Has anyone used an interior design service like those offered by John Lewis or Next?

My DS and DiL used Next when they moved into their first house. They had a combined living/dining area and no furniture at all except for a sofa left by the previous owners, which was in fair condition and which they couldn’t afford to replace, ditto the carpet.
The woman who came to help was lovely. No pressure whatsoever, and completely understanding of their limited finance as newly-weds. She suggested some lovely curtains which picked up the colours of both the sofa and carpet. Then a small dining table and chairs, a single armchair which again complemented the sofa, an inexpensive bookcase and cupboard and that was it apart from new light fitments, table lamp and a picture and suggestions for a shade of emulsion. They were delighted with their purchases and 10 years and 2 small children on have not needed to make any substantial changes.

Kate54 Was it financially worth getting the sofa covered please? I’m thinking of doing the same but haven’t researched the cost.

Thought this looked like an interesting thread - before realising it was started by me! I did take note of the ideas given to me by JL but ended up re-covering the sofa and one of the chairs, buying a smaller chair for the other end of the room, moving the too large bookcase upstairs and buying a longer TV unit and narrow display cupboard thing. Oh and a large rug for the floor. Nothing came from John Lewis apart from the curtains. That service is brilliant and I ended up with a direct line to one of their advisers who has since organised more curtains for me. Highly recommended.

I think you’re absolutely right to try something new, sometimes a fresh pair of eyes can really shift the way you see a space. I had a similar moment of frustration with our dining room a while back. Like you, we’d just made do for years with a layout that didn’t really suit the space. I didn’t go with John Lewis or Next, but I did use a design consultation through: www.art-decor.com/services, and honestly, it helped me stop going in circles.

What I appreciated most was that the service wasn’t pushy, they really focused on how we live in the space rather than just pushing products. They offered a few clever layout ideas I hadn’t even considered and pointed out how different textures and lighting could make the room feel more inviting without a complete overhaul. I didn’t feel pressured to buy everything suggested, but having a cohesive design direction made a big difference.

So even if you don't follow every suggestion to the letter, getting input from a pro can be really grounding, especially if, like me, you find interiors overwhelming or just haven’t had the time to properly plan things out. Hope your session with John Lewis is helpful! Let us know how it goes.

Kate54

Never fear, it won’t be a show home! And people tell me it is already welcoming and comfortable. I think this arose from thinking about buying a new sofa/suite and wondering which would be the best shape, size etc. I don’t want to make expensive mistakes as I have a habit of rushing into purchases, often online.

I’ve now made two expensive mistakes when it comes to sofas so I could probably have done with some guidance; my biggest mistake was having a suite custom built only to find the chairs were too big for the room and, although size wise the sofa was ok in the room it was so big they struggled to get it into the house ( something I hadn’t thought about..).

Well, we are moving house this week, to, hopefully, in a months time move into a project house that needs complete redecorating. DD moved 3 months ago and is doing much the same (very different houses) and I am open to as many ideas as I can get access to. I have a big folder with pictures cut out of newspapers and magazines, a folder on my computer with lots of links to sites, and I am more than willing to look at interior design sites as well. It is all grist to the mill.

I will not be buying any new furniture, we have just got rid of a lot as we are down sizing - a bit and I know my style, but even then by looking around you will see a curtain fabric you haven't seen before or something painted a colour you had never thought of using. Bring on all the help and advice available - but I will make the final decision.

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Look at the House Beautiful website. Some fabulous ideas on there.

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I love watching interior decor programs and checking out websites, and I would love to hear ideas from a good interior designer - sometimes it's just that one little idea that makes you see things differently.

Sadly I've not been impressed with the designers we used to do our kitchen and bathrooms - they had some basic skills (like measuring) and ideas from other people's houses but I've yet to meet one with any really original ideas.

Good luck with yours though - I'd like to know how you get on and what they are like.

I used Laura Ashley ( if I remember correctly) many many years ago as we too have an odd shaped room and I was desperate for new ways to arrange things and happy to buy new bits and bobs as needed. Sadly we didnt use any of her ideas. Colour schemes, fabrics picked were OK but all stuff I would have likely chosen anyway. Otherwise not especially useful. Furniture etc chosen not our style sadly,and looked pretty much as if literally just lifted from the catalogue page and plonked in our room regardless. Ironically though I have often chosen LA curtain fabrics, wallpapers etc as I love their muted tones/ greys etc

I discovered the 60 30 10 rule when deciding colours for a room decor. Look it up on the internet and it gives lots of examples. Also I noticed that many of the photos in magazines seem to follow this advice.

Great advice from GN as ever - lots of online research to look forward to now.

It’s not that I m confident in my own skills but having watched lots of interior design programmes I would never want anyone else’s ideas as I usually don’t like them but also it wouldn’t be my home with my print on it it would be theirs anyway

Apparently you can take a photo of your room and pop in various sofas to see what they look like before buying. She was very pleased with the results

Kate I recently bought a chair online from M &S and you can do that on their website too. I was very careful to check the measurements to make sure it would fit in the space I needed it for.
Good luck - if you’re buying new furniture can I recommend Arighi Bianchi in Macclesfield - it’s a lovely shop & they have a good website.

I won’t! And agree that it’s so much easier when two decision-makers aren’t involved (which is why we always end up with white walls and neutral furnishings!) I, too, would love my furniture to ‘float’. I also have to have a coffee table but not sure why really. Old habits die hard!
A friend mentioned that she’d just bought two sofas from DFS. Apparently you can take a photo of your room and pop in various sofas to see what they look like before buying. She was very pleased with the results.

Kate54 Take no notice of those who are completely confident in their interior design skills. Like you, I would be tempted touse an interior design service but I'm sure the first thing I would be told is that we have too much furniture. I agree, but my husband wouldn't so it would be a waste of time I suspect.

Interior designers can be very helpful in advising as to colour schemes and materials - and can still create a cosy and comfortable environment if that is what the customer wants.

Pittcity

We hope to be moving soon and the lounge is an awkward shape. All the advice I've read is that your furniture should "float", ie. not be against walls, and there should be an easy walkway through.

I'm interested in how you get on OP as I love moving things around but DH would just leave things where they are first put.

All very well for furniture to 'float' if you have the space!

My daughter used it for curtains when she moved, with a fee that was deductible from the final bill.

They came up with some fabulous materials that she would never have looked at on her own. One window, in particular, was floor to ceiling, very large and oddly shaped and the curtains they made were fantastic.