THE DESIGN GUIDE BLOG

Why Your Selections Need to Be Locked Before Your Trades Start (And What Happens If They're Not)
Why Your Selections Need to Be Locked Before Your Trades Start (And What Happens If They're Not)
Late selections are one of the most common causes of renovation delays. Here's why your finishes and fixtures need to be decided before trades arrive, not during the build. Read more...
What Does an Interior Designer Actually Do? A Look Behind the Scenes at Sourcing & Selections
What Does an Interior Designer Actually Do? A Look Behind the Scenes at Sourcing & Selections
What does an interior designer actually do?" is one of the most common questions homeowners ask. Here's what actually happens before a finished mood board or design plan ever reaches... Read more...
How to Choose Kitchen Finishes, Fixtures & Colours That Work Together (Modern Farmhouse Edition)
How to Choose Kitchen Finishes, Fixtures & Colours That Work Together (Modern Farmhouse Edition)
Cabinetry, benchtops, tiles, tapware, hardware how do you actually choose finishes that work together instead of fighting each other? Here's how to approach it. Read more...
There's a Gap Between DIY and Full-Service Interior Design (And Most Homeowners Fall Into It)
There's a Gap Between DIY and Full-Service Interior Design (And Most Homeowners Fall Into It)
Not everyone needs a full interior design engagement, and not everyone should go it alone on Pinterest. Here's the gap in between and how to find your place in it. Read more...
Renovating, Building or Refreshing a Space? Here’s a Simpler Way to Make Your Selections
Renovating, Building or Refreshing a Space? Here’s a Simpler Way to Make Your Selections
A Simpler Way to Make Your Interior Selections At Your Design Companion, our Design & Style Packs bring professionally curated finishes, fixtures, furniture and décor together into one clear, actionable... Read more...
Interior Design Solutions to Reduce Renovation or New Build Selection Overwhelm
Interior Design Solutions to Reduce Renovation or New Build Selection Overwhelm
Overwhelmed by finishes, fixtures and selections? Here are the real design solutions available to help make your renovation or new build easier, choose with confidence, what each one includes and... Read more...
Modern Farmhouse Kitchen Ideas Australia: How to Get the Look
Modern Farmhouse Kitchen Ideas Australia: How to Get the Look
Love the modern farmhouse kitchen trend? Here's how to get the look in your own home the key elements, materials and finishes that make it work, and where to start. Read more...
E-Design vs Hiring an Interior Designer: What's the Difference & Which One Do You Actually Need?
E-Design vs Hiring an Interior Designer: What's the Difference & Which One Do You Actually Need?
If you've been down the Google rabbit hole trying to work out what "e-design" even means, you're not alone. It's one of those terms that gets thrown around a lot... Read more...
Here’s Why Kitchens Get Expensive, and Why You Need to Plan Properly
Here’s Why Kitchens Get Expensive, and Why You Need to Plan Properly
A kitchen is one of the most complex rooms to renovate because so many decisions affect each other. If you change the layout, move plumbing, upgrade finishes, or increase the... Read more...
What You Need to Give Your Builder Before They Can Give You an Accurate Quote
What You Need to Give Your Builder Before They Can Give You an Accurate Quote
If you want a builder to give you a proper renovation figure, you need more than just inspiration photos. A rough ballpark can be done early, but the more details... Read more...
10 Things You Can't Forget To Choose During Your Renovation
10 Things You Can't Forget To Choose During Your Renovation
When people think about renovating, they usually picture the exciting decisions like kitchen layouts, paint colours and beautiful tiles. But a successful renovation is made up of hundreds of smaller... Read more...
Quartz vs Porcelain vs Natural Stone: Which Benchtop Is Right For Your Renovation?
Quartz vs Porcelain vs Natural Stone: Which Benchtop Is Right For Your Renovation?
Your kitchen benchtop is one of the biggest visual decisions in your renovation. It needs to look beautiful, but it also needs to work with the way you live. The... Read more...
The Same Issue Almost Every Client I Meet Has Before Renovating... & It's a Simple Fix.
The Same Issue Almost Every Client I Meet Has Before Renovating... & It's a Simple Fix.
Almost every client I work with gets stuck in the same place.They start making decisions before they’ve decided on an overall vision. They don't know how to incorporate all of... Read more...
Standard Placement, Measurements & Why You Can't Just Choose Pretty Things
Standard Placement, Measurements & Why You Can't Just Choose Pretty Things
Choosing pretty finishes isn't enough. Here's why placement, measurements and the small details you've probably never thought to shop for matter just as much. Read more...
10 Things To Create a Cohesive Home & How To Visualise It Before You Commit
10 Things To Create a Cohesive Home & How To Visualise It Before You Commit
Ever walked through your home & felt like every room belongs to a different house? It's one of the questions I get asked most. So here are the 10 things... Read more...
Bigger Isn't Always Better: Don't Build a Big House Just Because Everyone Else Is Doing It
Bigger Isn't Always Better: Don't Build a Big House Just Because Everyone Else Is Doing It
A designer's honest take on big homes, what to consider before you build one, and why going smaller could actually serve your lifestyle, budget and finishes better. Read more...
Good Design Is Often Invisible When It's Done Right. Here's What You Need To Know For Your Renovation
Good Design Is Often Invisible When It's Done Right. Here's What You Need To Know For Your Renovation
Now, to be clear, I love a good wow moment! A jaw dropping kitchen island or a statement light fitting, the options are endless but I'm talking to you about... Read more...
The First Steps a Designer Takes Explained So You Can Apply Them to Your Own Project
The First Steps a Designer Takes Explained So You Can Apply Them to Your Own Project
Every designer, on every project, does the same handful of things before anything else happens. Not because it's exciting. Because it's the bit that makes everything after it actually work.... Read more...
How to Track Your Renovation Budget Without a Spreadsheet Nightmare
How to Track Your Renovation Budget Without a Spreadsheet Nightmare
Picture this. You're three months into your renovation. You've got invoices in your email, receipts in your handbag, a notes app full of numbers you jotted down at various showrooms,... Read more...
How to Get Accurate Quotes from Trades the First Time
How to Get Accurate Quotes from Trades the First Time
What information do trades actually need to give you an accurate quote? More than you think, and more specifically than most renovators provide. They need to know exactly what products... Read more...
Do You Know How Many or What Decisions You Need To Make in a Renovation?
Do You Know How Many or What Decisions You Need To Make in a Renovation?
Let me ask you something. Before you started your renovation, or before you started thinking about starting your renovation, did anyone sit you down and say "just so you know,... Read more...
Where to Start When You're Planning a Renovation (And Feel Like You're Going in Circles)
Where to Start When You're Planning a Renovation (And Feel Like You're Going in Circles)
You have absolutely no idea where to actually start. Welcome to the club. It has a lot of members, and the waiting room is full of people scrolling Pinterest at... Read more...
This Is How To Work Out What's Possible With Your Renovation Budget Before You Spend a Cent
This Is How To Work Out What's Possible With Your Renovation Budget Before You Spend a Cent
When I planned my outdoor extension I knew before construction started that choosing a pitched roof, oversized timber posts, and recycled brick flooring would increase my costs. The finishes invoice,... Read more...
If You Think Buying An Online Renovation Planner or Blank Finishes Schedule With No Process is Going To Save Your Reno Problems You’re Dreaming
If You Think Buying An Online Renovation Planner or Blank Finishes Schedule With No Process is Going To Save Your Reno Problems You’re Dreaming
If you think buying one of those renovation planners or blank finishes & fixtures schedules is going to teach you how to renovate & solve your problems, you’re wrong. Read more...
Who Loves a Moody Palette? I Do! Here’s How You Can Make It Happen in Your Space.
Who Loves a Moody Palette? I Do! Here’s How You Can Make It Happen in Your Space.
Deep green glazed tile. Terracotta marble. Antique brass. Warm Manor Oak timber. A brass herringbone mosaic that catches the light just right. Black cup pulls that ground the whole thing.... Read more...
I Left a Corporate Career to Build a Design Business. But Not the Kind You'd Expect.
I Left a Corporate Career to Build a Design Business. But Not the Kind You'd Expect.
I didn't start Your Design Companion because I wanted to open a traditional interior design firm. I started it because I looked at the traditional interior design model, really looked... Read more...
The First Step to Getting Out of That Renovation Overwhelm.
The First Step to Getting Out of That Renovation Overwhelm.
Let me be straight with you. The overwhelm you're feeling right now? It's not because you're bad at this. It's not because renovation isn't for you. It's because nobody handed... Read more...