You've decided this is the year. The extension, the kitchen, the house that's never quite felt like yours. You've saved the pictures and talked it through over dinner more times than you can count. Now comes the bit that can feel surprisingly daunting: actually picking up the phone.
If you've never worked with an interior designer before, it's natural to wonder what happens next. What will we ask? What should you have ready? Will you be expected to know exactly what you want? (You won't.) Here's an honest look at how that first conversation works, and how it turns into a proper brief.
It starts with a conversation, not a commitment
The first chat is simply a chance to get to know each other. We'll want to hear about the house, what you'd like to change and why, and roughly when you'd like things to happen. You'll want to get a feel for us, how we work, and whether we're the right fit for your project.
That first conversation often happens at your home or in our studio. At home, we can walk round the house together and see how it really works. At the studio, it's a coffee and a pile of samples on the table. Either way, there's no pressure and no sales pitch. If we're not the right fit, we'll tell you, and we'll usually be able to point you to someone who is.
What to bring along
You don't need a finished plan. But a few things make that first conversation far more useful:
Any drawings or floor plans you already have, even rough ones
Photos of the rooms as they are now, especially if we're meeting at the studio
Your ideas folder. A Pinterest board, magazine pages, screenshots, or any AI generated images you've made
A list of what doesn't work. The cupboard that never closes, the room nobody uses, the corner that's always dark
A rough budget range, and a sense of what you'd like to spend it on
Your ideal timeline, and anything fixed around it, like a new baby, a wedding or a house sale
Details of your architect or builder, if you've already got one on board
More and more people now bring along AI generated images, and we love seeing them. They can really help us understand the style you're after, the colours you're drawn to and the feel you'd like a room to have. They're a brilliant starting point. Our job is then to turn that idea into something that fits your house, works with the way you live and can actually be built. We wrote more about how AI fits into the design process here.
The list of what doesn't work is often the most useful thing anyone brings. It tells us more about how you live than any picture of a beautiful room.
Let Christmas write your brief
If you're planning work for next year, the next few weeks are a brilliant time to gather that list. Christmas has a way of putting a house to the test.
The kitchen that's fine for two suddenly can't cope with eight. Everyone squeezes round the island while the dining room sits empty. There's nowhere for coats, nowhere for guests to sleep, and by four o'clock the living room feels gloomy because the only light is a single pendant in the middle of the ceiling. (If that kitchen sounds familiar, our guide to designing a kitchen for real life is a good read.)
So this year, keep a note on your phone. Every time something frustrates you, write it down. Where do people gather? Where do they get in each other's way? Which room do you escape to, and why? By January you'll have a brief that's far more honest than anything you could write sitting down to plan it. It's one of our favourite things to receive.
Talking honestly about budget
Budget is the subject most people feel awkward raising, and it's the one we'd most like to talk about early. Not because we want to spend all of it, but because it shapes every decision that follows.
A range is all we need to begin with. From there, we can give you an honest view of what's realistic, where your money will make the biggest difference, and where it's sensible to hold back. Our where to spend and where to save guide is a useful place to start. It's far better to have that conversation at the start than to fall in love with a scheme that can't be built.
We'll also explain how our fees work for your project, so you know exactly what you're committing to before you commit to anything.
What a good brief covers
After that first conversation, everything we've talked about becomes the brief. It's the document that guides every decision from here, so it's worth getting right. A good one covers:
How you live. Who lives in the house, how you use each room, and how that might change in the next ten years.
The must-haves. The things the project simply has to deliver.
The nice-to-haves. The things you'd love if the budget and the space allow.
How you want it to feel. Calm, lively, cosy, light. The words matter more than the pictures.
The fixed things. Walls, windows, drainage and anything else that can't easily move.
Budget and timing. What you'd like to spend, and when you'd like the work to happen.
We'll write it up and share it with you, and you can change anything that doesn't feel right. Once we're agreed, it becomes the reference point for everyone involved, from us to your architect to your builder. If you're wondering who to bring in first, our guide to architects and interior designers explains how we fit together.
What happens next
With the brief agreed, we'll send you a proposal setting out what we'll do, the stages involved and how long each one is likely to take. Then the fun part begins: layouts, ideas, materials, and the slow, satisfying process of a plan coming together. You can see how each stage works on our process page, and have a look through our portfolio for some of the homes that started with exactly this kind of conversation.
We've been doing this for a long time, and the thing we hear most often at the end of a project is that it was far less stressful than people expected. A lot of that comes down to taking the first step calmly and getting the brief right.
Ready to start the conversation?
If you're thinking about a project for next year, we'd love to hear about it. Bring your list, your ideas folder, your AI images and as many questions as you like.
Book a consultation, call us on (01423) 408 759, or pop into the studio on Cold Bath Road in Harrogate.
Not quite ready yet? Take a look at our full home interior design service or read why autumn is the time to start planning.