How do you want your house to make you feel?
This is the question many interior designers start with, including Nicola Harding, who, as she explains in her dos and don'ts of decorating, thinks about specific scenarios, asking ‘what feeling do you want to have when you wake up on a Sunday morning?’, or ‘have you dreamt about Christmas looking and feeling a certain way?’. If you are a sociable person, perhaps you want your house to feel welcoming and to encourage people to circulate and converse; if you are more introverted, you might want your house to feel more like a sanctuary, cosseting and soothing. Nicola also advises ‘asking yourself when you most felt the feeling you want to trigger – be it ‘safe’, ‘excited’…. What period furniture was there, what colour combinations etc?’ Thinking about places you associate with the relevant emotion can help to inform the scheme you create.
How do you really use your rooms (and which ones don't you use as much as you could)?
There are certain things which can seem like automatic choices when you decorate a house, perhaps because a room has always been used in that way and you can't immediately think of what else to do with it, or because some design element is all over social media and seems like part of the lifestyle you ought to have. One interior designer has mentioned installing an AGA in a city house, only to find that the owner actually didn't know how to use it and only ever uses the ‘normal’ oven. Decorator Daniel Slowik mentioned that he resisted installing a ‘space age’, technology-filled kitchen in a recent project because the owner didn't really cook very much, and focused on a (very lovely) pared-back, utilitarian design instead. He also asked whether she really used her dining room and spare room, and when she admitted that she didn't, he created a charming second sitting room and a luxurious dressing room. The client now finds her flat much more functional as a result.
"Ask yourself not only how you live but most importantly how you’d like to live," says Carlos Garcia. “Sometimes rooms are used for a completely different purpose than we designers think they should be, and we need to ascertain why is it used that way and whether its use can be improved or changed altogether.” Do you, for example, have a formal dining room that is in fact only ever used for art projects, or a spare bedroom that has become a de facto office? “Ask yourself what you genuinely spend most of your time doing,” says Nicola Harding. “If you actually spend more time sorting laundry than formally entertaining, make your laundry room gorgeous and buy a second hand sofa for the formal living room, rather than something new.” Taking a schematic approach can be helpful: “I sit down and do a sort of ‘heat map’ of the house,” says interior design consultant Lucinda Griffith. 'I ask how much of the house they are using every day, how much every week and how much have they not been into since last Christmas. Then we try to work out what is stopping them using all of the footprint."
What is my budget, really?
“You have to cut your suit to fit your cloth,” says interior designer Tamsin Saunders of Home & Found. “Be honest about your budget from the outset – that is the key determining factor.” It's so important to be realistic about this, and interior designers often find that their clients aren't. “I ask what their budget is, then tear my hair out when they produce fabrics they love that are hundreds of pounds a metre,” says Lucinda. Bear in mind that the bulk of your budget in a renovation project will go on things like joinery, flooring, kitchens and bathrooms, so the pretty soft furnishings you have your eye on may be the last in a long list of priorities. "Make sure you allow enough in your budget for lighting," adds Tamsin. “It is the litmus test of a truly beautiful original home and has a huge impact on how a room looks and feels."
What do you hate?
In the wide world of interior design, it can be tricky to figure out what you like best of all, but a good starting place can be the things you really don't like. If you are decorating with your significant other, it can be particularly helpful to ask what the other person does not want in the house. “I rarely ask what my clients like, but rather what they absolutely dislike,” says Carlos Garcia. “Dislikes and fears can be rather irrational and difficult to overcome. There’s no point in living with something one detests. If one of my clients dislikes a particular colour but their partner loves it, I might just choose a couple of accents that make a difference to the room but aren’t too obvious. That way the other party is likely to accept them.”
Equally helpful is to think about what you already find annoying and difficult about your house, “I ask what the clients love and what they hate about their house. Then I try to work out why they hate the things they do,” says Lucinda Griffith. This can lead to discussions about how rooms function, and whether everyone has enough space to do the things they want to do, as well as aesthetic decisions.
Are you more of a maximalist or a minimalist?
This isn't about subscribing to an arbitrary ‘school’ of decoration, but considering how much stuff you like to have in your life. Are you the kind of person who finds it relaxing to be in a serene, tidy environment, or do you find it more reassuring to be surrounded by things? Whichever way you go, be honest with yourself and don't be swayed by the allure of interiors that don't align with how you like to live. “I let my clients know that changing their decoration style won’t change who they are. If they are messy, minimalism isn’t going to make them inherently tidy,” says Lucinda. On a related note…
How much storage do you need (or do you just need to declutter)?
“Storage is vital for a civilised life,” as Emma Burns so memorably puts it, and if you're designing a new house, or thinking about how to improve an old one, it has to be taken into account. But do you really need all the stuff you're trying to store? “Storage is always contentious,” says Carlos. “Sometimes we don’t need storage space but we do need to declutter! People must be very honest with themselves to find the right balance – enough storage space without compromising aesthetics. We live in a home not a storage unit.”
Does what I'm buying reflect me, or am I being influenced?
We've all had the experience of falling for something pretty that's being pushed on us by the media (social or otherwise) or even by our friends and neighbours. Sometimes it turns out to be a great purchase, but sometimes we regret it once trends move on. That's why it's so important to ask yourself whether you really love the things you're acquiring for your house. “Often people don't really know what they want,” says Tamsin Saunders. “They may have preferences or dislikes in terms of colours, materials and patterns but in my experience those are often subconsciously associated with their parental home or influenced by what they’ve seen on Instagram. Both of these can be restrictive and counterproductive.” Social media is a particularly pernicious influence. “In a world led by social media,” remarks Carlos, “it is important to think harmoniously and to have your own personality. If you gather all things you see on Instagram and place them together in a room it’s likely to be a disastrous mismatch, or else it will look like someone else’s AND everyone else’s sitting room but not yours. Rooms should have character and reflect our lives, not that of others.”
What colours do I wear?
Choosing colours for your house can be one of those moments where you can find yourself going for something a bit out there just because you've seen a version you think is cool, and not necessarily because you love it or think it will work for your house. But how do you figure out what colours you really like? “If clients are stuck on what colours to choose,” says Lucinda, “I do sometimes ask to see their wardrobe. What colours people wear can help work out what colours they like to be close to them. It is a bit of an emergency option, but if the whole wardrobe is shades of greige, they are unlikely to love a very colourful interior, so it can help.”
How often do I have people over, and how many?
“Lots of clients will focus on how the house will work when entertaining,” says Lucinda, “but it then turns out that they only entertain every couple of months. Getting the house to work for Monday nights as well as Saturday nights is key – too much focus on the guests can mean losing the function for the rest of the time.”
How do I work with (or around) my architecture?
“It’s always better and easier to work with the building's architecture than against it,” says Carlos Garcia. Assess the room or house properly and ask yourself if what you envisage lives harmoniously with it. If all the architectural details are cohesive, this will give you the canvas on which to elaborate your scheme." Tamsin is very much in agreement: “A home doesn’t actually need too much in it to be beautiful if it is architecturally solid, and the position of windows and doors and the layout and storage have all been carefully considered and well designed.”
How much do I need to decorate for my kids?
“When clients have young children and are very focused on their needs,” says Lucinda, :I do like to remind them that they will grow up, and the house needs to evolve with their changing needs. So don’t spend thousands on specialised lego shelving which you won’t want in 10 years time…"
