Our Services Interior Design

Interior design is a complex and constantly changing discipline that is the art and science of planning and creating internal spaces. It’s an environmental design profession that influences the way people live, work, rest and play. It also influences things such as how children are educated and patients heal. Interior design involves the design and coordination of internal spaces such as a house, hotel, office, school, shop, restaurant, hospital, church, boat, plane or transport hub. Interior design includes the selection of materials and finishes along with furniture, fittings and equipment such as sofas, chairs, tables, beds, headboards, table lamps, window dressings, wall art, accessories, etc. for these spaces.

Working with space, scale, proportion, lighting, colour, textures, materials and furnishings, interior designers visualise and create environments that are functional, aesthetically pleasing and safe to occupy. Interior designers develop designs for internal spaces that meet the aesthetic, regulatory and commercial requirements of their clients. An interior designer also works closely with their client and the wider design team of architects, engineers, project managers and consultants to deliver projects. They require a blend of aesthetic, technical, numerical and management skills to deliver successful projects.

Interior design and interior architecture are terms that are often intertwined. However, in reality they are quite different. Interior design, which developed as a distinct practice from architecture as far back as the Renaissance, is the art of planning and creating internal spaces, often after the structural and construction phases are complete. In its purest form, it involves the design and specification of all the furniture, fixtures and equipment along with materials, finishes and lighting. Interior architecture, on the other hand, is a more recent profession, best described as a field of architecture that specialises in the architectural and structural aspects of internal spaces that might include engineering, heating, plumbing, ventilation, electrics and ergonomics. It is the science behind planning and creating internal spaces. Architectural interiors is the fusion of both these fields or professions to deliver a fully integrated approach to interior space design.

Hiring an interior designer brings numerous benefits to your project. By paying an interior designer to advise you and deliver your project, you will save both time and money while gaining the invaluable experience, supply chain and project management skills that a professional interior designer will bring. An interior designer will help you quickly identify your brief and requirements, as well as your preferred design style. They will then bring their trained and experienced eye to your scheme, and zone into your requirements. Leveraging all their industry knowledge and expertise they will ensure that your project is completed without abortive costs, on time and on budget, leaving you to get on with your day job!

The length of time the interior design process takes depends on the size of the project. For an average residential project, the design process can take as little as 6-8 weeks and the installation is determined by the construction programme, as well as the lead time of the products chosen, often between 6-12 months on a new build. On a new build hotel project, the programme is more complex and takes longer. On a smaller mid-scale property, the design process can be as little as 3-6 months. Installation in that case is dependent on the construction programme which is often 40-50 weeks at least and frequently a lot longer. For up-scale and larger properties, this can increase by 50%. See our 9 key work stages of the interior design process for more information.