Visualise Your Best Home

Over the years I’ve met many people who are keen to make major structural or decorative changes to their homes but who (in their own words) lack both the creativity and the ability to visualise a major transformation. For this reason many of these homeowners fall at the first hurdle if they’re thinking of tackling the changes on their own and they simply give up and leave their home as is. What a shame!

But they secretly know that their home could look and function so much better if only they had the visual ability to imagine these changes.

Luckily that’s where I come in. I work with homeowners so they don’t have to tackle this alone. I work with a variety of budgets both large and small so there’s no need to think that you can’t afford to work with an interior designer on re-imagining a space. Our visual tools are available for everyone to tap into. Prices for some of the work examples below start from £250 and it’s an investment into creating your ideal space but also into making the right decisions and purchasing the best materials and furniture along the way.

I love to help my clients visualise their future home down to the smallest detail. If you’d like to know more about how I could help you and your home then read on because these are just some of the ways to create a better home to enjoy every day.

THE 2D FLOOR PLAN

The benefits of drawing up a 2D floor plan with accurate measurements are manifold and they are an invaluable tool for both an existing space (with no structural changes) or for a completely new space which is in the planning phase and not even built yet.

Accurately measuring out your space into a detailed floor plan helps you to plan the size and number of furniture items to buy so your room doesn’t feel cluttered or sparse. Many people make the mistake of buying furniture which is too big in scale and therefore dominates a room. Conversely if you buy furniture which is too small for a room then it’s going to look too small for the space and also look a bit mean, like you really should have bought a 3-seater sofa instead of 2, which leaves someone sitting on the floor!

A digital 2D floor plan helps you to assess the benefits of moving furniture to different locations in the room without having to physically move them. A high-backed sofa can often disrupt sightlines in a room or effect a view to the outside so testing out the scale and various positions of furniture in a room means you can find the right space for each piece without the heavy lifting.

A floor plan will help you to think about how you move around a space, and into and out of that space from another room. For a large open-plan space it’s a great way to imagine the possibilities of how you will use the space and the flow within it. Things which are essential to consider - Does your space and furniture choices give the kids enough room to play? Does it allow you to move through the space without obstructions? Does it show that the kitchen table you have your heart set on will be too big to be able to place chairs around it?

THE WALL ELEVATION

Creating elevations of the 4 walls in your room is a great way to think about the focal point of each wall elevation. What would you like your fireplace wall to look like - does it need a mirror or artwork over the mantle? When you're sitting in your window alcove looking back into the room what is your view and what makes it interesting?

Wall elevations help you to accurately place items which are scaled to size and to play around with the possibilities of hanging artwork and gallery walls. They also help you to visualise how a bold wallpaper or pair of patterned curtains could look.

Many people often forget about the height of a room but by knowing your ceiling height and furniture scale you’ll get a sense of how much wall space you’ll see and whether it needs to be blank space or if it could be used in a different way.

JOINERY DESIGN

Storage is a priority for many UK homeowners. Luckily the world of bespoke joinery and tailored storage solutions has become more accessible and mainstream, meaning the clutter can be stored away and the storage can look beautiful at the same time.

Whether it’s a built-in desk unit for a home office, wardrobe cabinetry in a master bedroom or essential toy and games storage in a playroom the possibilities for joinery design are endlessly creative and they no longer cost the earth. Even an IKEA hack with the help of a talented carpenter and the eye of an interior designer can end up looking like a bespoke piece of high-end furniture.

Joinery design and storage solutions like these mean you get the exact amount of shelves, hanging space, cupboards and drawers you need rather than buying off-the-shelf solutions which will often have limitations. It’s especially important to get the right storage layout in your home for hiding things like ironing boards, coats and shoes, and not to mention kids paraphernalia!

THE 3D VISUALISATION

Progressing on from a 2D floor plan and wall elevations to a 3D computer-aided visualisation with walls, windows, furniture and décor gives a real sense of how a room could look. This is also the point where bespoke joinery can be added to the design to assess if the scale is right for the space.

Design software is incredibly advanced and by choosing every item you are considering (but still haven’t bought) and dropping it into your 3D room you’ll be well on your way to creating a version of how your room could look IRL!

This is often the exciting stage for clients when they really see their space come alive, especially if they are struggling to see the potential in their home. 3D designs are a real eye-opener for what's possible.

There are also real benefits to creating 3D models too:

It eliminates the possibility of returning expensive furniture items. We’ve all bought things for the home and instantly regretted buying them because they actually don’t suit the space once it’s in there. The beauty of a 3D visualisation means you get a real sense of how an item could look in a room and also if it’s the right size for the space.

It gives you options. Not many of us choose the first item we see in a shop or online. Largely because of FOMO! So we check out every website and every store just to make sure there’s nothing better out there. But we also want options because furniture and items for the home can be a big investment so we want to make sure we make the right choices. A 3D visual gives you the opportunity to switch out a blue velvet sofa for a green wool sofa to see which you prefer, which you want to live with and look at for the long term.

These are just a few of the designs we’ve worked on with our clients over the years and I hope it gives you an insight into how these designs could help you with the changes you want to make to your home. We love creating designs and visualisations and seeing the ‘a-ha’ moment when our clients realise that their room really could look like the design we are suggesting.

Whether it’s black and white 2D measured floor plans or sophisticated 3D coloured visuals we know how invaluable they are to the decision-making process and to ensuring that each home functions well but also looks beautiful.

Why not get in touch if you’d like a no-obligation chat about how our interior design visualisation services can benefit you and your home. We’re here to help.

Jill x