We hope the following will help you to focus on your priorities, in advance of our first meeting, so that we can approach your job with a clear brief

As you thumb through magazines collecting your ideas for the space in question, you may find it useful to put together some images to ‘illustrate’ your initial talk to us. Different terms mean different things to different people – particularly when it comes to colour. So if you see something you like, be it a colour scheme, a window treatment, a piece of furniture, or even something totally unrelated to interiors, that illustrates an idea you have, cut it out.

But, more importantly, try to list each broad element of the project and make a note, however brief, of your ideas for it. And then put the list of elements in order, starting with your absolute “must-haves’ and ending up with your ‘could-probably-accept-a-tasteful-compromise’. This is much easier than it sounds! Take a 3-bedroom house, for example:

Overall objective(s):

a) Knock through the wall between the kitchen and the lounge to create open-plan kitchen/ dining/ family room.

b) Incorporate an en-suite bathroom in the master bedroom.

c) Modernise décor throughout.

There are, of course, other elements to consider when building works are involved, or when structural problems require remedial works, and we will discuss these with you. But, however complex the project, this prioritisation process enables us to allocate your budget – and to focus from the outset on what is most important to you and will give you most pleasure

Design Steps – Setting the project budget:

When you decide to use an interior designer to help you refurbish your home, you probably have a fairly clear idea of how much you’re happy to invest in the project – and a rather vaguer one of what you’d actually like to achieve.

You’ll want to tell us as much as possible about your vague idea. And we’ll want to know all about it – so that we can turn it into a stunning reality that’s perfectly suited to, or, better still, enhances, the way you live. But, the chances are, you’ll feel much less inclined to tell us about the budget … and we need to know about that too!

Not so that we can charge you according to what this information might suggest about your means, but just so that we make viable suggestions. No point us proposing a top-of-the-range designer kitchen when you mostly eat out and would prefer to splash out on the most recent home cinema system, complete with state-of-the-art audio-visual wizardry!

As long as you tell us what your budget is, we can use our creative expertise, our experience and our contacts with specialist suppliers (both in the UK and overseas) to make sure that you get the very most out of it.

So, perhaps our first piece of advice would be; never be afraid that the sum you can justify is too modest to name. Tell us straight what it is – and we’ll tell you straight what can be achieved.

Other Professional Fees
If your project calls for complex structural work, we will need to involve other professionals, such as architects, structural engineers and take you through other processes, such as applications for planning consents. In this instance we will provide you as early as possible with a detailed estimate of fees for other professional services.

Other Possible Costs
It’s a sad fact of life that when you start scratching beneath the surface of your existing décor, you may find that your home has some little ailments of which you were previously unaware. Dry rot, rising damp and other structural problems can cause delays – and increase costs. With this in mind, you may feel more comfortable in the knowledge that you have a ‘cash reserve’. Generally experience has shown that 10% of the overall spend is adequate and if you do not need to use it, it’s a nice bonus!

We hope that these tips will prove useful and the team at Dufour Designs looks forward to turning your dreams into reality!