We understand you may be considering using an interior architecture and design company for the first time. Our FAQs are based on common questions we get asked. If you have any other queries, please don't hesitate to get in touch.
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Interior architecture bridges interior design and pure architecture, addressing the interior spaces, their functionality and structure, while respecting the building’s historical value.
Our design work encompasses all elements required to implement an interior architecture scheme, covering areas such as spatial reconfiguration, lighting design, joinery design, bathroom and kitchen design, supported with the technical drawings, schedules and specifications required to convey the design accurately to the relevant contractors. We are usually involved throughout the duration of a design project, taking conceptual schemes through to technical and material specification. During this process we will regularly communicate progress to the client as well as collaborate with a myriad of different specialists, such as structural engineers, lighting specialists, building contractors and material suppliers.
Interior design is an extension of an interior architecture scheme. It is a professional and comprehensive practice of creating an interior environment that addresses, protects, and responds to human needs. We feel that the separation of the two comes from interior architecture being more about the building, its structure and everything that is fixed to it and interior design being about the furnishings, colours, fabrics, accessories and styling of the interior projects. Bringing the two together, within our projects, provides an all-encompassing service which is both technical and creative, while addressing the whole design, to ensure the most cohesive approach.
Every project we work on is bespoke and so there are no set timelines for the project itself. However, we can give you some guide timelines around delivering our work. Once we have taken your new business discovery call, we aim to meet with you in person within two weeks. Following the briefing meeting where detailed notes are taken, a fee proposal is sent to you within one to two weeks. On instruction of a project we undertake the initial Concept Phase. This takes 8 weeks, on average, to create before the concept meeting where we present the design for your home. At this meeting a timeline for the project is discussed and set, based on the scope.
We always advise that the earlier you can start the conversation with an interior designer the better. It is often thought that an interior designer is not required until later on in the project, but it is hugely beneficial if the interior designer is instructed on the project from the outset.
We are involved with the interior architecture elements of the design which are intrinsic to the overall architectural scheme and any necessary planning applications. By not involving an interior designer from the start, costly changes can be incurred later down the line when the interior scheme is developed or, it could be a case of having regrets because it is too late or costly to make changes.
In addition, by involving us from the start, we align with all contractors, building an effective working relationship and helping to avoid costly mistakes by ensuring a smooth, efficient process.
Many potential clients have concerns that an interior designer will enforce their own style on their clients. At Wilding & Wolfe, it is so important to us that you feel that your home is a representation of you. It is your home and your input is fundamental to the success of your project.
As part of our process, we encourage you to be as honest as possible by sharing your likes and dislikes, gathering images of styles and colours you're drawn to, telling us about the way you live or want to live and what your dreams are, as well as your practical requirements.
Our way of working is to incorporate your preferences into the design while providing expert guidance on:
Our breadth of supplier knowledge means that we can not only work on a range of project budgets, but we can also adopt a high or low approach to sourcing. We will work to understand, not only your budget, but also where you hold value so that we can assist you to prioritise your project budget, selecting investment pieces where you would most see the value and more cost-effective items, allowing you to gain the look without the price tag.
Please discover the value of hiring an interior designer on our Services page.
The decision of who you choose to work with is an important one because full house renovation projects can last years so this could be a very long-standing relationship! Whilst a designer's portfolio is of course important, it is probably even more important that you get on. You should be able to get a feel for the designer and how they work from the initial meeting, but it is always worth asking for a second opinion.
Take personal recommendations from architects, builders, friends and associates. It is always good to hear the opinions of both professionals and clients when it comes to finding out about a designer.
Interior architecture and design is a blend of creativity, technical skills and excellent project management. It's a good idea to keep all of these aspects in mind when meeting with a designer, to assess whether you feel they could fulfil all these roles.
An interior designer can save you money by:
The 30-minute Discovery Call is free. Following that, if you wish to have an in-person meeting, we would have a 2.5 hours working consultation, which is a paid service. The consultation is well prepared and will already bring you lots of clarity, even if we then choose not to continue working together.
On large scale projects there will be a lot of detail and design decisions to be made beyond an architect's remit, which is essentially to design and deliver the building's shell. The multitude of decisions need to be conveyed in detail to the contractors to ensure that the work is carried out to the intended design.
Where this can be done verbally, there is not only a huge amount of room for 'interpretation', it also means that all of the minute design details may be missed or not thought through. At Wilding & Wolfe, we draw all of the designs in plan and elevation as well as providing detailed schedules and specifications to contractors to ensure that a design is clear and, if not carried out as intended, you have it in black and white (so to speak).
An interior designer will also give you design confidence to create a strong and cohesive design and then assist you in implementing it. They will open you up to ideas and suppliers that you would never have thought of or known about, growing the creative potential of your project and therefore your enjoyment of it once it is completed. A good designer will have an extensive source book of suppliers and tradespeople to help implement the desired design ensuring that the design doesn't just stop with the shell, but carries on throughout all the details, fittings and furnishings.
An interior designer will dig deeply into the way you want to live inside your home, work through your practical requirements, base designs around joinery and specific furniture so that once you have completed your project, you don't wish that you had put a socket there, or wondered why you don't have space for a wardrobe in this bedroom.
We are here to help, whether you simply have no idea or have a clear idea but don't have the contacts, confidence or time to implement it.
We have put together a visual questionnaire for new clients to help you to develop a sense of your own style and for us to understand what aesthetic makes you feel happy and inspired. We go through this with you, discussing the visuals and styles and how they make you feel. We then go on to pull together samples with different textures and colours to experiment and explore what you are drawn to.
The answer to this is - absolutely! Eco-friendly solutions and sustainability are always at the forefront of our minds when selecting furniture, fittings and the equipment we supply.
We have a huge network of sources and close relationships with suppliers and craftspeople who we meet with regularly to discuss new products being brought onto the market. This often involves being presented with new options, whether it is an organic fabric or a chemical free paint that we can then offer to clients with assurance and confidence, passing on this knowledge so that they can make more informed choices. Some of these choices are not only based around thinking about the plant, but also about thinking about the health of their homes.
Clients often come to us with furniture and artwork that they want to keep and integrate into a new design, and this is not a problem at all. When we have the initial meeting, this option is covered. We take photos of the pieces and integrate them into the design, giving them thought and a deserved place, and not expecting everything to be brand new.