A consultation is a focused, time-bound session to clarify your brief, test ideas, and build confidence in your direction before committing to a full commission. A commission is the complete design journey from Discovery through Reveal, delivering fully specified interiors ready for implementation. Your choice depends on where you are in your decision-making and what output you need.
What is a consultation, and what does it deliver?
An Interior Design Consultation is a standalone engagement designed to answer a specific question or test a direction without committing to the full design process. It sits outside the studio’s core project stages (Discovery, Concept, Design & Specification, Commission, Reveal) and is typically booked when you already have a clear brief or are exploring whether professional design input would help at all.
In a consultation, the studio listens to your situation, asks clarifying questions, and offers informed perspective on your space, your needs, and realistic approaches to solving them. You leave with direction, confidence, and often specific recommendations on next steps. The studio does not produce full design drawings, material specifications, or implementation documents. A consultation is diagnostic and advisory—it arms you with knowledge to move forward either independently or into a full commission.
What is a full commission, and what does it include?
A commission is the complete interior design service, structured across the studio’s five-stage process: Discovery, Concept, Design & Specification, Commission, and Reveal. It begins with a thorough briefing and site understanding, moves through concept development and design refinement, culminates in detailed specifications and procurement, and concludes with implementation support and a finished reveal.
By the end of a commission, your interior is fully designed, specified, and ready to build. Every element—from paint colours and joinery to lighting, materials, and furniture—is documented and coordinated. The studio manages supplier relationships, oversees installation, and guides the project through to completion. A commission delivers a finished interior, not advice on how to create one yourself.
How do you know whether a consultation is enough?
A consultation suits you if you are in the early exploration phase. You might have a single room or a design question that doesn’t yet warrant a full project scope. Perhaps you’re planning a commercial fit-out but want expert input before briefing contractors, or you’re redesigning a residential space and need clarity on layout, style direction, or budget reality before committing further. The consultation gives you that clarity without the time or investment of a full engagement.
A consultation also works if you are confident in your direction but want a second opinion from someone experienced. You might be renovating a residential property like the Witham Project or a commercial space like Beaulieu Dental Practice, and you want to stress-test your plans before implementation begins. The studio can validate your thinking, spot opportunities you’ve missed, or help you avoid costly mistakes.
When do you need a full commission instead?
You need a full commission when the interior is your priority and you require a complete, coordinated solution. This applies to residential projects where the home is a long-term investment—like the London Embankment Apartment—and to commercial projects where the environment directly serves your brand and operation. Beaulieu Dental Practice, Fruittii Hair Salon, Keystones Estate Agent, and Tone at Canary Wharf were all full commissions because the interiors needed to be coherent, fully specified, and ready to live or work in from day one.
A commission is also necessary if you lack bandwidth to coordinate the work yourself. The studio manages Discovery through Reveal, including supplier selection, timelines, installation oversight, and problem-solving. You are not hunting for contractors or reconciling conflicting advice; the studio delivers the finished interior. If your project is complex, multi-phase, or carries significant brand or functional weight, a commission removes ambiguity and ensures consistency.
How does timeline influence your choice?
A consultation is quick. It typically happens over one or two sessions and delivers output within weeks. If you need answers fast—before making a larger investment decision or before a renovation tender—a consultation gives you clarity without delay. A full commission takes longer because it must move through Discovery, Concept, Design & Specification, Commission, and Reveal. Each stage informs the next. This timeline is not arbitrary; it reflects the depth required to deliver a coherent, detailed interior.
If your project is urgent, a consultation may help you move faster by giving you a clear brief and direction to hand to builders or contractors. If you have time and want the studio to own the entire process—from concept through to the moment you unlock the door to a finished room—a commission is the right model. Be honest about your timeline. Rushing a commission into a consultation-sized schedule compromises the work.
What if you start with a consultation and then decide you want more?
A consultation often leads naturally into a commission. Once you’ve tested the studio’s thinking and feel confident in the direction, you can choose to move forward into the full process. The Discovery phase of a commission will build on the insights from your consultation, so that work is not repeated; it becomes the foundation for deeper design development. This path is sensible if you want to reduce perceived risk before committing to a larger project.
Equally, a consultation might confirm that you have the knowledge and confidence to proceed independently, or that you need a different kind of support. That clarity is valuable. The studio’s role is to help you understand what you actually need, not to push you toward a larger engagement than makes sense for your situation.