Transforming a home or even just a room can be an exciting process, but are there advantages to working with an interior designer rather than embarking upon it yourself?

Great British Life: Navy and dark blues and natural green and earthy colours are a current popular interior design trend. Picture: Furnish and FettleNavy and dark blues and natural green and earthy colours are a current popular interior design trend. Picture: Furnish and Fettle (Image: Archant)

Interior designer Eleanor Goddard, owner of Furnish and Fettle, with showrooms in Wetherby, Pocklington and Harrogate, considers the benefits of employing a professional.

Q: How does an interior design service work?

Great British Life: Using a professional interior design service can help you avoid costly design mistakes and stay on budget. Picture: Furnish and FettleUsing a professional interior design service can help you avoid costly design mistakes and stay on budget. Picture: Furnish and Fettle (Image: Archant)

A: For us, everything is focused around the individual client and making sure they enjoy the experience. This is just as important as ensuring they end up with a lovely house or business. We have showrooms in Wetherby, Pocklington and Harrogate and provide a full interior design service. Most of our clients are residential but we do also work with small businesses, such as restaurants, bars and boutique hotels. Our aim is to make the room, home or business beautiful and to be very flexible, friendly and down to earth. We encourage people to come and browse in one of our showrooms before deciding whether to work with us.

Q: Where does someone start with an interior design project?

A: They normally come to meet us first. If we are going to end up spending a lot of time together then we like to get to know them; what they are looking for and what they are hoping to achieve. On bigger projects, we then do a home consultation before coming back to the showroom to pull the schemes together. The client then comes in to talk it through and we can make changes if necessary. Then, depending on the level of service they choose, some might decide to source some products themselves. Most, however, want us to source and install everything, which is where they get the most value from the service. We offer a full design service right through to project management and installation. We have our own installations manager who can coordinate and deal with contractors to ensure everything is finished to an exacting standard.

Q: What are the advantages of using an interior designer?

A: Firstly, they bring professional expertise. This means the client can draw on the designer’s knowledge – or, in our case, the knowledge of our whole, very experienced team. Secondly, a project can take time and working with us allows the client to take on the fun side of it rather than getting caught up in the technical nitty-gritty. Thirdly, it avoids expensive mistakes and we can help people to stick within their budget as we have knowledge of different products and price ranges. Finally, even just designing just one room can be overwhelming, particularly now that, with Instagram and so many television programmes, there is so much choice. Having someone who knows what they are doing, to help you through that process makes it so much more enjoyable.

Q: How much does an interior design service cost?

A: Our entry-level design service (home and interior design consultation) is £250. Room design is from £500 and then with larger projects we tend to work on an hourly fee. Some people like the flexibility of this whereas others prefer a project price right at the beginning. Again, we try to be as flexible as possible. Some people want more help, while others don’t necessarily need all the technical drawings and visualisations.

Q: What are the current trends in interior design?

A: We are still seeing a lot of natural colours, including greens, which we like as they are timeless. This year, when everything is turbulent, earthy, outdoors colours seem to be a good anchor. Navy blue and darker blues also continue to be popular. But, for us, it is less about the trends and more about what the client actually likes. Trends come and go, and it is not good advice to suggest a client follows a bold trend that could be gone in a year. If they do really like it, however, we would suggest only incorporating it in very changeable elements, such as lamps or cushions, which could be switched out at a later stage.

For more information visit furnishandfettle.co.uk.