What is my budget, really?
“You have to cut your suit to fit your cloth,” says interior designer Tamsin Saunders of Home & Found. “Be honest about your budget from the outset – that is the key determining factor.” It’s so important to be realistic about this, and interior designers often find that their clients aren’t. “I ask what their budget is, then tear my hair out when they produce fabrics they love that are hundreds of pounds a metre,” says Lucinda. Bear in mind that the bulk of your budget in a renovation project will go on things like joinery, flooring, kitchens and bathrooms, so the pretty soft furnishings you have your eye on may be the last in a long list of priorities. “Make sure you allow enough in your budget for lighting,” adds Tamsin. “It is the litmus test of a truly beautiful original home and has a huge impact on how a room looks and feels.”
What do you hate?
In the wide world of interior design, it can be tricky to figure out what you like best of all, but a good starting place can be the things you really don’t like. If you are decorating with your significant other, it can be particularly helpful to ask what the other person does not want in the house. “I rarely ask what my clients like, but rather what they absolutely dislike,” says Carlos Garcia. “Dislikes and fears can be rather irrational and difficult to overcome. There’s no point in living with something one detests. If one of my clients dislikes a particular colour but their partner loves it, I might just choose a couple of accents that make a difference to the room but aren’t too obvious. That way the other party is likely to accept them.”
Equally helpful is to think about what you already find annoying and difficult about your house, “I ask what the clients love and what they hate about their house. Then I try to work out why they hate the things they do,” says Lucinda Griffith. This can lead to discussions about how rooms function, and whether everyone has enough space to do the things they want to do, as well as aesthetic decisions.
