What an interior designer does

An interior designer designs and furnishes the inside of a building. The work combines creative judgement with technical knowledge: architecture, ergonomics and a trained eye all play their part. And the point is never looks alone. A good design solves practical problems too, which is why colour theory, furniture design, lighting and even acoustics all belong to the field.

The role differs from that of an interior stylist. A stylist works mainly on the decorative layer of a room. An interior designer is also trained for structural work: moving walls, proposing a new layout, advising on the building side. For a project in which the house itself changes, the designer is the one to have at the table.

Within our studio the designer works alongside the contractor, the electrician and the furniture maker. That collaboration gets real attention, because the point where two disciplines meet is exactly where a design can go wrong. The aim is a home that works in daily use and holds up over the years.

Working with one of our designers starts with an introduction. In that first conversation you cover your wishes, how you live and your budget. The designer keeps asking until your style and the way you want to use the house are clear, and you can bring your own ideas and examples to the table. By the end, both sides know whether they see the project the same way.

After the introduction the sketch design phase begins. The designer works up sketches, mood boards and floor plans, with colours, materials and furniture already in them, so you can see where the design is heading. Your feedback matters at this stage: we discuss openly what appeals and what does not, because exactly that sharpens the design. The practical side runs alongside it: lighting, storage and the layout itself.

Once the design is approved, the build begins. Together with the build supervisor, the designer coordinates the whole of it, down to which contractor is engaged and when the furniture is ordered. You are spared the chasing and the scheduling, but you stay involved: you know how the work is progressing, and adjustments are discussed with you before they happen.

A good interior design changes how a house feels to live in. The layout, the light and the materials set the tone of a room, and you notice a poorly designed one every day: the room that never gets used, the corner that always irritates. A well-designed home is simply a place where you settle.

Design also decides how large a house feels. A good layout makes a room seem bigger than its floor area, and a poor one can make even a generous room feel cramped. Colour, lighting and the placing of the furniture all shift that perception. Much of the craft is in making them work together rather than against each other.

The practical side counts just as heavily. Storage in the right places and furniture that does double duty make a house easier to run. A good design leaves no dead corners: every square metre has a purpose, and that is what keeps a home organised without effort.

Start by looking at work rather than promises. Portfolios and completed projects show a designer's handwriting: the styles they reach for and the level of finish. If that handwriting appeals to you across several projects, you have a candidate.

Then ask former clients, or read what they wrote: how the communication went, whether agreements held, what the finished work is like to live with. Speak to more than one designer before you decide, and ask about approach, experience and fees. The conversation itself tells you a great deal about how the collaboration would feel.

In the end the click decides. An interior project means months of decisions taken together, and that only works with someone you feel at ease with. If the work convinces you and the conversation does too, you have found your designer.

A family in Annen had a detached house they did not want to leave: too many memories, and space around the house that you do not easily find again. Instead of moving, they asked us to rethink the house. A new layout of the living room and a series of practical interventions gave them an open, light space, and the house was brought back to this time without losing what made it theirs.

A young family bought a house that was dated through and through. With one of our designers they reworked the layout, settled the colours and chose the furniture, working towards a calm, contemporary interior. That project is now being built. Once it is finished, the result will appear on our projects page.

What both projects share is the route: a clear plan first, then decisions taken in order, then a build that follows the plan. That route is what a designer provides, and it is the reason the houses work as well as they photograph.

A good interior asks for attention, knowledge and time, and most people are short of at least one of the three. Engaging a designer is a way of securing all three at once. With our knowledge of design, materials and layout we turn what you have in mind into a home that holds up, in use and in looks.

You draw on experience, on a network of makers and suppliers, and on solutions you would not have found alone. The result fits how you live, because it was designed around exactly that.

If you are weighing it up, an introduction is the natural first step. It costs you half an hour, there is no obligation attached, and afterwards you know whether it clicks.

Working towards your new interior

If you want to take that step, we are glad to work with you towards an interior that fits how you want to live and to be at home. You bring the house and the wishes; we bring the plan and the people to carry it out.