Interior design

The brief starts with use: who uses the space, what activities it accommodates and what makes everyday life difficult. Interior planning should consider circulation, relationships between rooms, places to spend time, storage and equipment. Visual preferences gain context when they are connected to these needs.

Developing the design should relate the layout to materials, colours, lighting and furniture. Existing features to retain, available dimensions and users’ needs help define the options to explore. An interior can be updated through a limited set of choices or form part of a wider alteration; the proposal should clarify the intended extent.

Where the brief involves changes to partitions, services or other building components, interior design should be coordinated with the architectural and specialist design work needed. An aesthetic choice does not replace that work. The aim is to organise decisions about the space and identify the documents and interfaces needed to develop the intervention.

Layout and furniture

Identify furniture you wish to retain and functions that still need to be addressed, such as a workspace, storage or a dining area. The proposal can explore the relationship between pieces, routes, openings and equipment, with dimensions to be confirmed for the design. Bespoke furniture should have its design scope and coordination with manufacture and installation identified.

Materials, colour and lighting

Choices should be related to the use of the space and other interior elements. References and samples can support discussion of finishes, textures and combinations. The proposal should identify what will be selected or specified and which decisions remain open.

The lighting concept should be coordinated with equipment positions and the planned technical work. Selecting a light fitting or representing a lighting effect should not be treated as automatically developing the entire electrical installation. Design and construction needs should be identified for the scope concerned.

Preparation should bring together the needs, property information and client references. From there, the proposal should define the questions to explore and how options will be presented: spatial arrangements, materials, furniture or other included elements.

Choices need to be recorded so it is clear what has been agreed, what has changed and what still needs confirmation. Plans, drawings, references and descriptions should correspond to the commissioned deliverables and their intended use. An option still being explored should not be presented to a supplier as a final decision.

The scope should clarify the planned revisions and coordination with decisions by the client or other parties. Later changes should be related to affected documents and supplies, so the overall design remains coherent.

Interior design develops choices about the space. 3D modelling and visualisation can represent those choices and support discussion, with their own purpose and deliverables. The proposal should clarify whether that representation is included, what will be shown and which information it will use.

An image may illustrate an idea still being explored. It should not, on its own, be taken as confirmation of dimensions, available materials, technical details or commissioned work. Decisions needed for construction should be identified in the corresponding documents.

Where the enquiry is about obtaining models or images of an established design, that scope should be distinguished from developing the interior design itself. Coordination between the two services should keep clear which version of the design is being represented.

The proposal should distinguish interior design and its documents from renovation, manufacture, installation and supply. These scopes can be brought together in one proposal, provided it is clear what will be developed, delivered and carried out. Selecting an item should not be assumed to include purchasing or installing it.

Where suppliers or contractors are already appointed, explain who they are and what information they need. Furniture drawings, finishes and equipment positions should be related to dimensions and constraints that need confirmation before manufacture or building work.

If support during construction is wanted, the proposal should identify the questions, points of involvement and deliverables covered. Design support should not be confused with full construction management or construction supervision on the client’s behalf.

Describe the spaces and what you want to improve about how they are used. Send available plans and photographs, and add:

• Who uses the space and the activities to consider.
• Furniture, materials and other features you wish to retain.
• Storage, work, dining or other functional needs.
• Visual references, explaining the choices you like in each.
• Work already planned and decisions made with other designers or suppliers.
• Priorities, an indicative budget and your preferred timing.

Also explain the support you want: exploring the layout, choosing materials, detailing elements or supporting decisions during construction. If you do not yet know which documents are needed, explain the purpose of the enquiry so that deliverables can be defined.

• 3D modelling and visualisation

  For representing and discussing a design through models or images defined in the scope.

• Architectural design

  For developing wider spatial changes and the design documents needed.

• Joinery and bespoke furniture

  For coordinating interior decisions with commissioned pieces, manufacture and installation.

• Kitchen renovation

  For defining work to the kitchen as a complete space, including services and associated tasks.

We welcome enquiries in Lisboa, Oeiras, Cascais, Sintra, Amadora, Odivelas and Loures. Availability and the feasibility of the work are assessed for each enquiry.