What to Expect During Your Interior Design Consultation
The foundation all good designs are built on.
Are you ready to usher in some changes in your home? Are you ready to elevate your lifestyle and make your home work for you? Then hiring an interior designer is a great place to start. The first step is our interior design consultation, a vital part of our process. Whether you're wanting a home that looks like it's straight out of the pages of a glossy magazine or you need some friendly advice about your design dilemmas, an interior design consultation is the way to go.
Ways of working with Interior Couturier
There are two main ways to work with Interior Couturier and both start with a consultation. The first is Full Service Interior Design, our signature offering. This service covers everything to create a stunning, functional home. A home tailored to you and how you want to live — executed with a high level of service and expertise. Whether you need a full renovation, decoration/styling, or a combination of both, we've got you covered. This service is perfect for you if you're busy and have no time for interior design. If you're overwhelmed with all the options out there and unsure about how to pull it together. And finally, if you want a stunning functional home without having to lift a finger. Our refined design process ensures every detail is handled with care and attention, giving you peace of mind throughout the entire project.
If Full Service is not for you, our second option is to select our Consultation Only service. This gives you actionable advice for you to take on the project yourself. From limitations of your current interior design to new layout options, colours, and materials that complement your vision, I'll give you fresh ideas to transform your space. Our Consultation Only is ideal if you enjoy designing your home but want expert advice and feedback. Maybe you enjoy shopping and putting things together yourself. Or you're not ready to invest in the full package yet. This service is designed to help you bring your vision to life with our expert advice.
Full Service Client - What to Expect
Our interior design consultation typically involves a meeting in your home, and lasts for up to two hours. As the principal designer at Interior Couturier, I attend all our consultations. I assess the spaces you want to design or redecorate and together we discuss your style, preferences and needs. It is an information gathering session for both of us. I'm freely sharing my ideas and collecting the information I need to create a custom design plan for your home. As a Full Service client, this is the start of phase one in our three phase process. You can read more about the interior design process here.
During the consultation, we will talk about your lifestyle, the functions of each room, and your design aspirations. I will make notes on the layout, lighting, and existing furnishings. Then I will discuss your budget and a rough timeline with you. A good way for you to prepare before the consultation is to make note of your “must have” and “nice to have” inclusions. It is your opportunity to tell me everything you want to include in your design. This information will go into a document called the Scope of Work, which lists the tasks and services provided by Interior Couturier. Our Scope of Work becomes the map that guides our Full Service projects forward. After the consultation, I use the information gathered to create a design fee proposal that meets your specific needs. Depending on the Scope of Work, this may include furniture, lighting, colour schemes, renovation and other design elements. It also includes a list of deliverables you can expect from Interior Couturier.
Consultation Only Client - What to Expect
As previously covered, a consultation only client wants to access an expert opinion so they can run with the project on their own. This consultation runs in a very similar vein to Full Service with a few key differences. I discover more about you and how you want to live, your vision for the space and how you want to feel at home. As I do this, I dig down into your pain points, helping to solve your design and styling dilemmas. This may take the form of:
The best layout for the room
Storage options to keep the clutter at bay
The best type of window draperies
How to improve your lighting
What type and size of furniture
What type and size rug to ground the room and work with your lifestyle
Ideas for art, what size you need and how to hang it
My go-to retail sources for furniture and styling items
Styling assistance to finish off a room
And so much more!
At the end of the consultation you will have detailed notes of everything we have covered so you can take on the project with confidence. Many clients book a consultation for one room then go off and implement their vision. They enjoy the outcome so much that they book another consultation for the next room they want to tackle!
Topics of Discussion
We cover your lifestyle and priorities to determine how the space will be used. This is a key consideration as every family, every home is very different. For example, a family with young children will have different needs than a retired couple. Then we move on to your design style and preferences to guide the look and feel of the rooms involved. This includes questions about colours, textures, patterns, ambience, lighting and furniture styles. While we are talking, I assess the space and go through possible layout options, taking into account factors such as traffic flow, lighting, and function. Layout is such an important factor and makes a difference how you feel in a space and how it supports your day-to-day life. For example, when planning the entry into a home we want it to make a welcoming impression and we need it to accommodate different tasks depending on your needs. Factors such as shoe storage, a drop zone for keys, a place to hang hats and so on all need to be taken care of!
We will also talk about your budget and the timeline to complete the project. We want to make the most of your budget. I will highlight any cost-saving measures that we can take without sacrificing the design. I take note of your existing furniture and accessories that can be incorporated into the design plan. Tired furniture that fits your style and is otherwise in good shape can be reupholstered or refinished to give it a new lease on life. This is part of my philosophy on quality, sustainability and reducing waste.
Life Doesn’t Phase Me
Often new clients apologise when I visit, saying "it's not normally this messy". If it is a bit messy and unruly, I understand - life happens! It is busy juggling children, work, a home and, all the varied commitments we have in life. Trust me, I'm not thinking your place is a mess. I want to see how you live your life and identify how we can improve the functionality of your home. I'm checking out the layout, asking questions. What do you feel could be improved? What is great and what is not working in your space? I'm not judging whether there's a coffee cup on the table or Lego on the floor. I don't want you to be in a flap, running around, jamming stuff into drawers and cupboards just before I arrive.
This is a time of possibility. It's exciting to change your home to make it a better place to live.
What Makes it Valuable?
If you would like to make an appointment for our interior design consultation there is a fee involved. You can see the fees for our services here. This fee is payable before the meeting and required to book the consultation. You may wonder why we charge for our consultation? There is a lot to be gained, even for those clients that don't go on to work through a full service project with me. The consultation will provide you with a number of significant benefits, including the following key areas of value:
Our consultation is a discovery process. As I tour your home, I'm providing valuable real-time feedback and ideas during the meeting. I'm passionate about design and love to sharing my vision with you, this information is yours to use as you like.
It is also your opportunity to share all about you and how you live. What is working for you in your home? What could be improved? How do you want to feel in your space? In the sharing of ideas, the consultation is also a great time to discover if the Interior Couturier team and I are suited to work with you on your project.
The consultation allows for a deeper understanding of the overall scope of the project. This in turn, gives insight into the budget expectation of the project and what is possible for the home.
It is your chance to spend time with a professional designer, gaining expert advice and a professional opinion that is tailored to your home and specific needs.
An interior design consultation in your home is an opportunity to collaborate with an expert and create a personalised design plan that transforms your space into a beautiful and functional home. So don’t hold back on that project you’ve been contemplating! Let’s schedule a design consultation and begin making those changes.
Ready to Book Your Consultation?
Fill in the short form on the contact page and we will be in touch within 24 hours to schedule our complimentary discovery call. I’m looking forward to hearing from you and making your house a home.