The Best Homes Are Never Finished

One of the biggest misconceptions about interior design is that there comes a point where a home is simply finished. The photographs have been taken, the furniture is in place and every detail has been considered.

In reality, I don't think the best homes ever reach that point. They continue to evolve long after the renovation has ended, accumulating stories, objects and memories that couldn't possibly have been planned from the outset. That's why I've always been drawn to the idea of slow design, not as a particular aesthetic, but as a philosophy for creating homes that improve with time.

Slow Design Is About Process, Not Style

People often associate slow design with handcrafted furniture, natural materials or the Japanese philosophy of wabi-sabi. Whilst those ideas certainly overlap, that's not really what the term means to me. It's about understanding where things come from, appreciating the people who made them and allowing a home to develop gradually rather than expecting everything to arrive at once.

We worked with textile artist Isabel Fletcher to create a TV screen for a client this year. A totally unique piece with a wonderful story that resonated with our clients.

Some of my favourite moments within projects come from commissioning artists and makers to create something entirely unique for a client. Whether it's a handmade ceramic light, a woven textile or a bespoke piece of furniture, those objects bring a depth that can't be replicated by buying everything from the same showroom in a single afternoon. They're not simply beautiful objects, they're part of the home's story.

The Tension Between Slow Design And Real Projects

There is, however, an interesting contradiction at the heart of my work.

I run a commercial interior design practice, which means every project has a brief, a budget and a programme. Clients understandably want to move into their homes, builders have schedules to keep and suppliers work to lead times. However much I might believe in allowing ideas to develop slowly, the reality is that projects have to move forwards.

Ironically, renovation projects are already much slower than many people expect. Good builders are often booked months in advance, concepts take time to develop, drawings evolve through several iterations and bespoke furniture can take weeks or even months to manufacture. Slow design isn't something that's artificially introduced. In many ways it's already built into the process.

Running a design business means that the bottom line can sometimes get in the way of designing as slowly as we might otherwise like.

Where Designers Add Value

I don't think designers make slow design faster. I think we make it more efficient.

Experience allows us to recognise where patience is worthwhile and where it isn't. We know when a handmade piece is worth waiting twelve weeks for and when a beautiful vintage alternative can achieve the same result immediately. We know which decisions need time to settle and which can be made quickly without compromising the overall scheme.

That judgement is often where the real value of a designer lies. It's less about making decisions for clients and more about helping them spend both their time and their budget wisely.

A custom rug for one of our projects handmade by women weavers in Afghanistan - thanks to one of our favourite rug suppliers Ishkar.

A Home Doesn't End On Installation Day

One of the conversations I find myself having most often is around expectations.

There's a tendency to imagine that the day a project finishes is the day everything feels complete. In reality there will almost always be snagging, small adjustments and details that reveal themselves only once people begin living in the space. That's completely normal.

The everyday reality of shoes strewn across a hallway.

The same applies long after the builders have left. Children grow older, families change, artwork gets moved, furniture is replaced and rooms naturally adapt to different ways of living. None of that means the original design has failed. If anything, it suggests the home is doing exactly what it should.

The houses I find most interesting are rarely the ones where everything arrived at once. They're the ones that have been added to thoughtfully over many years.

There's always one more detail to sort or one more piece to fix. A home is never complete, much as that might be frustrating for a perfectionist.

Buying Once, Buying Well

That way of thinking also influences how I approach sourcing. Buying slowly doesn't necessarily mean buying expensively. It simply means resisting the temptation to fill every empty corner immediately.

There are still pieces missing from my own home because I'd rather wait until I find the right one than buy something simply for the sake of completion. Some design decisions need time to percolate, and I've found they're almost always stronger because of it.

Handmade ceramic lights by Studio Haran. We love commissioning handmade pieces for our clients - pieces that have soul and provenance.

Perhaps that's ultimately what slow design means to me. Not a particular look or a fixed style, but the understanding that the best homes are never really finished. They continue to evolve alongside the people who live in them, becoming richer, more personal and more meaningful with every passing year.

If you're thinking about starting a residential renovation project or would like to understand more about how we work, you can explore our FAQs or get in touch to discuss your project.