- “We moved to the new house and within about 10 weeks most of the work was completed, which is pretty quick!”
- “One job which still gives me nightmares was the removal of the slate tiles in the kitchen – anyone who has done this will know they just peel and break off which leads to a very long laborious few days trying to get them all up.”
- “The more considered and organised your design is, the more smoothly it will go and the easier the whole project will be for all stakeholders.”
Nadine Savage is a County Down based Interior Designer with a background in luxury residential design, encapsulating all elements of the process including sourcing and project management. She has dedicated the past five years to gaining experience and holds a professional accreditation in Interior Design.
Blending a transitional and eclectic style, Ms Savage works across both residential and commercial spaces collaborating with a trusted team of industry professionals. She is passionate about creating comfortable, unique spaces that are practical, timeless and reflect the client’s character.
Here, she discusses her own mid-level renovation…
“I would class our project as a mid-level renovation, with some fairly straightforward building work taking place alongside some standard modifications.
We removed one internal wall to create an open Kitchen and Dining area, which allows so much more light to filter through the whole space and becomes a more social, family friendly room.
We installed new flooring throughout, as well as a new kitchen and new en-suite. We also made some other small improvements like custom storage in the landing area and replaced all door handles,’’ explained Nadine.
“Everything went fairly smoothly apart from a delay with the kitchen for a couple of weeks due to the colour we selected, but otherwise we were quite lucky with everything else as I think a lot of people were feeling the pressure from issues around the Coronavirus and Brexit.
One job which still gives me nightmares was the removal of the slate tiles in the kitchen – anyone who has done this will know they just peel and break off which leads to a very long laborious few days trying to get them all up.
Our house was built in the 1990’s, so luckily there were no real surprises that you might find with older properties. We also used our team of trusted builders and tradespeople, which is so important when it comes to renovating as you know the work is completed to the highest standard and everyone working on the project is reliable.”
As to how long the renovation project took?
“We moved to the new house and within about 10 weeks most of the work was completed, which is pretty quick! There is so much work that goes into the prep and design stage that we were able to do remotely such as kitchen design, selecting flooring and finishes and confirming new layouts.
This really helped us to hit the ground running as soon as we moved in and we had already overcome most issues as we had so much time to plan everything to a tee. We did have a very big deadline for the renovation, with our baby due for arrival less than two months after we got the keys!”
In terms of whether or not Ms Savage would do differently upon reflection when it comes to her own project?
“We ended up leaving the family bathroom as it was when we bought the house, due to time pressure.
In hindsight, I wish we pushed to replace it when doing the renovation as now we are delaying it because of the potential disruption. I think at this stage I also had decision fatigue!
My advice would be to try and find a way, if time and budget allow, to make all the changes you wish to at the same time. I have found with clients that when they wish to redesign their home in a piecemeal way, it extends the whole process and actually causes a longer period of disruption, however I understand that for some people this is their only option,’’ she continued.
In terms of how difficult it was to work on her own home in comparison to a client’s?
Did she find the experience of designing her own home more difficult than she would for anyone else?
“It was a lot harder! I’m sure if you spoke to any Interior Designer they would agree. I think because I have so many different projects taking up space in my mind, it’s hard to separate that from the way I would like to design my own home. I always refer to the saying “the Cobbler’s children have no shoes”!
I also find a lot of the time I use my home as a bit of a guinea pig with the more unusual ideas I might have – thankfully they usually work and I love them! I absolutely love my home and all the design choices I have made, although I’m always ready to change something, especially if samples from a new fabric collection land through my door!
“Good design only works when it is well-planned; from paint colour selections to grout colours. The more considered and organised your design is, the more smoothly it will go and the easier the whole project will be for all stakeholders.
There are a million questions that arise during a home renovation, and if you can answer them quickly and clearly, it makes for a more efficient and less stressful process.
Time is precious during a renovation, so make sure you have allowed for unforeseen issues like possible delays on materials or problems with plumbing/ electrics, for example. Also having a little wiggle room in your budget helps to control spending and allows any unexpected problems to be resolved.
And of course – and engage an Interior Designer!
The importance of thorough planning and design is crucial to the success of the project. Having an Interior Designer on board as early as possible ensures that you save time, allocate money effectively, and have access to a trusted team of people to carry the project through to completion. An Interior Designer like myself will add value to your home, and help to achieve the perfect space that reflects your character and style, finished Ms Savage
