture by.
Step three: the mood board
A mood board is where the brief turns into something you can see. It brings together the colour palette, the fabrics, the floor, the main furniture shapes, the lighting and one or two reference images, all on one page, so you can judge whether they sit well together. We’d rather you reacted strongly to a mood board than politely; it costs nothing to change at this stage and a great deal later.
Usually there’s one round of changes, sometimes two. When the board feels right, we move on.
Step four: 3D visualisations, when the project needs them
For a change of layout, a new kitchen, built-in joinery, or any room where you’re buying several large pieces at once, we build a 3D view of the room with the proposed furniture in it. It answers the questions a mood board can’t: will the sofa block the door, is the table too big, does the pendant hang in the right place, how does the colour read on four walls rather than a swatch. For a simpler job, say new curtains and a lamp, we skip this step; there’s no point paying for a model of a room you can picture.
Step five: samples and product information
Paint colours, fabric swatches, flooring offcuts and tile samples come to the house so you can see them in the room’s own light, at different times of day. We also put together product information for the pieces on the plan: what they are, where they’re from, lead times and prices, so there are no surprises when you come to order.
Step six: a plan you act on at your own pace
At the end you have a plan: the layout, the finishes, the lighting, the furniture list and the order to do things in. Some clients hand it to a decorator and a joiner and finish in a month. Others buy one piece at a time over a couple of years. Both are fine. The plan is written so each purchase fits the whole, whenever it happens.
How the cost works
The first conversation is free and carries no obligation. As a project develops and we start spending real time on it, a fee may be involved. If so, we tell you what it is well in advance, before any of that work starts, and the fee is waived against a purchase made through us. We never push a product on you; if the right sofa for the room is one you already own, we’ll say so.
| Step | What happens | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| 1. First chat | We talk about the room, the house and how you live | An agreed scope; free, no obligation |
| 2. Brief | We write down the aims, budget range and timescale; we measure if needed | A short document to check everything against |
| 3. Mood board | Colours, fabrics, furniture shapes and lighting on one page | A direction you can react to and change |
| 4. 3D visualisation | For layout changes and larger projects only | The room as it will look, before you buy |
| 5. Samples | Paint, fabric, flooring and tiles in the room’s own light | Confident final choices and product details |
| 6. The plan | Layout, finishes, lighting, furniture list and order of work | Something to act on now or over time |
FAQ
Do I need an interior designer for one room?
Not always, and we’ll say so in the first chat if you don’t. One room with a layout problem, a colour you can’t settle, or several big purchases to make at once is where a designer earns their keep. A room that needs a lamp and a cushion doesn’t.
What’s the difference between style advice and a full redesign?
Style advice is guidance on colour, fabric, trends and what to buy for a room whose layout is staying. A redesign changes the layout and usually involves a mood board, a 3D view and a full plan. Many projects sit between the two, and we agree where yours sits in the first conversation.
Do you work with what I already own?
Yes, and we’d rather. Good pieces you love go on the plan first; the new things are chosen to sit with them.
How long does the process take?
A single room with style advice can be done in a few weeks. A redesign with a 3D model, samples and a plan takes longer, mostly because samples and your own decisions take time. We’ll give you a realistic timescale in the brief.
Next step
If you’ve been wondering what an interior designer does and whether your room needs one, the simplest answer is to ask. Our services are set out here, including style advice, trend guidance, mood boards, 3D visualisations, a measuring visit and samples. Get in touch to arrange the first chat; it’s free, it carries no obligation, and by the end of it you’ll know whether the project needs us.