Plan Interior Architecture Blog

5 Common Misconceptions about Interior Design

Thu, 13 Aug 2026 07:48:02 GMT

5 Very Common Misconceptions

about Interior Design

There are many misconceptions about Interior Design and Interior Designers,

So let's clear up a few of the most common ones...

For some people, an Interior Designer is someone who chooses cushions, colours and beautiful furniture. For others, Interior Design is something you can simply do yourself after watching enough renovation shows.

And, of course, there is always the friend who is a graphic designer who "has a great eye" and can probably help.

The reality is that Interior Design is a professional discipline that sits somewhere between creativity, problem-solving, technical knowledge and project planning.

1 Interior Design is a Luxury.

This is probably one of the biggest misconceptions.

Of course, you can watch renovation shows, browse Pinterest and Instagram, visit showrooms and make your own selections. There is an enormous amount of Interior Design inspiration available to everyone. And there is absolutely nothing wrong with doing that.

The difference is that inspiration isn't a design.

A renovation involves an enormous number of decisions. What goes where? What will fit? How will everything work together? What materials are suitable? What needs to be specified? What does the builder need to know? Have you considered lighting, storage, plumbing, electrical requirements, clearances and the way the space will actually be used?

An Interior Designer brings all of those decisions together into one cohesive solution.

Good Interior Design can also save money. Making the wrong selection, ordering the wrong quantity, discovering that something doesn't fit or changing your mind halfway through a renovation can be considerably more expensive than getting the design right at the beginning.

Interior Design isn't necessarily about spending more. It's about making better-informed decisions about where and how to spend your money.

2 Interior Design isn't hard. Anyone can do it.

Anyone can choose a paint colour.
Anyone can select a tile.
Anyone can buy a sofa.

But putting all of those decisions together into a space that is functional, cohesive and appropriate for the people using it is a very different proposition.

Interior Design involves understanding proportion, scale, colour, materials, spatial planning, lighting, ergonomics and how people move through and use a space.

It also involves problem solving.

Often, the most important Interior Design decisions aren't the things you notice immediately. They're the decisions that make a room work better - where the storage is located, how doors open, where the lighting is positioned, how much clearance there is around a vanity or whether the furniture arrangement actually works for the way a family lives.

A good Interior Designer is not simply choosing things. They're solving problems.

3 Interior Designers choose cushions and homewares.

Cushions and homewares can certainly be part of an Interior Designer's work, but they are a very small piece of the puzzle.

Interior Design can begin long before a cushion is ever considered.

It might involve reviewing the existing space, developing a concept, planning the layout, selecting finishes, specifying fixtures and fittings, considering lighting and storage, coordinating materials and colours, preparing documentation and communicating the design to the people who will actually build it.

Take a bathroom renovation.

You might think the important decisions are the tiles, tapware and vanity. But before those choices can be made, there are questions about the layout, plumbing, lighting, electrical requirements, storage, clearances, materials, finishes and how all of the individual elements work together.

4 I don't really know what an Interior Designer does.

This is actually understandable. Unlike some professions, the work of an Interior Designer isn't always visible.

When you walk into a beautifully finished room, you see the result. You don't necessarily see all the decisions and problem-solving that happened before it was built.

An Interior Designer can help develop the overall design direction and then translate that concept into practical decisions.

That can include:

Space planning and layouts
Selection of finishes and materials
Fixtures and fittings
Colour schemes
Lighting
Joinery and storage
Furniture selection
Interior and exterior specifications
Design documentation
Coordination of design information
Working with builders and trades
Helping clients make decisions and avoid costly mistakes

The exact scope varies from project to project.

Some clients might need help developing an entire renovation. Others may simply need assistance selecting finishes and fixtures or resolving a particular design problem.

The important thing is that an Interior Designer doesn't simply make a room look good. They help make the space work .

5 My friend is a graphic designer. Isn't that basically the same thing?

No - although there are some similarities.

Both graphic designers and Interior Designers work creatively. Both understand colour, composition, balance, proportion and visual communication.

But the environments they're designing for are very different.

A graphic designer primarily works in two dimensions - creating visual communication through things such as branding, typography, publications, packaging and digital design.

An Interior Designer works in three-dimensional environments.

That means considering physical space, dimensions, materials, construction, lighting, furniture, circulation, ergonomics and how people interact with the environment.

Your graphic designer friend may have an excellent eye for colour and design - and they may even be able to give you some great ideas.

But that doesn't necessarily mean they know whether your vanity will fit, how much clearance you need around your toilet, which flooring is appropriate for a particular area, how a joinery detail needs to be documented or how all the selections need to be communicated to a builder.

Different professions have different areas of expertise.

So, what are you actually paying for?

Ultimately, engaging an Interior Designer isn't simply about having someone choose beautiful things for you.

You're paying for experience, knowledge, problem-solving and the ability to bring hundreds of individual decisions together into one considered design.

You can absolutely renovate your home yourself. But that doesn't mean you have to do everything yourself.

Sometimes the most valuable part of engaging an Interior Designer is having someone who can step back from the individual decisions and look at the project as a whole.

Because good Interior Design isn't about buying more. It's about making the right decisions, in the right order, for the right reasons.

And when those decisions are made before the renovation begins, the finished space has a much better chance of being beautiful, functional and uniquely suited to the people who live there.

Small space and even Smaller Budget

Wed, 12 Aug 2026 04:20:13 GMT

Small space with an even Smaller Budget?

Our top 5 tips to starting a small scale renovation.

Do you have a small space you would like to renovate with an even smaller budget?

There are many ways that you can do a ‘lite’ renovation to improve and refresh a space. The key is in the planning.

1 Engage an Interior Designer

Engaging an Interior Designer can save you thousands on bad decisions and wasted time and money.

A simple one-hour consultation can often resolve many questions and provide you with clarity for your project moving forward. You may not need a full design service - sometimes a professional set of eyes, some practical advice and a clear direction is all you need to get started.

An Interior Designer can also help you identify where your budget will have the greatest impact, what is worth spending money on and where you can make compromises.

2 Identify the Space

Understanding the uses and primary functions of a space will help you to design accordingly.

During a consultation, many clients are surprised to find out just how many functions they are actually requiring from one room, especially with growing families and changing lifestyles.

Is the room being used for entertaining, working, storage, relaxing and studying? Does it need to accommodate children, pets or guests?

This process gives you a starting point for the design and helps to prioritise and allocate the functional spaces within the room.

3 Prioritise the Outcome

When you are working with a limited budget, prioritising the things that will make the biggest impact on the space - such as functional joinery, lighting or wall configuration - will help you spend your money where it is needed most.

Your designer can help you organise these priorities and will also consider important information about trade engagement, construction processes and the order in which work needs to be completed.

You may discover that changing the layout is more valuable than replacing everything in the room. Or perhaps better lighting will completely transform the space without the need for a major renovation.

The goal isn't necessarily to do more. It is to do the right things.

4 Be Flexible

Having a clear idea of what you want is important, but being flexible can make a significant difference to your budget.

You may have your heart set on a particular tile, tapware or benchtop, but there may be an alternative product that provides a similar look and performs just as well at a fraction of the cost.

Being flexible with finishes, materials, colours, suppliers and even the timing of your project can open up more options.

This doesn't mean compromising on the overall design. It means understanding where you can compromise and where you shouldn't.

A good designer can help you identify those differences.

5 Stage the Works

You don't necessarily have to complete everything at once. Staging the works can be a great way to improve a space while spreading the cost over time.

For example, you might start with the elements that have the greatest functional impact, such as improving the layout, completing essential joinery or upgrading lighting. Decorative elements, furniture or additional finishes can then be introduced at a later stage. The important thing is to have an overall plan before you start.

Without a plan, staged renovations can easily become a collection of disconnected decisions. With a plan, each stage can contribute towards the finished space.

Points to remember

A Small Renovation Still Needs Good Planning
A smaller renovation doesn't necessarily mean you need a smaller amount of design thinking.

In fact, working within a tight space and a tight budget can require more careful planning. Every decision needs to work harder, and there is less room for expensive mistakes.

You don't need to renovate everything to make a meaningful difference to your home.

Sometimes the best renovation is simply about identifying what isn't working, deciding what matters most and spending your money strategically.

Good design isn't about how much you spend. It's about how well you spend it.

If you're considering a small renovation and aren't sure where to start, book a design consultation and we can help you work through the options, establish priorities and create a clear direction before you commit to the work.

"It's just a Bathroom Renovation..what could be so hard?"

Mon, 13 Jul 2026 14:26:51 GMT

"It's just a Bathroom Renovation..what could be so hard?"

Sometimes a seemingly small and necessary renovation can be interperated as basic,

but in reality it ends up being everything but...

Refreshing a bathroom involves so many decisions about colour, finishes, fixtures and fittings. Everything you see needs to be specified and documented.

I recently had a client who wanted to renovate her bathroom. She had some tile samples, but little else had been decided.

Our first discussion centred around the builder and who would undertake the work required. As a first-time renovator, not a lot of thought had been given to how the design would actually be communicated. She had some fantastic ideas for how she wanted the bathroom to look and feel, but those ideas existed in her mind rather than on paper.

This is something I see quite often.

We can have a clear vision of how we want a space to look and feel, but translating those ideas into something a builder or tradesperson can accurately interpret is another skill altogether.

As we worked through the design, I started asking the client about details she hadn't expected to consider. Things like exactly where the niches should be located, which way the tiles should be laid, how the tile transitions should work, the position of the towel rails, the height of the vanity, grout colours, tile trims, mirror dimensions, construction details and countless other decisions.

From the client's perspective, many of these details seemed intuitive. Surely the builder would just know?

But unless these decisions and ideas are clearly communicated and documented, they are left open to interpretation.

It wasn't until the documentation was complete that the client really understood just how much goes into a bathroom renovation. As she put it:

"I didn't know what I didn't know. It wasn't until Jo started asking questions for her drawings that I realised

how involved a bathroom renovation is."

That comment perfectly captured the value of the design process.

What had initially seemed like a straightforward bathroom renovation was, in reality, hundreds of considered decisions that all needed to work together.

Without drawings, specifications and clear documentation, every conversation becomes open to interpretation. Questions arise on site, assumptions are made, and sometimes decisions are made on the spot that don't align with the original vision. These changes can lead to delays, additional costs and, in some cases, disappointment with the finished result.

Capturing the vision.

Our first step wasn't choosing tiles or tapware — it was capturing the vision. We discussed how the bathroom would be used, what was working, what wasn't, and the overall feeling the client wanted to achieve.

From there, we developed the layout, selected finishes, fixtures and fittings, and documented every detail. An equally important part of the process is preparing a finishes and fixtures schedule. This document details every tile, tap, basin, vanity, paint finish and accessory, including product names, colours, sizes, suppliers, quantities and, where required, lead times.

It provides the builder with clear, accurate information that would otherwise be left to assumption or interpretation.

The documentation becomes the common language between the client, builder and suppliers. Everyone knows exactly what is being supplied, where it is going and how it is intended to look.

It also helps with ordering, budgeting and programming the project, ensuring long lead-time items are identified before construction begins.

Good design is more than choosing beautiful finishes.

This is the basis of good design. Interior Design is far more than selecting beautiful finishes. It is about solving problems, communicating ideas and documenting every decision so the project can be delivered as intended.

That is why interior design is a fundamental part of a successful renovation - not a luxury.

When the design is well resolved before construction starts, the entire project runs more smoothly. Builders can quote and build with confidence, suppliers know exactly what is required, and clients have peace of mind knowing their vision is being realised with clarity and precision.

And perhaps most importantly, clients can finally see their ideas move from something that existed only in their head to something that can actually be built.

Stay tuned for the finished renovation photos! Read the clients full testimony here .

Plan Interior Architecture Blog

5 Common Misconceptions about Interior Design

5 Very Common Misconceptions

﻿ about Interior Design

There are many misconceptions about Interior Design and Interior Designers,

So let's clear up a few of the most common ones...

Small space and even Smaller Budget

Small space with an even Smaller Budget?

Our top 5 tips to starting a small scale renovation.

"It's just a Bathroom Renovation..what could be so hard?"

﻿ "It's just a Bathroom Renovation..what could be so hard?" ﻿

Sometimes a seemingly small and necessary renovation can be interperated as basic,

﻿ but in reality it ends up being everything but...

"I didn't know what I didn't know. It wasn't until Jo started asking questions for her drawings that I realised

how involved a bathroom renovation is."

about Interior Design

"It's just a Bathroom Renovation..what could be so hard?"

but in reality it ends up being everything but...