Our Interior Design Process

We design a house in the order you live in it: how people come through the front door, where they gather and cook, and where they wind down. The process follows the same logic. It starts with how your household uses the home and works through to the last cushion on the deck, with each stage building on the decisions made in the one before.

Reference photograph: finishes are tested against the drawings before anything is ordered.

The stages at a glance

Six stages, one house

01  Consultation and brief
02  Measure and space planning
03  Concept and selections
04  Design documentation
05  Procurement coordination
06  Styling

Not every project needs all six. A single bathroom may move quickly from brief to documentation, while a new build or whole-home renovation usually runs through each stage in full.

Stages 01–03

Planning the house

The first half of the process is about understanding. We learn how you live, measure what is there, and settle the layout before choosing a single tile.

Stage 01

Consultation and brief

We talk through the house room by room: who lives there, what works now, what frustrates you, and which rooms matter most. Photos, plans and references you’ve saved all help. Together we write a clear brief covering scope, priorities and style direction, and it becomes the reference point for every later decision. Book a Consultation to start here.

Stage 02

Measure and space planning

Accurate dimensions come before anything else. We check walkways, sightlines, door swings, window positions and where the afternoon sun lands, then test layouts for furniture, islands, vanities and storage. This is where a room’s flow gets fixed. Space Planning covers this stage in detail.

Stage 03

Concept and selections

With the layout agreed, the look of the house comes together. We develop a concept, then choose the palette, stone, timber, tiles, tapware and hardware so they work as one scheme. Lighting and built-in pieces are designed at the same time, so the joinery and the lighting and finishes suit each other. See Colour & Material Selection.

Stages 04–06

Bringing it to life

Stage 04

Design documentation

Decisions become drawings, elevations, joinery details and finish schedules that your builder, cabinetmaker, electrician and tiler can price and build from. Clear documentation means fewer questions on site and fewer changes made on the fly. Read more about Design Documentation.

Stage 05

Procurement coordination

Furniture, lighting and decorative pieces are sourced to match the plan and ordered in a sensible sequence around the build. For empty homes, a furniture package brings every room’s pieces together in one considered list. For a single space, see Furniture Selection & Styling.

Stage 06

Styling

The last layer turns finished rooms into a home. Pieces are placed, rugs and curtains go in, and art, cushions and objects are arranged so each room feels complete, in daylight and at night. This is the work of Interior Decoration.

Reference photograph: sketches, swatches and images gathered on one table while a scheme takes shape.

Where you might start

From plans or from an existing home

Starting from plans

With a new build, the most valuable time to begin is before plans are locked in. Stages 02 to 04 can still change power points, window heights and joinery before the frame goes up. See New Build Interior Design.

Starting from a lived-in house

With a renovation, the measure and brief carry more weight, because what stays shapes what changes. Many projects start with one room, often the kitchen or bathroom, and plan the rest of the house around it. See Home Renovation Design.

Finishing rooms that are already built

If the structure is settled and the rooms just feel unfinished, the process can begin at stage 05 with furniture, then move into styling. Browse all services to see how each one fits.

Before you begin

A short checklist to bring to your first conversation.

Which room comes first?

Name the space that bothers you most. It’s often the best place to begin the brief.

What do you already have?

Plans, builder drawings, photos of the house and saved images all help stages 01 and 02 move faster.

What is staying?

Furniture, art or finishes you want to keep shape the concept as much as anything new. For budget considerations, the Design Journal and FAQs are good places to read first.

Have a question first? Send us a message.