If you are thinking about hiring an interior designer in Kent or London, here's an honest guide to the process, from discovery call to final reveal, with a real project example.
Hiring an interior designer for the first time can feel daunting. There's a common worry that you'll hand over control of your home and end up with someone else's taste on your walls. Done well, it should feel like the opposite.
Here's an honest account of what the process actually looks like, from that first phone call through to the finished rooms.
It starts with a conversation, not a mood board
The very first step is a discovery call. This is a free 30-minute conversation where I want to understand what you're trying to solve, whether that's a home that's never quite come together, a recent move, or a renovation that's stalled at the point of making decisions. After we have had an initial chat I would then arrange a 90 minute in home consultation where I take high spec measurements of the spaces I will be designing and ask you a few questions. (This is £195 + vat and is deducted of the fee proposal price should you proceed).
I need to understand how you actually live, how and when you use each room, what you love, what you've tried before, what your budget looks like. The more honest you are in that first conversation, the better the outcome. After this I will have all the information I need to give you a fee proposal.
The concept stage: where it all takes shape
Once we agree to work together, the design process begins properly. I develop a full concept for your home: spatial plans, mood boards, material palettes and a clear direction for each room. This is done in close collaboration with you. Nothing is presented as a surprise.
Take Becket House, a colourful Georgian family home in Sevenoaks. The rooms had been used in an impractical order for years. As part of the full design process, spaces were relocated entirely to suit the way the family actually lived. The result is a home that works as well as it looks.
Design development: the detail work
Once the concept is approved, we move into the detailed stage. This covers technical drawings, specifications, sourcing and procurement. I manage the relationship with contractors, architects and suppliers on your behalf. You don't need to receive calls from tradespeople or chase deliveries. We will handle all of this for you.
The reveal: what you've been waiting for
The final installation is when everything comes together. Furniture, soft furnishings, lighting, art, styling. I oversee every element and all the books, decor and plants are put in place beautifully.
At Becket House, this meant a home that now reads as one coherent whole, from the green boot room and bold kitchen through to the pink primary bedroom and family bathroom. Each room has its own character, and every one of them feels unmistakably like the family who live there.
Is it worth it?
A well-designed home saves you money in the long run. Fewer mistakes, less buying and replacing, no expensive reworks. More than that, it saves you the mental load of making hundreds of decisions you don't feel equipped to make.
If you're based in Kent or London and you're considering working with an interior designer, a discovery call is the obvious place to start. It costs nothing and usually answers most of your questions.
Book a free discovery call here.
Michelle Shakallis is an award-winning interior designer based in Canterbury, Kent, working with clients across Sevenoaks, Whitstable, Tunbridge Wells, Faversham, Ashford, Maidstone, Deal, Dover and London.