When you embark on a home refurbishment or renovation project, there is an enormous amount to think about.
Colours, finishes, furniture, lighting, cabinetry, flooring and beautiful details naturally sit at the forefront of the design process. But behind every successful interior is something far less glamorous – and arguably far more important: careful planning, detailed interior design drawings and experienced project management.
The Importance of Detailed Interior Design Drawings
A good set of drawings is not simply something that makes a project look professional. They are an essential communication tool between the interior designer, client, contractor and individual trades. They help everyone understand what goes where, when it needs to happen and how different elements of the refurbishment need to work together.
Consider a kitchen renovation. You may know that you want an island with a sink, boiling water tap and dishwasher. Perhaps you also want a fridge with a permanent water supply. On paper, these are straightforward requirements. But behind the finished kitchen is a network of services that need to be planned before the cabinetry arrives.
- Where does the plumbing need to run?
- Where are the electrical supplies?
- Where will the dishwasher connection sit?
- Has provision been made for the fridge water supply?
- Does the flooring need to accommodate pipework?
- Where are the sockets and switches?
And, critically, have all of these requirements been co-ordinated with the kitchen design, cabinetry and overall room layout?
The same applies to underfloor heating, electrical wiring, lighting design and plumbing. Before floors, ceilings and walls are closed up, these services need to be properly considered and documented. Lighting requires the same level of forethought: positions of fittings, switches, circuits, controls and cabling all need to be understood before ceilings and walls are finished.
These are the things that are easy to overlook when concentrating on the finished appearance – but incredibly difficult, disruptive and expensive to correct afterwards.
Knowing the Project From Back to Front
This is why we believe there is such value in having an experienced interior designer who understands the whole refurbishment project.
- Someone who understands not just the beautiful end result, but everything underneath it
- Someone who knows the drawings, the specification, the furniture layout, the lighting scheme, the plumbing requirements, the finishes and the practical constraints
- Someone who remembers why a particular decision was made six months ago
- Someone who can walk onto site and immediately understand whether something looks right – or whether something needs to be questioned
That continuity is incredibly powerful because home renovation and refurbishment projects rarely go exactly according to plan. Buildings can have surprises. Measurements may change. Products may become unavailable. Trades could have different interpretations. Decisions need to be made quickly.
When that happens, having someone who understands the entire project means those decisions can be made in context, rather than in isolation.
Having Someone Who Has Your Back
For many homeowners, a home renovation or full house refurbishment is one of the largest investments they will make in their property. Yet clients are often expected to coordinate a complicated process involving people they may have never worked with before.
- They shouldn't have to become an electrician, plumber, builder, kitchen designer or project manager overnight
- They shouldn't need to know whether a particular cable needs to be installed before the plasterboard goes up
- They shouldn't have to remember that the position of a dishwasher connection could affect the cabinetry
- And they shouldn't discover after the floor has been finished that something should have been installed underneath it
This is where professional interior design project management can make such a difference.
Someone who understands the bigger picture, pays attention to the detail and is prepared to ask the questions before problems arise.
A Real Example: Creating a Completely Seamless Home Office
Recently, we worked on an office where the brief was to create a beautifully clean and seamless space, with every cable and wire completely concealed. We carefully marked out exactly where the cabling needed to be positioned so that it could be discreetly fed through the leg of the desk. This meant that once everything was installed, there were no visible wires to detract from the clean, considered look of the room. What made this possible was a rather unique feature of the property. The floor had originally been part of a swimming pool, leaving a void beneath the room. Rather than seeing this as a limitation, we saw an opportunity and were able to utilise the space beneath the floor to route the services and create a truly seamless interior design solution. We also incorporated a clever solution for the television. It was designed to rise discreetly from the void when required and then disappear completely when not in use, leaving the room looking calm and uncluttered. It is a great example of how the details that you don't see can be just as important as the ones you do.
Achieving a seamless interior isn't simply about choosing beautiful furniture and finishes – it is about space planning, technical drawings, electrical planning, lighting design and careful project coordination.
The finished room may look effortless, but it is the planning behind it that makes it possible.
Why Even the Dining Table Needs to Be Considered Early
A classic example we often come across on our projects is the dining table. It may seem like a simple decision – choosing the style and size of the table and deciding where you would like it to sit – but it can have a surprising impact on the planning and installation of the entire room.
The exact size and position of the table can determine where lighting needs to be centred, where sockets should be located, how much circulation space is required and how the surrounding furniture will work within the room. When these decisions haven't been made early enough, we often see trades having to return to site simply because the information they need isn't available. This can result in unnecessary delays, additional costs and, sometimes, having to compromise on the finished design. This is one of the reasons having an experienced interior designer and project manager involved from the outset can make such a difference. Thinking through these details early means the trades have the information they need, the work can be co-ordinated properly and, importantly, your money isn't being spent unnecessarily correcting things that could have been planned from the start.
Doing the Right Thing, Not Simply Doing What Is Easiest
Good interior design project management isn't about rushing decisions or simply getting the job finished, it is about doing things properly.
- Sometimes that means stopping and asking a contractor to reconsider an approach.
- Sometimes it means identifying an issue before it becomes expensive.
- Sometimes it means going back to a drawing and checking a measurement.
- Sometimes it means telling a client that something needs to change – even when it isn't the easiest conversation to have.
That is part of the responsibility we take on when we work with a client.
Our job isn't simply to create a beautiful interior design concept, it is to help make sure that design is delivered properly.
If you are planning a home refurbishment, renovation or interior design project in Cambridge, Newmarket, Bury St Edmunds or the surrounding areas, why not start the conversation before the work begins?
Why not arrange a meeting with Leigh and her team at Strive for Design Interior Consultants to discuss your plans, ideas and aspirations for your space?
With the right interior design consultancy and project management from the outset, we can help ensure that every detail is considered, every element is coordinated and your project is delivered with confidence.
Because the earlier we become involved, the more we can do to make sure your project runs smoothly, looks beautiful and, most importantly, works for you.