Decorating
Interior Design
Design Disruptors: New Ways to Achieve a Polished Interior
Keen to give your home a professionally decorated look, but don't have the time or budget? Check out these new services
Perhaps you’re time-poor, on a budget, or you’ve already done all the hard yards decorating your home and just want help finishing off the look – there are many reasons why you might choose not to enlist the services of a traditional interior designer. But that doesn’t mean you have to make do with less-than-perfect decor. Enter the design disruptors; a handful of Australian companies making interior design affordable, convenient and accessible for all.
How does it work?
There are different packages to select from for each room in the house, including living rooms, bedrooms and kids’ rooms. Packages can be as large or small as you like; they might include everything from hero pieces of furniture and rugs to planters, artwork and accessories, so you don’t have to make a single style decision. Or, you could simply select a few accessories, such as cushions and throws, to give your room a seasonal lift.
Collections are updated four times per year to ensure they stay on-trend, with new releases staggered throughout the year. Packages are ordered online and delivered straight to your door.
There are different packages to select from for each room in the house, including living rooms, bedrooms and kids’ rooms. Packages can be as large or small as you like; they might include everything from hero pieces of furniture and rugs to planters, artwork and accessories, so you don’t have to make a single style decision. Or, you could simply select a few accessories, such as cushions and throws, to give your room a seasonal lift.
Collections are updated four times per year to ensure they stay on-trend, with new releases staggered throughout the year. Packages are ordered online and delivered straight to your door.
So how does the styling trio decide what to include in their super-stylish packages? “It really depends on the look and feel we’re creating,” Astrinakis says. “We generally start with an inspiring colour palette, piece of artwork or cushion fabric and build the collection from there. Furniture and accessories follow once we have a good idea for the style of the collection.”
The room package solution appeals to various types of homeowners, according to Astrinakis. “The style-savvy are generally time-poor so they come to us for something they know will be fashionable and easy to incorporate into their home,” she says “Others come to us because they have no idea where to start or how to pull a look together.
“We’ve been blown away by how much people love this service,” Astrinakis says. “The three of us launched it as a side business but it has really exploded.”
Browse more dreamy bedrooms
“We’ve been blown away by how much people love this service,” Astrinakis says. “The three of us launched it as a side business but it has really exploded.”
Browse more dreamy bedrooms
Company: The Stylesmiths
Service: Interior design by the hour
Cost: From $60 per hour with a junior designer to $165 per hour with a senior interior designer (minimum five hours)
After 30 years in the design business, Samantha Eades and Richard Misso spotted a gap in the market for affordable, convenient design, and decorating service The Stylesmiths was born. Rather than working on a project basis, as you might with a traditional interior designer, The Stylesmiths allow you to hire a design professional by the hour. Their hand-picked selection of leading and emerging interior designers, decorators and stylists can help with anything from sourcing lighting and accessories and designing built-in storage to full-scale home re-design from $60 per hour.
“With no high entry design fees, you can purchase as little or as much design time as you need via our online platform, allowing you to do anything from re-imagining your home one room at a time to a complete renovation,” Misso says.
Service: Interior design by the hour
Cost: From $60 per hour with a junior designer to $165 per hour with a senior interior designer (minimum five hours)
After 30 years in the design business, Samantha Eades and Richard Misso spotted a gap in the market for affordable, convenient design, and decorating service The Stylesmiths was born. Rather than working on a project basis, as you might with a traditional interior designer, The Stylesmiths allow you to hire a design professional by the hour. Their hand-picked selection of leading and emerging interior designers, decorators and stylists can help with anything from sourcing lighting and accessories and designing built-in storage to full-scale home re-design from $60 per hour.
“With no high entry design fees, you can purchase as little or as much design time as you need via our online platform, allowing you to do anything from re-imagining your home one room at a time to a complete renovation,” Misso says.
How does it work?
Take their online style quiz, and you will be matched with one of The Stylesmiths’ 150 design specialists, based on style, skills and time frame.
Take their online style quiz, and you will be matched with one of The Stylesmiths’ 150 design specialists, based on style, skills and time frame.
Then, choose from one of two decorating packages; The Quickie is for clients wanting to decorate one room at a time, with some idea of the look they’re after. This design package might include a day shopping with a designer, styling and art placement, and assistance with furniture plans and paint choices. The service is available at a five-hour minimum, with top-ups available.
The Full Package is for larger jobs or ones where the client isn’t sure what they want. The interior designer might assist with concept realisation, design and documentation for builders, and costing and budget forecasting. This package also has a five-hour minimum, with the option to purchase additional five-hour blocks.
For a 10 per cent admin fee, you’ll also get access to The Stylesmiths’ trade discounts, which can save you up to 45 per cent off retail prices on furniture and accessories.
The Full Package is for larger jobs or ones where the client isn’t sure what they want. The interior designer might assist with concept realisation, design and documentation for builders, and costing and budget forecasting. This package also has a five-hour minimum, with the option to purchase additional five-hour blocks.
For a 10 per cent admin fee, you’ll also get access to The Stylesmiths’ trade discounts, which can save you up to 45 per cent off retail prices on furniture and accessories.
Face-to-face appointments are available in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, the Gold Coast, Sunshine Coast and Perth. An online decorating service is available to clients in ACT, Tasmania, Adelaide, Northern Territory and regional Australia.
Company: Milray Park
Service: Virtual interior design
Cost: A full interior design service costs between $299 and $599 per room, depending on the design specialist’s experience
Eager to give your home a new look but prefer to do the whole thing (or as much as possible) online? An e-decorating service, such as the one run by Sally Bevan for her firm Milray Park, might be the perfect solution. Bevan has 50 handpicked interior designers and decorators on her custom-built e-decorating platform, offering various styles and packages to suit different home styles.
“This service offers an affordable, convenient and fun way to access top interior decorators from a flat fee of $299 per room,” Bevan says. “You access the designers online, but can add an in-home visit to your package if you want to meet face-to-face.”
Service: Virtual interior design
Cost: A full interior design service costs between $299 and $599 per room, depending on the design specialist’s experience
Eager to give your home a new look but prefer to do the whole thing (or as much as possible) online? An e-decorating service, such as the one run by Sally Bevan for her firm Milray Park, might be the perfect solution. Bevan has 50 handpicked interior designers and decorators on her custom-built e-decorating platform, offering various styles and packages to suit different home styles.
“This service offers an affordable, convenient and fun way to access top interior decorators from a flat fee of $299 per room,” Bevan says. “You access the designers online, but can add an in-home visit to your package if you want to meet face-to-face.”
“I started this service because I wanted it for myself,” she says. “I wanted my apartment to feel like my home but it just didn’t. Also, I find shopping for furniture annoying, particularly when you’re time-poor. Furniture is an investment and there’s a lot of pressure to get it right.”
How does it work?
Select your favourite designer or decorator from the stable of 50 on the company’s e-decorating platform. Upload pictures of your space (plus budget and inspirational images, if you like). The design specialist will then provide consultations online or in your home.
Once you’re happy with the design, you’ll be sent your final design package, which includes a design board, shopping list of products, set-up instructions and a floor plan. You’ll also have an assistant to help you order and access trade discounts for the items on your shopping list, plus 45 days of ongoing support.
Select your favourite designer or decorator from the stable of 50 on the company’s e-decorating platform. Upload pictures of your space (plus budget and inspirational images, if you like). The design specialist will then provide consultations online or in your home.
Once you’re happy with the design, you’ll be sent your final design package, which includes a design board, shopping list of products, set-up instructions and a floor plan. You’ll also have an assistant to help you order and access trade discounts for the items on your shopping list, plus 45 days of ongoing support.
Tell us
Are you tempted to try one of these new services? Tell us in the Comments below. And if you enjoyed this story, don’t forget to like it, bookmark it and save the photos. Join the conversation!
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Find home stylists and property stagers
Are you tempted to try one of these new services? Tell us in the Comments below. And if you enjoyed this story, don’t forget to like it, bookmark it and save the photos. Join the conversation!
More
Find home stylists and property stagers
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Service: Styled room packages
Cost: Room packages range from around $1,000-$5,000. You can also buy smaller accessory packs and individual pieces.
Lusting after a beautifully styled room scheme you’ve spotted on Houzz or Insta, but don’t have the time (or inclination) to shop around for the various pieces of furniture and accessories to recreate it yourself? Stylists Tammy Nathan, Jac Zarkovic and Bec Astrinakis of interiors firm Nathan + Jac have the perfect solution. Their cleverly curated room packages allow you to buy complete on-trend looks for the living room, dining room, bedroom or kids’ room at the click of a button.
“We started this service as many of our clients were just after room updates rather than full-house design, and we found that no-one was offering this service,” Astrinakis says. “We wanted to offer people who were time-poor or who couldn’t afford an interior designer an easy decorating solution.”