Can I Use an Interior Designer for a Small Project?
Think you can’t stretch to an interior designer? Think again. Most offer services for all budgets, from short meetings to the full works
From specific advice about colour or lighting to online consultations, interior designers can often be available for short, stand-alone jobs as well as the full works. Services vary from practice to practice, and some designers will charge per room, others per hour, others per half-day, so you should be able to find a designer to suit your needs and budget. In fact most designers are incredibly approachable and offer a range of services that are affordable for almost every budget.
‘It’s much more cost-effective to get an interior designer in for a smaller project to ensure you don’t make expensive mistakes,’ says Rebecca Hayes of Rebecca Hayes Interiors. ‘And it’s worth thinking about the value a designer can add. It’s the finishing touches designers love that transform a space from OK to amazing. Just a couple of hours of a professional’s time can be enough.’
Here we look at the different types of guidance on offer.
Professional advice from:
Rebecca Hayes of Rebecca Hayes Interiors
Lindsey Rendall of Rendall & Wright
‘It’s much more cost-effective to get an interior designer in for a smaller project to ensure you don’t make expensive mistakes,’ says Rebecca Hayes of Rebecca Hayes Interiors. ‘And it’s worth thinking about the value a designer can add. It’s the finishing touches designers love that transform a space from OK to amazing. Just a couple of hours of a professional’s time can be enough.’
Here we look at the different types of guidance on offer.
Professional advice from:
Rebecca Hayes of Rebecca Hayes Interiors
Lindsey Rendall of Rendall & Wright
A short appointment with a designer can help unpick design problems and be a great starting point. Rendall and Wright offer short consultations from 3 hours upwards. ‘We bring various design profiles and portfolios to the client’s house and do as much as we can in that time,’ says Lindsey Rendall.
It could be you need a series of consultations – maybe you’re project managing your own design and would like a weekly meeting? Many companies offer a series of short advisory visits.
It could be you need a series of consultations – maybe you’re project managing your own design and would like a weekly meeting? Many companies offer a series of short advisory visits.
A colour consultation
This consultation focuses solely on paint colours and colour schemes in different rooms. Often people know they like a certain colour, or group of colours, but might not know how to make them work together. Designers have a wealth of experience of how colours play off each other. A professional eye will pick up on a number of things that could otherwise go unnoticed.
‘It can be difficult to get the right colour for a room,’ says Rebecca Hayes. ‘You need to bear in mind the lighting, which direction the room faces and the other pieces of furniture, and you need to know what you’re trying to achieve.’
See 9 ways to be brave with colour
This consultation focuses solely on paint colours and colour schemes in different rooms. Often people know they like a certain colour, or group of colours, but might not know how to make them work together. Designers have a wealth of experience of how colours play off each other. A professional eye will pick up on a number of things that could otherwise go unnoticed.
‘It can be difficult to get the right colour for a room,’ says Rebecca Hayes. ‘You need to bear in mind the lighting, which direction the room faces and the other pieces of furniture, and you need to know what you’re trying to achieve.’
See 9 ways to be brave with colour
With a colour consultation, a designer can help to hone your ideas and suggest ways to use your favourite colours to enhance your space. ‘We take a variety of visuals to the client’s house that show different colour palettes and their different psychological effects,’ says Lindsey Rendall.‘Then we discuss what the client wants to achieve, we make suggestions, show examples and discuss everything. It’s all about getting the right percentage of colour; many are scared of it, while others use too much… We try to get colour to work for the client in the way they want it to.’
A design consultation
This includes advice on the fixtures and finishes in a room – think floors, walls, soft furnishings and furniture placement. ‘We normally go to a client’s house, have a brief interview to discuss what style they’re after, what artwork and furniture they have, and to see the space, and then we go and put a scheme together and send them the design board,’ explains Lindsey Rendall.
Clients can walk away with this and order everything themselves for just a small consultation fee. This enables people to be much more flexible with timescales and is good for those working on a tighter budget.
‘We also offer to order everything for a 10% handling fee. It saves the client having to order it, process it and arrange delivery themselves,’ Lindsey adds.
This includes advice on the fixtures and finishes in a room – think floors, walls, soft furnishings and furniture placement. ‘We normally go to a client’s house, have a brief interview to discuss what style they’re after, what artwork and furniture they have, and to see the space, and then we go and put a scheme together and send them the design board,’ explains Lindsey Rendall.
Clients can walk away with this and order everything themselves for just a small consultation fee. This enables people to be much more flexible with timescales and is good for those working on a tighter budget.
‘We also offer to order everything for a 10% handling fee. It saves the client having to order it, process it and arrange delivery themselves,’ Lindsey adds.
An online consultation
If you are willing to do jobs such as measuring and sourcing yourself, an online consultation can give you the full benefit of a designer’s expertise for a slightly smaller fee.
‘This is like the full interior design service, but the homeowners do the initial legwork,’ agrees Rebecca Hayes. ‘They provide you with the photographs and measurements, and a detailed description of what they want. We then do a phone interview and discuss what they want, what they hate, the budget… It’s a much more streamlined service, so it’s slightly cheaper. I go away and produce a floor plan, come up with a mood board of suggested items, and they go and source them all themselves. It’s quite an American idea,’ she adds, ‘but it’s becoming quite popular in the UK.’
If you are willing to do jobs such as measuring and sourcing yourself, an online consultation can give you the full benefit of a designer’s expertise for a slightly smaller fee.
‘This is like the full interior design service, but the homeowners do the initial legwork,’ agrees Rebecca Hayes. ‘They provide you with the photographs and measurements, and a detailed description of what they want. We then do a phone interview and discuss what they want, what they hate, the budget… It’s a much more streamlined service, so it’s slightly cheaper. I go away and produce a floor plan, come up with a mood board of suggested items, and they go and source them all themselves. It’s quite an American idea,’ she adds, ‘but it’s becoming quite popular in the UK.’
Home staging
If you are about to sell your home and feel it needs the designer touch, it can be money well spent to employ a professional to make the absolute best of your furniture and features. ‘I offer advice on how to show a property in its best light,’ says Rebecca Hayes. ‘I help place existing furniture in the best possible way and suggest styling and decluttering tips.’
Discover 10 things to do before putting your house up for sale
If you are about to sell your home and feel it needs the designer touch, it can be money well spent to employ a professional to make the absolute best of your furniture and features. ‘I offer advice on how to show a property in its best light,’ says Rebecca Hayes. ‘I help place existing furniture in the best possible way and suggest styling and decluttering tips.’
Discover 10 things to do before putting your house up for sale
Shopping sprees
When you’re renovating a room, not only are there dozens of items to consider – from flooring to paint, furniture to hardware – there are numerous designs and colours to choose from for each element. Shopping for so many pieces can be overwhelming. This is where having a professional with you can help to focus your choices and offer a fresh eye on the overall look.
When you’re renovating a room, not only are there dozens of items to consider – from flooring to paint, furniture to hardware – there are numerous designs and colours to choose from for each element. Shopping for so many pieces can be overwhelming. This is where having a professional with you can help to focus your choices and offer a fresh eye on the overall look.
Design is for everyone
‘A lot of people look at the design industry and think you have to be wealthy. Our philosophy is that, regardless of budget, you should have access to this advice,’ says Lindsey Rendall. ‘As a designer, you have a great knowledge of products, so you can find the right thing for people on their terms and their budget.’
‘A lot of people look at the design industry and think you have to be wealthy. Our philosophy is that, regardless of budget, you should have access to this advice,’ says Lindsey Rendall. ‘As a designer, you have a great knowledge of products, so you can find the right thing for people on their terms and their budget.’
Design is an investment
Getting a look right can add value to your home – and getting it wrong can make it unappealing – so hiring a designer can be a sound investment.
‘People can have so many different style ideas and when they try to pull them all together, it doesn’t always work. It can be because they’re looking at each thing as an individual design element rather than seeing the space as a whole,’says Lindsey Randall. ‘A designer has a trained eye for aesthetics, and we take into account both the form and function of each piece. Things need to flow smoothly within a room, not only look good.’
TELL US…
Have you recently sought professional help for your home? Please share your experience in the Comments below.
Getting a look right can add value to your home – and getting it wrong can make it unappealing – so hiring a designer can be a sound investment.
‘People can have so many different style ideas and when they try to pull them all together, it doesn’t always work. It can be because they’re looking at each thing as an individual design element rather than seeing the space as a whole,’says Lindsey Randall. ‘A designer has a trained eye for aesthetics, and we take into account both the form and function of each piece. Things need to flow smoothly within a room, not only look good.’
TELL US…
Have you recently sought professional help for your home? Please share your experience in the Comments below.
If you have a rough idea of how you want your room to look and just want a chat to consolidate your scheme, a 2-3 hour advisory consultation could do the trick. ‘It’s for clients who know what they want and just want to run ideas past a professional and get some additional suggestions,’ says Rebecca Hayes.
Rebecca offers a 2 hour consultation. ‘The advisory session is tailored to what the client wants to discuss,’ she explains. ‘Some want to work through the layout and furniture positioning, others want to talk about their ideas for furnishings.’