What happens during an interior design consultation?

You may have seen on my site that I offer ‘in home interior design consultations’. But what are they? And what happens at one? Let me tell you!

As part of the design process, I think it’s crucial to go and visit a client in their home whenever possible. This is so that you can get a good understanding of how they use their living space and what they love or dislike about it. Many of my clients say something along the lines of ‘excuse the mess when you come over won’t you?’, to which I always reply, ‘don’t worry, with two lively boys under 5, my house is rarely mess free!’ So my first piece of information is that when I visit you for an interior consultation, I am not looking at how clean your home is! We might look at storage solutions, or how you can fix your secret ‘Monica from Friends’ cupboard if clutter is something that concerns you, but only if you want to!

Instead, most of my consultations are very casual and happen over a cup of tea. We talk about the room or rooms that you want to update and how you like to live as a family or individual. This is all key information for me as it means that the space I go on to design for you is as as suited to your personality as possible. Sometimes my clients complete a design or colour questionnaire for me so that I can understand their personality and style more deeply and we often look at some images on Pinterest so that I can show you ideas there and then to see what you like.

The consultations last for 90 minutes (although I have to admit that sometimes my clients and I have such a great chat that we often have a 2 hour meeting, not a 90 minute one. I only charge for the 90 minutes though!) At the end of the consultation I share possible next steps for the client and share the different design packages I offer. This information is then left with the client to think over in my client welcome pack. Some clients get enough ideas from the consultation and end the process there however the vast majority go on to hire me to design the room/s in full for them. The good news is that my consultation fee is refundable against any design packages that my clients choose.

So there you have it! All in all my main priority is that my clients feel happy and excited by the design process, not judged or uncomfortable. If you’re unsure if a design consultation is for you, or if you want to find out more, fill out the form on the homepage or you can reach me via Facebook at Claire Parkin Interior Design. I’d love to chat with you about your home!

Claire.x