If you’re planning a substantial home renovation, you may already be thinking about architects, builders, budgets and planning permission. But when should you bring an interior designer into the process?
Many homeowners assume the interior designer comes in later, once the building work is underway and it’s time to think about paint colours, furniture and finishing touches.
For a full-home renovation, that can be far too late.
If your builder is already asking where the sockets should go, it’s probably time your interior design decisions had already been made.
At White Lime Interiors, we work with homeowners across Berkshire and the surrounding areas on substantial renovations, combining interior design with project management. And one of the biggest advantages we can give our clients is time: time to explore ideas, make considered decisions and ensure the entire home has been thought through before those decisions become urgent – and expensive – on site.
A rushed decision isn’t always the best one.
Interior design doesn't start with cushions and paint colours
There is still a misconception that an interior designer’s role begins with colour schemes, fabrics and furniture. Somehow I still come across people that say, ‘Oh it must be wonderful to choose colours and work with fabrics’! It’s such a tiny percentage of what we do at White Lime Interiors.
Those elements are important, but on a significant renovation they come much later. Hundreds of decisions are made before we even get to that point.
Before we start considering the finishing touches, we need to understand how you are actually going to live in your home.
Where will you sit in the evening? Where will you charge your phone? Do you need somewhere to work from home? Where does the Christmas tree go? How do you entertain? Where will the children, grandchildren or guests stay? Where do you put the vacuum cleaner, suitcases, coats and all the other less glamorous things a real home needs to accommodate?
These conversations influence the layout of a property and, in turn, decisions around lighting, electrics, plumbing, heating, joinery, kitchens, bathrooms and furniture.
The goal is not an instagram home. Of course we want your home to look beautiful, but that’s no good if it doesn’t function well.
It is about making sure the home works beautifully too.
Ideally, involve your interior designer early
For a substantial renovation, I would always recommend speaking to an interior designer as early in the process as possible.
That can mean while you are still working with your architect – and certainly before your builder is on site asking for decisions.
An architect, interior designer and builder all bring different expertise to a renovation, and the best projects happen when those skills work together.
Your architect may be considering the structure, planning requirements and architectural possibilities of the property. Your builder will be thinking about how those plans are physically constructed.
As your interior designer, I am looking at those plans from the perspective of how you are going to live within them.
That can result in questions such as: Is that wall actually the best position for the television? Is there enough space for the furniture you want? Where will the dining table sit in relation to the lighting? Will the kitchen work when six people are in it? Is there somewhere to put your coffee machine without sacrificing your entire worktop?
These may sound like small details individually, but together they determine whether a newly renovated home feels effortless or frustrating.
The expensive decisions often happen before the pretty ones
One of the reasons I encourage clients to start the interior design process early is that many of the least glamorous decisions are actually some of the most important.
Before walls are plastered and floors are finished, we may need to have established:
- Furniture layouts
- Joinery locations and function
- Lighting positions and circuits
- Socket and switch positions
- Kitchen and bathroom layouts
- Plumbing locations
- Radiator positions
- AV and television locations
- Smart-home requirements
- Flooring transitions
- Window treatments
- Decorative lighting
- Artwork locations
This is why I am such an advocate for detailed drawings and planning.
A socket isn’t simply placed somewhere because there is space for one. Ideally, we already know what the full plan for that room is. For example, a socket should not be in the direct line of moulding for your beautiful panelled wall. Nor should it be in the line of joinery, resulting in the electrician needing to move it over, with it ending up inside or outside of the cupboard.
The same applies to lighting.
Rather than filling a ceiling with a grid of spotlights and hoping for the best, we can consider what we actually want to illuminate. A piece of artwork, a beautiful wall finish, joinery, a reading chair or a dining table can all influence the lighting plan. If the panelling is there to frame family pictures with wall lights or picture spots either side, then the placement of the lights, moulding and frames need to tally up.
These are interior design decisions, but they need to be made surprisingly early in a renovation. Moving the fittings or even the way the fitting is switched, could mean chopping holes in the fresh walls to move cables, resulting in increased costs and lead times.
Why designing the whole home matters before building work begins
When we’re designing a full property at White Lime Interiors, I like to consider the home as a whole rather than a collection of individual rooms.
That doesn’t mean every room needs to look the same. Far from it.
It means there is a relationship between them.
Materials can reappear subtly. Colours can flow from one space into another. Sightlines through doorways can be considered. Lighting temperatures feel consistent. Flooring transitions make sense.
Most importantly, we can consider the practical relationship between the spaces.
We use 3D modelling software and photorealistic visualisation as part of our design process, which allows our clients to understand their home before it exists. This avoids the need for imagination as we tour clients through their design.
You may find it difficult to visualise from a floor plan, as many people do, so this can completely change the decision-making process. You can clearly see the space and feel the sample finishes.
Instead of trying to imagine whether something might work, we can look at it together.
We can adjust proportions, layouts, finishes and furniture while they are still lines on a screen rather than bricks, tiles and cabinetry on site.
What happens when design decisions are left until the build?
There will always be decisions to make during a renovation. No matter how much we plan, properties have a habit of revealing surprises once work begins.
But there is a big difference between dealing with the unexpected and making fundamental design decisions under pressure.
Imagine your electrician is on site and needs to know where you want the wall lights.
Your immediate thought might be: I’ll just put them either side of the bed.
But what size is the bed?
How wide are the bedside tables?
Are the lights decorative or being used for reading?
Where will the switches sit?
Is there panelling behind them?
Where are the sockets?
Suddenly, one apparently simple question creates another six.
Multiply that across an entire property and renovation decision fatigue can arrive very quickly.
It can also lead to additional work if decisions need to be changed later. Moving electrics, altering plumbing, replacing materials or asking trades to revisit completed work can all affect the programme and potentially the budget. We’ve all seen Grand Designs and the lack of ability to stay on budget or the problems that occur!
The aim isn’t to eliminate every change. It’s to make as many decisions as possible while they are still easy to change.
"But I already have an architect and builder"
That’s absolutely fine.
You don’t need to choose between an architect, interior designer and builder. On larger renovations, these roles can complement one another.
At White Lime Interiors, we regularly collaborate with architects, builders, specialist trades, kitchen companies, joiners, lighting suppliers and many other professionals involved in bringing a property together.
You are making a large investment and to have specialists for each element of your project gives you the best chance of a perfect outcome.
One of the benefits of our combined interior design and renovation project management service is that we don’t simply produce a design and disappear.
We remain involved as that design moves from drawings into reality.
There is inevitably a point in a renovation where a beautifully considered design has to meet the realities of an existing building, budgets, lead times, trades and construction.
That is where experience, communication and collaboration become just as important as creativity.
"I'm busy. How involved will I need to be?"
This is perhaps one of the most important questions for our clients.
Many of the homeowners we work with are managing demanding careers, businesses, families and travel alongside their renovation. Some aren’t living locally, or even in the UK, while work is taking place.
They don’t want another full-time job.
They want to be involved in the decisions that matter without spending every evening researching taps, comparing tile specifications or answering questions from five different trades.
Our role is to bring structure to that process. We know the design intent as we’ve worked through it with you and it’s what you have signed off. We are seeing this through whilst you go about your day-to-day life.
We design, schedule and coordinate the many elements required to bring the finished home together, while presenting key decisions to our clients at the appropriate points. We make very considered judgments about what we need to discuss with you and what we don’t need to bother you with.
You still have a voice in your renovation. You are kept up-to-date and in communications.
You just don’t have to manage every conversation required to make it happen.
So, when should you contact an interior designer?
If you are planning a substantial renovation 6–18 months prior to the build, it isn’t too early to start the conversation.
You don’t need to have selected every contractor or know exactly what you want your finished home to look like. We can also help with all our trusted project partners.
In fact, you don’t need to know what you want at all.
That’s part of the process.
What is useful is having the time to properly understand your requirements, develop the design, coordinate the technical information, consider costs and prepare for the work ahead.
The earlier these conversations happen, the more opportunity there is to make considered choices rather than reactive ones.
Planning a home renovation in Berkshire?
White Lime Interiors provides interior design and renovation project management for substantial home renovations across Berkshire and the surrounding areas, including Maidenhead, Windsor, Ascot, Marlow, Cookham, Beaconsfield, Henley and Gerrards Cross.
Our service is designed particularly for busy homeowners who want a beautifully considered home but don’t have the time, or desire, to personally coordinate every design decision, supplier and trade involved in getting there.
We begin with an initial consultation, giving us the opportunity to understand your property, how you live and what you would like to achieve before recommending the most appropriate next steps.
If you’re considering renovating your home, the best time to start planning isn’t when the builder arrives.
It’s when you first start imagining what your home could become.
Frequently Asked Questions
Should I hire an interior designer before an architect?
Not necessarily before, but involving your interior designer early enough to collaborate with your architect can be extremely valuable. The architect can focus on the architectural and structural requirements while the interior designer considers how the proposed spaces will function, feel and ultimately be furnished.
Can an interior designer work with my existing builder?
Yes. At White Lime Interiors, we can collaborate with an existing architect, builder and other professionals already appointed to your renovation. Clear responsibilities and communication between everyone involved are important to keeping a substantial project moving.
Do I need an interior designer for a full-house renovation?
An interior designer isn’t a legal requirement for a renovation, but for a substantial whole-home project they make a huge difference in coordinating the large number of interconnected design decisions that need to be made. This becomes particularly valuable if you are time-poor or want a consistent approach across the whole property.
How early should I contact an interior designer?
For a substantial renovation, contacting an interior designer 6–18 months before you expect the main work to take place can provide valuable time for design development, technical drawings, specifications, budgeting, tendering and procurement. Every project is different, so an early conversation can help establish an appropriate programme.