Thanks everyone! Out of curiosity, I'd love to hear your experiences of collaborating, calling the creative shots yourself or 'outsourcing' to a professional to get the style you want. Feel free to comment, even if you've already voted. Thanks!

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I have strong ideas about what works for me and my design aesthetic but I’m not a designer. I appreciate and am paying for their expertise and don’t want to create unnecessary constraints on their creativity. Essentially I’m employing a designer to find solutions that I could never come up with. That said, for my current project I have provided a detailed brief to ensure they understand what we want to achieve. It’s early days but this seems to be paying off. They do have a distinctive style that matches with our aesthetic, which is partly why we chose them. Their philosophy and commitment to sustainability was also an important factor.

I know what I like but I feel it is important to first choose an architect whose work and ideas you respect and who you feel is on the same wavelength as you, as they, hopefully, may have some ideas you had not thought of, or better solutions where needed and together you achieve, at the end, a better project/build

I also have strong ideas about what works for me however I would be happy to have discussions with a designer who might come up with ideas I hadn't entertained but I would want the final say. I don't want to live in someone else's style. I often find that it is difficult to discover whether they are on your wavelength as people often indicate that they are but I have discovered over the years that it isn't necessarily the case and the hard and fast rule is "be there".

W

A fantastic question to ask Julia, for people to consider......why exactly do they engage the design professional? Is it because they've been sold on a particular pretty picture, or "brand" aesthetic, or alternatively is it because they are seeking assistance to craft/consolidate their own original spaces........it's horses for courses, both are valid and service different types of clientele .......but professionals are not necessarily/easily distinguished/separated one way or the other in this area, but will (generally) fall into one or the other and I think it's great to acknowledge and differentiate the two because (IMO) they involve completely different creative approaches and client/professional relationships.....when you engage a more "branded" designer, their particular "product" (or services weighted towards their style/result) is what people are (consciously) buying, same as commissioning a piece of art from a visual artist - there's a certain expectation/understanding of what you're going to get/end up with from previous work.......alternatively however, pursuing design specifically customised to the client requirements requires a different approach and sensitivity, probably from both sides and it's not for everyone due to the unknown/open-ended factor, which can be simultaneously exciting and daunting - this latter option, which is more aligned with our particular service, involves establishing intimate client relationships based on trust where client goals in a particular context are the focus/priority, rather than a particular aesthetic, trend or visual brand

I think that is the issue for me and why I am yet to decide if we need an interior designer involved with our project. How do you tell if a designer will work with you or want to control the design themselves. I have very strong ideas myself but feel I would like some help, but not sure which designers would be best to approach.

Sars you most likely need to find someone who can help distil your ideas rather than provide you with ideas. Clearly you have ideas & a design direction, so for you it's about finding that "designer" who you can collaborate with. How can you tell who that will best be? Approach some options with your project, be specific with what you seek from them, and see how they react. Before that though research their past project portfolios - if it presents generally same/same/signature style then they will be known for a particular end result that may or may not be suitable.... if alternatively the portfolio is more varied and eclectic that will indicate some capacity to be flexible to the individual client and possibly a better match to work with for your particular needs. Horses for courses..Good luck :)

I suppose I become anxious about pieces of art that I like and pieces of furniture I treasure and the need to incorporate these in the design. Colour, pattern, soft furnishings and fabrics and overall plan I am happy to remain passive about until revealed.

I have ideas of what it is that i like especially with a few key elements, but would prefer to collaborate with someone so the rest can all fit together nicely.