Exploring interiors in more depth - surfaces and finishes, tiling and wood, to help make your home everything you dreamed of.
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If our Interiors Intro was enough, that’s fine – but maybe now you’re ready for some more details, or this is the part of the building process that really has your interest… We’re going to delve into a whole raft of fun interior finishes, and you can get as excited as you like!
All the surfaces in your home need to be considered – floors, walls, ceilings – and how these are going to be treated determines a lot of the feel of your home. By the end of the Technical DesignFollows Developed Design. Collaborating with other consultants, we begin by drawing and specifying the aspects of a project to demonstrate compliance with Building Regulations. Following that, we define the finishes, fittings and all other aspects that will determine the overall project costs and the construction programme. This is also known as RIBA Stage 4. stage, we aim to have detailed the majority of interior finishes, so you can have an accurate Contract SumThe expected cost of the build, based on the contract drawings, and the number written into the contract as the cost for the Construction Stage. for the finished project.
Woodwork
Are you thinking light wood and clean lines, or perhaps a darker wood with more ornamentation, or maybe you love colour – lots of it, everywhere!
Start with your existing furniture. Does everything match at the moment, and do you need everything to match in the finished home? If absolutely everything is already a certain wood and finish, then it makes sense to carry that through, and perhaps include that for doors and window frames and handrails as well as flooring. Unless you want to introduce contrast, or mark different areas within your home with different colourways.
If you’re considering painted woodwork, and the visible woodgrain isn’t a desirable feature, then we prefer to use primed MDF for a neat finish, and stability of its form over time, especially in wet areas.
‘Engineered wood’ is often used for flooring, and is manufactured to a high standard, to avoid warping that can occur with lesser products. To offer you some assistance, we’ve installed products from Sherlock Oak, Ted Todd, Havwoods, British Hardwoods, UK Flooring Direct and more, so please have a look at their ranges online.
Timber panelling, (such as we have created for Otter Cliff and Royal Garden) is a stylish choice, and sound absorbing versions exist for larger open plan spaces, such as Seaside Home, and in our own office!
Various finishes are available, but please be aware that if you use timber cladding on ceilings, we must coat it with a fireproof coating.
Metals
Door and window ironmongery, such as the handles and hinges are likely the most prominent metal work visible inside a home and are available in various metal types (steel, bronze, brass) and finishes, such as chromed, brushed or textured.
A huge variety of designs and configurations are available, and we recommend visiting Howdens or Jeb Supplies, which offer good advice on style and fittings and are good places to start investigating other ironmongery items, such as coat hooks.
The advantage of Howdens is they have branches throughout the country, perhaps local to you, so you don’t have to travel far to see and feel their range, but we are still able to access trade discounts from our local branch. Jeb Supplies has a showroom close to us in Pool. Alternatively, Corston and Ironmongery Direct have further selections for online browsing.
Switchplates and light fittings can have metal elements, as explored in our M&E Article, and can be coordinated with the ironmongery items for harmonious or contrasting palettes.
A smooth palette of wood and ironmongery lends itself well to your choice of colours in the soft furnishings, creating a comfortable home that you’ll be able to enjoy for many years to come.
Tiling
Tiling, whether on floors or for wall finishes in bathrooms, kitchens and other spaces, is a great solution when high-level waterproofing or hard-wearing surfaces are required.
We’ve installed ceramic, porcelain, natural stone and glass tiles in our projects, but there’s even more to choose from, and we have many local suppliers to recommend who have assisted us and our past clients.
Non-slip finishes and frost-resistant tiles for outdoor spaces are all innovations in the tiling world, that can make a difference to your choices. We can also create wet-room bathrooms that allow water to fall towards a floor-set drain, which is a good choice for those who desire step-free access.
Tiling accessories are often overlooked once you’ve been fatigued by the tile selection, so we don’t blame you if you’ve run out of steam. Thankfully, the tile suppliers and installers we work with have a great eye for selecting complementary grouts and sealants, if you don’t have any strong opinions.
Tile trims, for corners and edges, are available in plastic and metal selections. If you’ve chosen the metalwork for your ironmongery and electrical items, this can give you a starting choice. Alternatively, the tile colour might lead to something different in those select areas.
Paints
We prefer to use Dulux Trade paint for plaster and wood surfaces, as it’s thicker and more robust than the equivalent sold at B&Q. We are also happy to use premium brands, which can sometimes offer more variety of colours or textures, or colour-match premium shades with Dulux equivalents, mixed to order.
In addition to colour, paint finish is an important consideration. Emulsion or Eggshell are just the start, and Dulux’s website offers helpful explanations of the varieties available. It can prepare you for the breadth of options available and the intricate questions our decorators will have for you and us.
Wallpaper
There are some very stylish and beautiful options available for wallpaper around at the moment, including from suppliers who can match wallpaper to fabric for upholstery (as used at Royal Garden and Otter Cliff, above). You can choose to paper a whole room or area, or use it for a feature wall, or above half-height wooden panelling, for a different look. We can share with you some of the products we’ve installed, for inspiration.
Other flooring materials
Carpet, laminate, linoleum, rubber and vinyl are all possibilities that you may want to consider for different areas in your home, and a wander around your local suppliers is often a good place to start.
Fixtures, Fittings & VAT
In general, if you could tip the house upside down, these are the items that would stay in place.
If your project is a new building, let us purchase and install these items for you, and we apply the same VAT status, and minimise any tax paperwork you need to complete at the end of the project
Furnishings and equipment aren’t generally VAT free, as they can be readily taken away by the occupants when they move, but we’re happy to integrate any items you purchase, or already have, into your new home.
We have more articles coming along soon, looking at specific design topics, such as doors, tiling, and so on, with even more depth, pictures of different shapes, recommendations for suppliers that you can explore, and our recommendations for where to look for ideas – we’ll share these with you – once we’ve completed them – as we’re working through the design process with you.
This is a fun part of the process – for some people – and for others it’s a total nightmare. If you fall into the latter category, then we are very happy to take your broad thoughts on colour and style, and present you with our ideas for approval, rather than asking you for your ideas. Just let us know!
