your questions answered

The cost of an interior can vary wildly depending on the experience of a designer. It’s important to remember that all are not equal, and experience counts for a lot. But did you know, for the vast majority, the cost is not the only factor that is taken into account? Likeability and trust also play a huge role. Think about it, you’re inviting someone into your personal domain, your own little castle, to talk about making your castle the best it can be. Much better to go through the process with someone you actually like and with whom you feel comfortable!

The Telephone Call
It all begins with a telephone call. Once we’ve had a chat on the phone, the next stage is the consultation.

The Consultation
This takes place in the property to be re-designed. In the consultation, you’ll tell me your design requirements, and I’ll ask you questions to get as complete a picture of your likes, dislikes, and needs as possible. This consultation will form the basis of the design brief.

The Design Brief
I will collate all the information gleaned from the consultation and will email you a Design Fee Proposal. In that, you can check that all elements discussed have been covered. Once all is agreed and Ruby Red Interiors has been hired, the work begins (for me!)

The Mood Board Presentation
I present the ideas for the scheme to you via mood boards. This is where you get a real feel for how the design is shaping up. During this meeting, we’ll discuss elements you like and those you’d like to change. I will tweak the boards (if needed) and email any changes to you for you to sign off. If you’ve opted for the Design-Only service, I will then email you a Specification Document.

The Specification Document
This contains all the information that pertains to your scheme; where items are from, their cost and their specification. You can then use this document to implement your fabulous new design at your leisure.

The design process length is really dependent upon the scope of work needed, but as a very rough guide, for a design-only service, it could take around 2–3 weeks per room. A Full Interior Design Service (Design and Implementation) will take longer and really does depend on the scope of work involved. For example, will a builder need to be enlisted? Once tradespeople are involved, a lot depends on their availability, so it is difficult to give a timeframe on this service.

Yes, trade discounts are available on some products, but it depends on what the item is and whether the supplier offers trade discounts. Furthermore, each supplier has their own trade discount level; there is not a universal discount percentage covering all suppliers.

If you are looking for a Full Interior Design Service (Design and Implementation), this service includes project management. Project management involves finding, briefing and overseeing tradespeople on site.

Yes, I do create different styles. Each client comes to me with a set of requirements specific to them. The functionality, tastes, lifestyles, colour likes and dislikes all feed into the design scheme, making the finished design totally unique.

By the time the mood board is presented to you, I will have had a pretty good insight into the styles you like and the feel you want. It’s at the mood board stage that we get down to the nitty-gritty, where all elements are discussed and new products / colours sourced (if need be) after the meeting. Rest assured, the finished design will be one that reflects both your tastes and personality.

In a nutshell, the architect builds the structure. Anything from an extension to your property, to a whole new property from scratch, the architect will design the look and draw the plans.

An interior architect concentrates on the internal structural design, usually remodelling the existing building.

An interior designer creates the schemes within the space, focussing on colour palettes, furniture and finishing touches.