This guide explains how our studio works — the phases a project moves through, what you receive at each one, how we charge, what is and is not included, and how long things realistically take. It is a reference document; there is nothing to fill in or return. The figures that bind us are the ones written into your signed engagement letter.
Section 1 — The Design Phases
Durations assume decisions are returned to us within a week. A phase does not begin until the previous one is signed off.
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| | Site survey, measured notes, brief document, budget framework |
| | Mood boards, spatial layouts, material direction, indicative budget |
| | Resolved layouts, elevations, lighting and joinery intent, sample box |
| | Setting-out, electrical and plumbing plans, joinery details, finishes schedule |
| | Specification schedule, quotations, order placement and tracking |
| | Site visits, trade queries answered, variation reviews, progress reports |
| | Install day, styling, snag list, care guide and warranty pack |
- Quoted once the brief and room count are settled, and held for the agreed scope.
- Best when the scope is clear from the start — a defined set of rooms, a known level of finish.
- Additional rooms or a second full concept direction are quoted separately before any work starts.
- Used for consultations, single-room advice, and open-ended work where the scope cannot be fixed.
- Time is recorded in fifteen-minute increments and reported with each invoice.
- We agree a not-to-exceed ceiling before starting and come back to you before approaching it.
Percentage of project value
- Suits whole-home and renovation projects where construction value drives the design effort.
- Calculated on construction and fit-out spend, excluding our own fee and any statutory charges.
- Reconciled at completion against actual spend, up or down.
- Engagement — an initial instalment is invoiced on signature and books your slot in the studio schedule.
- Concept sign-off — invoiced when the concept is approved and developed design begins.
- Technical drawings issued — invoiced when the drawing set is released to trades.
- Completion — the balance is invoiced at handover, before the warranty pack is released.
- Goods are paid separately and in full before an order is placed — suppliers do not hold stock against an unpaid order.
Section 3 — What Is and Is Not Included
Included in the design fee
- All design work described in the phases above, including drawings, schedules and sample sourcing.
- Meetings and calls scheduled at the end of each phase, and email correspondence throughout.
- The site visits stated in your engagement letter, and answering trade queries between them.
- One snag list at handover and one follow-up review once the snags are closed.
- Construction, trade labour, materials, furniture and appliances — these are your direct costs.
- Structural engineering, party-wall awards, planning or heritage applications, and building-control fees.
- Measured surveys, asbestos or damp investigations, and specialist testing.
- Delivery, storage, assembly, installation labour and waste removal.
- Project management of the builder, and any contract administration role, unless separately appointed.
Section 4 — Revision Allowances
- Each phase carries two rounds of revision. A round is one consolidated set of comments, returned together.
- Refining what exists — swapping a finish, adjusting a layout, changing a light fitting — is a revision.
- Changing the direction entirely, or reopening a phase already signed off, is new work and is quoted before it starts.
- Comments that arrive in several separate messages count as separate rounds, so please gather them before sending.
- Additional rounds beyond the allowance are billed hourly at the studio rate.
Section 5 — Procurement & Trade Discounts
- Where we hold a trade account, we pass on the discount or share it as set out in your engagement letter — never both silently.
- Every specified item is presented with its price, lead time and supplier before any order is placed.
- Orders are placed only against your written approval of the specification schedule.
- Bespoke and made-to-order items cannot be cancelled or returned once in production.
- You may buy items yourself. We will still specify them, but responsibility for price, condition and delivery sits with you.
- Natural materials vary between batches. Stone, timber and wool are approved from the actual slab or cutting where possible.
Indicative ranges from order to delivery. Lead times are quoted by suppliers and are outside our control; we build them into the programme and flag slippage as soon as we hear of it.
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Bespoke cabinetry & joinery | | Workshop queue, template visit after site is squared |
| | Slab selection, templating can only follow cabinet install |
| | Frame build plus fabric availability |
Imported furniture & lighting | | Production run, shipping, customs clearance |
| | Fabric lead time plus workroom and fitting |
| | Stock versus made-to-order batches |
| | Model availability, integrated units run longer |
| | Hand knotting and finishing |
Section 7 — Site Visits & Snagging
- Site visits are scheduled around the key stages — first fix, plaster, cabinet install, second fix, and pre-handover.
- Every visit produces a written report with photographs, actions and owners, issued within two working days.
- Trade instructions go through one channel so nobody receives conflicting direction on site.
- Snagging happens once the trades declare completion — a list compiled in daylight, with an agreed date for closing each item.
- Settlement cracks, timber movement and grout shrinkage in the first months are normal and are not snags.
Section 8 — Frequently Asked Questions
How much should I budget?
Start with the number you are comfortable spending in total, including furniture and a contingency of ten to fifteen per cent. We will tell you honestly what that number can and cannot achieve before design begins — it is far cheaper to adjust ambition at concept stage than at second fix.
Can I live in the house during the works?
For a single room, usually yes. For a kitchen, a bathroom or anything structural, expect dust, noise and services being switched off for days at a time. Living in place also slows the programme, because trades work around you. We will say plainly which parts of the works are liveable and which are not.
How are variations priced?
Any change after a phase is signed off is written up as a variation: what changes, what it costs in goods and labour, what it does to the programme, and any design time involved. Nothing proceeds until you approve it in writing. Variations are never added quietly to a later invoice.
What if I do not like the concept?
Tell us early and specifically. Concept exists to be tested, and the revision rounds are there for exactly this. If the direction is fundamentally wrong we would rather rework it than proceed politely — but a second full direction is separate work and is quoted first.
Do you work with my builder?
Gladly. We issue the drawing set, answer their queries, and attend site at the agreed stages. We can also tender the works to trades we know well if you would prefer a comparison before appointing.
This guide is general information about how our studio works and does not form part of any contract. Your engagement letter sets the scope, the fee and the terms that apply to your project.