I'm tired of reading reasons why you should hire an Interior Designer so I’m not here to preach about why you need one to create your dream home…
But I’m all for educating that there’s a lot more to it than you think.
So, I thought it may be interesting to explain a bit more about me, what I actually do, whether its practical to work with me, and how long it all takes...
Who am I?
I’m Tash, I live in the Cambridgeshire countryside, and I'm a proud dog mum to two troublesome Cockapoos. My background is in brand and marketing, working for some of the UK's biggest hospitality groups. So, I’ve spent most of my career making things or people look good. And during this time I've always designed, in my personal life with my own home renovations, or at work, creating welcoming hospitality spaces that make customers want to stay longer and spend more.
Fast forward some time...I worked tirelessly to build a brand, build a portfolio, and in 2022 Styled Home Design was born.
How do I like to work?
There are many things to consider when choosing an interior designer. Firstly, although online interior design is popular, personally for me, nothing beats being hands on. I like being part of bringing a space to life just as the design was intended. Secondly, communication and organisation are probably the biggest asset that I share with you. Most of my clients either a, don’t have time to manage a project themselves or b, appreciate the value of proper project management as a skill they simply don’t have.
I’m not here to only make sure a project moves forward to completion, I’m here to hold your hand, take the stress away, and quite frankly get s!*t done. People just don’t have the time to sit down and spend hours planning a room these days. Working full time, family commitments and just running a home is hard work, so a lot of people contact me just to get things moving.
How exactly does the process for a one room design work? What should you expect?
I always recommend a two-hour consultation to start with. This gives us chance to meet in person, for me to see the property, discuss your needs and requirements and go into more detail on how I can help.
At this stage, I also complete a site survey, I take the room’s measurements and any other details away for any future work.
Some find the consultation and my initial ideas so helpful, they’re happy to crack on with the rest themselves. But for those who need more guidance I recommend they begin with booking a full day. I use this day to collate a private Pinterest board with general room ideas. I draw up a to-scale room plan and begin sourcing products that fit the brief. Once the ideas start to come together, I begin to create a mood board.
We arrange a second meeting where I present my initial design concept. Then we take things from there, some clients feel confident enough to manage the project themselves from this point and others prefer me to coordinate the work, book the trades and manage the project as a whole.
Is it expensive to work with me?
Hiring me for the design alone isn’t expensive, depending on how many changes you need to make. The expense lies in the project management, product sourcing and coordination. Let’s say a living room refurb takes 12 weeks from initial meeting to completion. That’s 12 weeks where I’m going to be designing, planning, organising, sourcing, dealing with trades to get your room complete. That’s the expensive bit but also the bit that adds the most value.
What problems have I solved for previous clients?
There are just so many reasons people have contacted me before. Some clients are self-confessed procrastinators, some have a conflict of ideas between them and their partners, (I should add a disclaimer for zero counselling experience), or others are just simply overwhelmed with all the decision making it takes to achieve a room that is cohesively deigned. Some clients know exactly what they want, but just don’t know how to get there so need help with the practical stuff like coordination, product sourcing and project management.
How long can it take?
It depends on the requirements. The full process can take anything from 4 weeks for a simple recordation and refresh, up to 6 months for a full room refurbishment that requires several trades and a more comprehensive design / drawing sets. Every house is different, every client is different, every brief is different, and every design is different.
I hope this explains what I actually do, hopefully it goes without saying that just about anyone could hire an interior design professional to help move along their project and their involvement can be as little or as much as you require, whether you have a large budget or a more modest one.
So just reach out, Instagram message me, email me, or even call me…yes, I actually pick up a phone every now and then! I’m sure I can help put your mind at ease and it could be the start of your very own journey into having a home to feel proud of!
