Interior Design Workshops
Interior Design Workshop
Interior Design carries many misconceptions, rarely is it anything like what you see on Interior Design Masters where contestants are tiling and doing joinery. However it also isn’t full time plumping pillows and shopping for accessories. Neither is it only for those who are affluent, the creation of homes using designer furniture or the decoration of show homes.
If I could write my own definition of interior design it would be: the creation of a beautiful space that is welcoming, comfortable and functions effectively for those who use it.
Q: What makes the space welcoming and comfortable?
A: The perfect mix of colour, texture and materials to evoke the desired emotion, which is personal to those who experience it.
The goal at Chestnut Interiors is to help as many people as possible live in a home that supports their health and lifestyle. A home that makes it easy for those who live there to do more of what they love, rest well and be recharged, feel secure and confident and be less stressed. In order for more people to have a home that works hard for them I’ve endeavoured to make interior design more approachable for all and remove the misconception that only those in large homes, in wealthy pockets of the country can work with an interior designer.
Additionally I understand how enjoyable the creative process is, and how rewarding it is to bring a vision to fruition. Collectively this has resulted in a number of ways I’ve opened doors to the support of an interior designer; the Designer for a Day service, mentorship through the Renovation Room, completely free support in the Renovation Research newsletter, online courses and workshops.
Before I go on to describe the workshops I should add here that I had a twelve year teaching career and when I started my transition to work as an interior designer I held on to three responsibilities that were important to me and should be fulfilled in my profession: helping others, being creative and solving problems. An interior design workshop is a happy cocktail of all three.
Boscundle Manor Afternoon Tea During Design Workshop
What happens at an interior design workshop?
We begin with an introduction to designing in our own home and what the goal is for the workshop. Using a design brief I coach attendees through the same process I apply to the projects I work on. We take our time with this, it’s essentially programming the sat-nav for a journey and the brief brings clarity to the direction we’re going in. Often when designs become watered down, clashing and incomplete it’s because there wasn’t a clear enough brief.
There’s usually a focus to the workshops I deliver such as bedroom design, using colour, taking inspiration from nature and adding character. Therefore each workshop has a teaching theme where information is shared in a way that’s easy to understand and apply to your home.
The most fun is during the moodboard part of the session. With the brief to hand attendees begin searching for the images that illustrate the look and feel of the room or rooms being designed. From this paint colours, wallpapers and fabrics are chosen from my extensive traveling sample library! Combining different colours and materials is an opportunity to develop the concept for a design and make some decisions on how to bring it into the home. I will give lots of suggestions and demonstrate how to choose the paint colours and fabrics, always with the brief and vision board to guide this tuition. There’s plenty of time to ask questions too and often attendees will show me photos or videos of their home to give context to the problem they’re trying to solve, or changes they want to make.
Interior Design Moodboard
With the moodboard complete everyone is excited by their project and keen to get started executing their design. We certainly work up an appetite, fortunately the varying locations for my in person workshops are a chance to experience the interior design of new places and their wonderful menus; afternoon tea, nutritious salads, charcuterie, tapas and always something sweet to conclude a wonderfully creative day.
If you are moving home, preparing to improve, in the thick of renovating or building and you would like to know where to start, want to feel confident in your design and need suggestions of how to get the most from your project then I would love to meet you at one of my workshops!
You will find upcoming events here. If you would like to host a workshop in Cornwall with friends or guests in your home, on holiday, in interior shop, a barn, a hotel or other unique space please contact me.