Useful thinking for your next move.
Practical starting points for a better brief, a more useful budget and a considered design conversation.
A better brief starts with everyday life
Describe what the space needs to do before deciding what it should look like. A practical way to prepare your first design conversation.
Compare the scope before comparing the price
Two totals can describe very different projects. Use a simple comparison to make assumptions, exclusions and allowances visible.
More space, or better use of the space you have?
Compare extension and reconfiguration against the same everyday needs, rather than floor area alone.
Design the customer journey and the working day
A commercial layout needs to work from both sides of the counter. Start with people, movement and the practical life of the business.
Choose materials for life beyond the photograph
Think about touch, light, cleaning and ageing alongside colour. A small sample strategy can make a palette much more useful.
Planning permission and building regulations: two different questions
An England-focused starting point for understanding which questions to ask, what information to gather and why one approval does not stand in for another.
Rear, side or upward: which direction helps your home?
Understand extension types through the rooms they improve, the space they occupy and the questions they introduce.
Open plan, with room for different rhythms
Explore openness as a spectrum. Connection, quiet, privacy and storage can be designed together.
Plan for the light you will actually live with
Look beyond the size of a window. Observe daylight, views, privacy and the changing use of each room.
Make the first site visit useful
Prepare a concise record of the space, your priorities and the questions that need investigation.
Before the fit-out: check the intended use
For premises in England, establish the lawful use and proposed activities before treating a promising space as ready for your business.
Know who is doing what, before the work begins
A clear appointment and responsibility record help connect creative decisions, specialist input and the next stage of work.
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Let’s make room for your ideas.
Bring a question, a sketch or a space that could work better. We can start there.
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