Meet ALison
What makes you different as a designer?
I’m very proud of the fact that at the end of our collaboration you get the space that resembles you, rather than a design that resembles me and only reflects my taste. That said, I really love all the interiors I’ve done – I’m very good at reading people and reading spaces, and picking up on the atmosphere they want to create. I look at the clients, and the clothes and colours they wear, how they talk about their lifestyle, and also the things they already have in their home. Then I will create and suggest designs that complement those things.
I suppose you could say I ‘see’ things in a different way: my sense of colour and texture is very strong, and I ‘get’ people very quickly too, which is actually a very important asset for what I do. What it means in practice is that I’m always stopping and photographing things – which drives my family mad but is great for clients!
What are the benefits of working with you rather than people decorating themselves?
I’m able to hold several different projects in my head at once, and I’m good at guiding clients towards making quick confident decisions. We won’t be sitting there looking at 300 swatches for hours!
I’ll do some initial legwork, narrow it down for you, listen to your feedback, and possibly search some more, and then help you see how that choice fits with the others you’ve already made. It saves an awful lot of time, and my clients don’t get that overwhelming feeling that often comes with a design project. These days there is just so much choice, and so many different options online. I help you cut through that and find things you truly love within your budget.
I also come armed with the names of great furniture makers or brilliant places for fabric or a cheaper alternative for a bathroom that looks just as smart as the one you’ve seen. They are businesses I know and trust and would use in my own home, so that saves on delays or disappointment which I think is worth a lot.
Sometimes clients just want me to act as a personal shopper for a few items to complete a room and tie it all together. Sometimes I go into a home and don’t bring in anything new at all – I just suggest ways to style the spaces to give your existing, much loved pieces a new lease of life.
For me the term ‘interior design’ can be as huge as redesigning a whole house, or as small as coming over for an afternoon and helping you move the furniture or your paintings around. I love it all!
When you first start working with a new client how do you begin?
I like to get to know them as people first. There’s quite a bit of tea and chatting involved! I want to know what they are drawn to, and every kind of thing they like – from food to films to fashion to … anything at all! I get a sense of them very quickly simply by walking around their home. Do they have thousands of books or are they minimalists? Do they have a lot of precious things to display, or do they need somewhere to stash a mountain of toys? Do they love cooking or gardening? Is their home a sanctuary or an entertaining space? All of these things add up to how we start thinking about the house and how they are going to live in it.
Then we might start looking at other schemes together and collecting images that we like, as well as drawing up a timeline – when does this home have to be ready?
I love going out and about with clients together. We’ll whizz off in the car and visit shops or makers or auction houses. It's very collaborative and we’re talking it over all the time … I don’t just turn up with a mood board and tell you what ‘my vision’ is!
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