In the first instalment of this short series, I look at my own personal interior design style and taste, how I chose to design my own home. Today I am going to give insight into how we incorporate a client’s own personality into their home, whilst considering their preferred interior design style or styles (we are at times catering to opposing design styles within the same home, a challenge I am always up for).
What the client wants, the client gets
As an interior designer, whether I have a personal favourite interior design style or not, it doesn’t really matter as we are working for you, the client. We never design to a specific style or in a particular way, each of our designs are one-of-a-kind bespoke creations based on the client’s unique requirements and taste.
Clients are usually very clear when we meet as to what style they would like their home to be. They know too, that they want to feel differently when they walk into their new home. It is how to achieve this that they find difficult, and rightly so, they are not designers. Our client’s at our Marathon Road project wanted to retain the architectural substance of their home but create a European feel.
Our clients come to us with their own preferred interior design style, like Mid-Century Modern (which has seen a recent resurgence in contemporary homes), or classical European, and then we use this information to achieve an outcome that is consistent with what the client desires, always considering the architectural design of the home.
Mixing and matching styles
As you can imagine, not all of my clients can agree on the interior design style they would like their homes to reflect. One may prefer clean lines and a contemporary style, while the other may be more on the arty side and like the use of bold patterns or colour. I listen to them, understand what each needs from the project and then set myself the challenge to create something that is unique and perfect for them. Let’s just say that I am very diplomatic and never take sides.
For example, there are certain pieces of furniture that are considered modern and will stand the test of time. Like a Charles Eames chair in the study, it will always be a modern addition whilst maintaining its historical relevance. Furniture is a way to combine different design styles and approaches, to create a cohesive outcome that will keep everybody happy with the end result.
More than just furniture
Interior design styles are created by more than just furniture, it’s the overall design of the functional space within a room, telling a story through curation of the architecture and elements in the space. Good examples of this are kitchens and bathrooms; using current appliances in a kitchen or updated clean lines in a bathroom can ensure that the design works well within the original structure of the home, whilst adding a contemporary element.
When we are designing a home for a client we are aiming to create a feeling that is not yet present, making their home feel really special. Sometimes it’s simply updating that homely feeling to suit their current circumstances, or having a complete change altogether to create something totally new.
I love a challenge
Although we always design based on our client brief to create a space that they will ultimately love and will stand the test of time, that is not to say that there are certain interior design styles that I personally do not like, but would gladly take on the challenge to incorporate.
For example, I personally do not like too many patterns. I prefer creating layers with different textures in a space as opposed to different patterns, as this can become very busy, and I don’t like busy. Creating diversity through texture rather than pattern. But I am not designing for myself, I am designing for my client, and will find a way to make pattern on pattern work perfectly in their home.
I also don’t like dark and oppressive colours, for example an entire black kitchen. But again, this likely ties back to my own personal taste in interior design styles, swaying more towards the feminine end of the spectrum, preferencing detail and warm colour palettes. Not to say you won’t see black granite in my designs of the future…
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