Designing in layers

When it comes to designing interiors for your home or hideaway, we always start with an overall vision for the whole scheme – but we design in layers.

Helping you to confidently make decisions along the way that keep in mind the vision for the final feel.

Firstly, it’s wise to live in a place for a while before making any big changes, if you can.

It helps so much actually living in and with a space to find out what works and what doesn’t, how the light comes into the rooms, how they’re used, and what’s missing to make it work better.

Selecting furniture and decorative items when we haven’t had the chance to experience what the base elements of our space will feel like can be overwhelming.

We divide the different elements of the interior design process into three key layers:

1

The base layer. This refers to all the immovable parts that we will not be able to be replace or adjust that easily at a later stage. For example, flooring, bathroom tiles and fittings, built-in kitchen cabinets, built in furniture etc. Once we’ve defined what we want the overall feeling within our home and each room to be, we can concentrate on pinning down how to execute this for those fixed parts.

2

The second layer. This is the part of our project we begin once all the fixed, immovable parts are complete. At this point, we can devote our full attention to the bigger elements, for example, big furniture items including beds, sofas, and finalising the main colours for walls and woodwork.

3

The third layer. In this final stage we concentrate on the smaller furniture items and all decorative elements. By this point we have a very good sense of what the spaces feel like and what else will be needed for the overall atmosphere we want to create. This stage is also likely to take the longest and in some sense may never be fully complete as we add and tailor our living spaces to our changing needs.

A home is never really finished. It should change along the way as we change ourselves and how we use the space.

Accept that good things and mindful; considered spaces take time. Time and patience are key when it comes to creating a soulfully put together home. If we allow ourselves the time to layer slowly, our homes will begin to tell their own stories – and will feel like us.

Homes that have a strong sense of identity often belong to people who are thoughtful with all that they do.

No one else will have the same because we are all different. By allowing ourselves to engage with the process at a more considered pace, we allow for our own unique style to emerge naturally without rushing to buy the next thing we’ve seen online.

Time and patience are especially important if we intend to incorporate vintage pieces. The right piece can take months or even years to find.

Allowing spaces to evolve gradually and naturally leaves room for our preference and personal style to evolve naturally too. When we focus on our values, decision making becomes easy. The weight of choosing is lifted when we embrace our own unique story.

When we listen to our own inner voice, we find our way.

Enjoy the process of creating home.

If you need some help creating the right feel in your space then we’d love to hear from you.