Interior Design Process
Whether it's a complex refurbishment, house extension, or a smaller room renovation, our goal is to provide clarity and assurance from the outset, ensuring you are fully informed about the process and stages needed to realise your dream project.
We have a comprehensive approach to our interior design services, encompassing not just the creative but also the logistical and managerial sides.
The contents below are provided to help start that process of discovery and understanding. We are here to help you get the most out of the experience.
Small - Furniture & Finishes (one or more rooms)
Guide project costs £5,000 - £10,000 ± per room
Furniture | Finishes & Equipment (FF&E)
We offer a simple and efficient FF&E selection design service, whereby we provide 2 options for your loose items of furniture, lighting, fabrics, flooring and wall covering selections along with paint colour ideas.
We provide links to the web site selections for you to purchase directly yourself.
We can offer procurement services and you can read about this further by following this link: Procurement
Guide project costs £5,000 - £10,000 ± per room
Stage 1 - Preparation & Brief
This is our initial consultation stage where we meet with you to discuss your aspirations / ideas for the project and review your budget and timing expectations.
We will at this stage establish what information will need to be produced, how this is to be secured and the level of service you require from us. To keep the cost of this package down and ensure all money goes into buying the items you want, our default position is that we assume you will handle the procurement and final installation yourselves. However, if you would like we can provide procurement services and pass on the trade discounts for a small percentage fee.
Our deliverables from this consultation will be as follows:
-
Written brief taken from our discussion
-
Our design fee proposal and next steps
-
An outline program of our design stages from 2 - 4.
We charge £60.00 + vat for an online consultation and £90.00 + vat for an in person meeting (plus travel expenses).
-
Stage 2 - Concept Design
On your review and acceptance of our terms and fee proposal, we begin the conceptual design stage, this includes but is not limited to:
-
Based on the measurements you provide, we draw up a floor plan showing all the key existing elements of the room.
-
Develop plan ideas for further discussion and to help cement the brief.
-
Develop mood imagery and preliminary sample selections to understand your likes and wishes.
-
Prepare cost estimate.
-
1 meeting either virtual or in person to discuss the proposal and ideas.
-
Stage 3 - Design Development
On approval of our concept stage, complete 2 design options for all selections with specifications for your onward coordination. Further revisions are available at our hourly rate of £60.00 + vat.
We can offer on-line or phone time to answer questions whilst you purchase based on a minimum half hourly rate of £30.00 + vat paid for in advance.
Stage 4 - Technical Design
If there are built-in items to be made, prepare drawings for you to obtain prices from makers.
Stage 5 - On Site Construction
Not included unless specifically requested / required.
Stage 6 - Handover
We allow for 1 final handover meeting to help to set up your room, positioning artwork and discussing any additional items you may require.
Additional Services
Procurement - Furniture, Fittings & Equipment (FF&E).
We can provide procurement services for a small fee of 10% of either trade or the best price available to us. Most suppliers offer between 10 - 30% discounts so savings are passed on to you. FF&E items can include but not limited to curtains, furniture, lighting and floor coverings. This service includes the following:
-
Cost and availability report - we act as an agent through the procurement process by providing pro forma invoices for your payment which will clearly show the discounts being passed on to you. Each supplier offers slightly different discounts, we can discuss this at the time.
-
Quantities of all required items.
-
Coordinate with you for the delivery of each item.
-
If you are not available to take delivery of all purchased items, we can arrange for consolidation and storage off-site with an agreed delivery date in one go, to suit your schedule. Items will be unpacked and delivered to the exact room required with all packing materials removed. Subject to a separate agreement.
-
Small
Finishes/Furniture
Furniture, Fittings & Equipment
(FF&E)
How do we work?
Drop us your email and we'll send you our free process and deliverables pack.
Large Project - Full House | Extensions | Loft Conversion - Design Process
Guide project size £80,000 - £1.5m +
The advantage of choosing the MHD design route is that we do not restrict you to selecting materials and fittings from a limited list of suppliers, and we don’t expect you to take on all our service offering, it can be totally customised to suit your needs. Your space will be a unique, one-of-a-kind design that reflects your exact preferences, tailored specifically to you and your budget expectations.
Our large-sized full home / extension project process provides you with a complete design, fully coordinated with all other consultants such as the architect, structural engineer, local authority departments (planning / building control) with all the necessary details and specifications to implement the project with either the contractors we already work with or your already chosen / existing contractor relationship. If you don’t have an architectural design, we can help you with that also, getting you through planning and listed building consent.
Our process provides a fully bespoke outcome not repeated anywhere else.
We broadly follow the RIBA stages of work, customised to suit the interior design process. These stages are listed below with an outline of what is included at each stage with slides and images of actual deliverables.
Stage 1 - Preparation & Brief
This is our initial consultation stage where we meet with you to discuss your aspirations and ideas for the project, review your budget and timing expectations.
We will at this stage establish what information will need to be produced, how this is to be secured and the level of service you require from us. An important element of this discussion is how the project will be procured and by what process contractors provide prices and how they will be managed.
Our deliverables from this consultation will be as follows:
-
Written brief taken from our discussion
-
Our detailed design fee proposal and next steps
-
An outline program of our design stages from 2 - 4 and beyond, if required.
We charge £90.00 + vat for an online consultation and £120.00 + vat for an in person meeting (plus travel expenses).
Should you proceed with the work, we will deduct the cost of the consultation from the proposed fee in our first invoice.
-
Stage 2 - Concept Design
On your review and acceptance of our terms and fee proposal, we begin the conceptual design stage, this includes but is not limited to:
-
Engage the services of an architectural survey company to measure the existing property / space. Depending on the project size, we may undertake this ourselves.
-
Develop plan ideas for further discussion and to help cement the brief.
-
Develop mood imagery and preliminary sample selections to understand your likes and wishes.
-
Stage 3 - Design Development
Design Stage 1
Develop the plans further to show ceiling and floor finish plans, sample elevations of key design details and provide more developed samples for the project.
Design Stage 2
Colour rendered plans showing floor finishes, colour rendered elevations of important details, suggest specialists for custom made items and provide samples for general direction and or approval.
We often start to look and consider potential contractors and share the Stage 3 drawings with them to establish if they would be interested in pricing the work.
Stage 4 - Technical Design
This stage is where we produce the detailed drawings, finishes, and supply item schedules ready to be priced and deliveries organised to suit the coming site construction period. Building systems are finalised, and all technical information is prepared.
As noted above, we will have already discussed how the project will be priced at our initial consultation, and we will have already established your attitude to cost risk/certainty and timing requirements. To help with this process explanation, we list the two main approaches below, which have their individual pros and cons attached.
Written Scope of Work - The quickest but potentially the least cost accurate is to prepare a written scope of work that is accompanied by basic plans; this is most likely undertaken at the beginning of the project to get a feel for the cost early on. In our opinion, this is the extent to which a written scope of work should be used; it is, however, a route that a lot of clients wish to proceed with and engage a contractor before a full set of drawings are completed.
The misconception of this route is that it saves time and money; however, the overall information for building a project does still need to be produced, and whether that is before you price the job or after, the time required remains the same. Writing a scope is not a substitute for developing drawings and selecting materials.
It is also quite common for only one contractor to submit a price based on a written scope, which is more broadly described as a negotiated price process. There is, of course, even less scrutiny as there are no breakdowns or line item prices from other companies to compare to.
Pros | If the priority is to start on site as quickly as possible over the accuracy or certainty of costs, before you engage a contractor, this works well.
Cons | No price accuracy (everybody interprets a written brief differently), and unless you agree to a limited price range of materials early on, you box yourself into a range of materials. You can, of course, work outside of those given cost ranges, but the changes in price rapidly increase and can at times feel out of control. You need a healthy contingency to be held in reserve. More site meetings are required as work proceeds.
Competitive Tender - This is the oldest and most accurate route to take but is used less and less as it is believed, incorrectly in our opinion, that the process (which at times can be complex) can be short-circuited. Two or more contractors are selected to price and are given the same detailed set of drawings, schedules, and scope of work. As everything is either specified or drawn, there is no interpretation required, and the analysis of the returned costs can be conducted much more accurately.
Pros | Accuracy of price, as like-for-like comparisons are built in from the start. Less site meetings are required as work proceeds.
Cons | What you gain in price certainty, you lose in speed to getting on site, although the time lost can often be mitigated by knowing the contractor has everything he needs to proceed from day one and move quickly.
Stage 5 - On Site Construction
On the basis that the contractors have been vetted to ensure they are of good standing and repute, they will/should already come with built in project management capabilities. We therefore provide a cost for periodic supervision that can be increased or reduced to suit the requirements of the project and the level of involvement you wish to have.
Stage 6 - Handover
We will be on hand at the end of the project to ensure everything has been built in accordance with the contract drawings. We will prepare a detailed schedule of defects to the contractor and provide a follow up inspection 6 months after completion. Final payments will not be sanctioned until all defects have been completed.
Additional Services - Procurement - Project Supply Items | Furniture, Fittings & Equipment (FF&E).
We can provide procurement services for a small fee of 10% of either trade or the best price available to us. Most suppliers offer between 10 - 30% discounts so savings are passed on to you. Project supply items can include items such as wall and floor tiles, sanitary ware, timber flooring and the FF&E itmes can include curtians, furniture, lighting and floor coverings. This service includes the following:
-
Cost and availability report - we act as an agent through the procurement process by providing pro forma invoices for your payment which will clearly show the discounts being passed on to you. Each supplier offers slightly different discounts, we can discuss this at the time.
-
Quantities of all required items.
-
Coordinate with the contractor for the delivery of each item.
-
If you are not available to take delivery of all purchased items, we can arrange for consolidation and storage off-site with an agreed delivery date in one go, to suit your schedule. Items will be unpacked and delivered to the exact room required with all packing materials removed.
-
Large
Homes/Extensions
Full house refurbishments, extensions, loft conversions
How do we work?
Drop us your email and we'll send you our free process and deliverables pack.
Medium - Individual Room(s) Design Process
Guide project size £15,000 - £80,000
The advantage of choosing the MHD design route is that we do not restrict you to selecting materials and fittings from a limited list of suppliers, and we don’t expect you to take on all our service offering, it can be totally customised to suit your needs. Your space will be a unique, one-of-a-kind design that reflects your exact preferences, tailored specifically to you and your budget expectations.
Our medium-sized individual room(s) project process provides you with a complete design, fully coordinated with any other consultants (if required) such as the Structural Engineer and eventually Building Control through your contractor. All necessary details and specifications to implement the project will be included to seek prices from either ours or your contractor. If you don’t have a structural a structural engineer or specialist contractors, we can help you with them also.
Our process provides a fully bespoke outcome not repeated anywhere else.
We broadly follow the RIBA stages of work, customised to suit the interior design process. These stages are listed below with an outline of what is included at each stage with slides and images of actual deliverables.
Stage 1 - Preparation & Brief
This is our initial consultation stage where we meet with you to discuss your aspirations and ideas for the project, review your budget and timing expectations.
We will at this stage establish what information will need to be produced, how this is to be secured and the level of service you require from us. An important element of this discussion is how the project will be procured and by what process contractors provide prices and how they will be managed.
Our deliverables from this consultation will be as follows:
-
Written brief taken from our discussion
-
Our detailed design fee proposal and next steps
-
An outline program of our design stages from 2 - 4 and beyond, if required.
We charge £90.00 + vat for an online consultation and £120.00 + vat for an in person meeting (plus travel expenses).
Should you proceed with the work, we will deduct the cost of the consultation from the proposed fee in our first invoice.
-
Stage 2 - Concept Design
On your review and acceptance of our terms and fee proposal, we begin the conceptual design stage, this includes but is not limited to:
-
Engage the services of an architectural survey company to measure the existing property / space. Depending on the project size, we may undertake this ourselves.
-
Develop plan ideas for further discussion and to help cement the brief.
-
Develop mood imagery and preliminary sample selections to understand your likes and wishes.
-
Prepare high level estimated costings.
-
Stage 3 - Design Development
Design Stage 1
Develop the plans further to show ceiling and floor finish plans, sample elevations of key design details and provide more developed samples for the project.
Design Stage 2
Colour rendered plans showing floor finishes, colour rendered elevations of important details, suggest specialists for custom made items and provide samples for general direction and or approval.
We often start to look and consider potential contractors and share the Stage 3 drawings with them to establish if they would be interested in pricing the work.
Stage 4 - Technical Design
This stage is where we produce the detailed drawings, finishes and supply item schedules ready to be priced and deliveries organised to suit the coming site construction period. Building systems are finalised and all technical information prepared.
As noted above, we will have already discussed how the project will be priced at our initial consultation and we will have already established your attitude to cost risk/certainty and timing requirements. To help with this process explanation we list the two main approaches below which have their individual pros and cons attached.
Written Scope of Work - The quickest but potentially the least cost accurate is to prepare a written scope of work that is accompanied with basic plans, this is most likely undertaken at the beginning of the project to get a feel for the cost early on. In our opinion, this is the extent by which a written scope of work should be used for, it is however a route that a lot of clients wish to proceed with and engage a contractor before a full set of drawings is complete.
The misconception of this route is that it saves time and money, however the overall information for building a project does still need to be produced and whether that is before you price the job or after - the time required remains the same. Writing a scope is not a substitute for developing drawings and selecting materials.
It is also quite common for only 1 contractor to submit a price based on a written scope which is more broadly described as a negotiated price process. There is of course even less scrutiny as there are no breakdowns or line item prices from other companies to compare to.
Pros | If the priority is to start on site as quickly as possibly over the accuracy or certainty of costs, before you engage a contractor, this works well.
Cons | No price accuracy (everybody interprets a written brief differently) and unless you agree to a limited price range of materials early on, boxing yourself into a range of materials. You can of course work outside of those given cost ranges but the changes in price rapidly increase and can at times feel out of control. You need a healthy contingency to be held in reserve. More site meetings are required as work proceeds.
Competitive Tender - This is the oldest and most accurate route to take but is used less and less as it is believed, incorrectly in our opinion, that the process (which at times can be complex) can be short circuited. 2 or more contractors are selected to price and are given the same detailed set of drawings, schedules and scope of work. As everything is either specified or drawn, there is no interpretation required and the analysis of the returned costs can be conducted much more accurately.
Pros | Accuracy of price, as like for like comparisons are built in from the start. Less site meetings are required as work proceeds.
Cons | What you gain in price certainty you loose in speed to getting on site, although the time lost can often be mitigated by knowing the contractor has everything he needs to proceed from day one and move quickly.
Stage 5 - On Site Construction - (Supervision not normally included)
On the basis that the contractors have been vetted to ensure they are of good standing and repute, they will/should already come with built in project management capabilities, it is for this reason and our confidence in our drawing and specification package that we do not think you need further help.
If you are not confident in managing this process from your side, we can be on hand to answer questions and / or attend site meetings to assist with the build process. Both of these are charged at our hourly rate of £60/hour + vat.
Stage 6 - Handover
We allow for 1 final handover meeting when your build/install is complete, to help you identify and record any defects which may be present and advise on how to wrap the project up with the contractor.
Additional Services - Procurement - Project Supply Items | Furniture, Fittings & Equipment (FF&E).
We can provide procurement services for a small fee of 10% of either trade or the best price available to us. Most suppliers offer between 10 - 30% discounts so savings are passed on to you. Project supply items can include items such as wall and floor tiles, sanitary ware, timber flooring and the FF&E itmes can include curtians, furniture, lighting and floor coverings. This service includes the following:
-
Cost and availability report - we act as an agent through the procurement process by providing pro forma invoices for your payment which will clearly show the discounts being passed on to you. Each supplier offers slightly different discounts, we can discuss this at the time.
-
Quantities of all required items.
-
Coordinate with the contractor for the delivery of each item.
-
If you are not available to take delivery of all purchased items, we can arrange for consolidation and storage off-site with an agreed delivery date in one go, to suit your schedule. Items will be unpacked and delivered to the exact room required with all packing materials removed.
-
Medium
Single Room Projects
Kitchens, bathrooms, Home Offices, Walk-In-Wardrobes
How do we work?
Drop us your email and we'll send you our free process and deliverables pack.