inside design consultations with house friends
Imagine inviting a couple of friendly interior designers to see inside your home, what would be on your list of questions to ask? Maybe you don’t know where to start with your kitchen renovation, or maybe you’re dying to figure out storage solutions for all your kid’s toys? All of our homes have pain points that require creative solutions. Booking an interior design consultation can be hugely helpful, and FUN! It’s a way to deep dive into the specifics of your “issues” and strategize.
What sets the House Friends team apart from other designers is we identify more as coaches. Design doulas, if you will. Where a traditional design firm will take on your redesign, our goal is to provide clarity, help you embrace your style, and get you excited to make magic in your home, in your own time. We’re less about finished products, more about helping you feel confident with your plan so you can work at your own pace. Given our affinity for collecting second-hand and letting your space evolve over time, we can help to plant seeds of pieces to look for and fresh ways to incorporate what you already have. This unique way of working is based off of years of testing and tuning into what actually feels the most meaningful to the families we’ve been so fortunate to meet.
Recently we consulted with one of our House Friends members, Heather, on her powder room. Her and her husband had decided on this gorgeous House of Hackney wallpaper and wanted to paint their existing vanity, but she was feeling stuck when it came to the details.
Heather has shared about her house in our Slack group, so we already knew she had impeccable taste. She’s been very thoughtfully collecting gorgeous pieces for her craftsman-style home from facebook marketplace, auction houses, and Estate sales. Heather didn’t need us to design her space for her. She needed clarity. She needed help envisioning how all the details of the hardware, the flooring the window treatments, and paint color could rally around this pattern and fit into the context of her home. We created some mood boards to present to her and talked through the different directions.
We pulled colors from the wallpaper and used them to inspire a few different directions she could go in. We encouraged her to mix and match what she likes from these mood boards, but also incorporate her second-hand finds, including giving some tips for finding a remnant for her countertop.
The other helpful thing about the consultation process is we were able to talk about her bathroom in the context of where it is in her house and how the design could tie in with her kitchen and dining room so that the spaces feel cohesive and in relationship with one another. We’re able to get into the nitty gritty and get to know you and your home better this way. We had so much fun talking with Heather, here’s what she had to say:
I really can’t thank you enough for today’s consult! I learned so much and feel so excited to tackle this room…and BEYOND…the idea of continuing the paint color in the stairway and all the other resources and ideas were sooooo helpful! It also doesn’t feel overwhelming anymore… which is JUST what I needed!
-Heather, House Friends Member
We recorded our consultation with Heather and it’s available to stream, along with all of our workshops, for members of our House Friends community. Join us there to get feedback on your projects and if you’d like to start with a deep dive with us, you can sign up here. The consultation is a great way to get started working with us so we can learn about you and your home!