Journal

There's a moment early in every project that most clients don't realise is happening. It's not the mood board. It's not the site visit. It's the conversation before any of that, where we are asking about your kids' after-school routine, whether you cook with the radio on, how long you spend at the kitchen table after dinner, and what drives you quietly mad about the way your home works right now. It looks like a chat. It isn't. What we are actually doing Every question has a

One of the questions I'm asked most often is: do I need an architect and an interior designer, or just one or the other? The honest answer is that it depends on the project. But what I've seen, again and again, is that the renovations that turn out best are the ones where the whole team is in the room from the beginning. Where the architect, the designer, and the client are all pulling in the same direction before a single wall comes down. Andrew Mulroy is the founder of Mulr

If you've ever watched a home renovation show and thought "I could do that" — you're not alone. And honestly, the best ones are brilliant at capturing the excitement of transformation - I love them too! But there's a version of interior design that television has created which bears very little resemblance to what a professional designer actually does day to day. That gap matters — particularly if you're about to spend a significant amount of money renovating your home. What

Renovation is emotionally demanding — I've written about that before, and it's something I see in every project I work on. But alongside the emotional experience, there are some very practical things that catch people off guard. Not because they haven't done their research, but because they're rarely talked about until you're already in the middle of them. These are the three I come back to most often. 1. It takes longer than you think. Even well-planned projects with experie

Renovating a home is exciting! It’s also one of the most emotionally demanding things many people do — and very few expect that. Over the years, both personally and professionally, I’ve seen how even well-prepared homeowners can feel overwhelmed partway through a project. Not because anything has gone wrong — but because renovation asks a lot of you. There are long periods of waiting. Moments of doubt. Decision fatigue. Living with disruption for months at a time. These thing

Before any renovation begins — before layouts, finishes or building works — there’s one step I often encourage clients to consider first: creating space through decluttering . Over the years, I’ve worked alongside professional declutterers on several renovation projects, and I’ve seen first-hand how powerful this stage can be. Decluttering before renovation helps clients feel calmer, more focused, and far better prepared for the decisions that come with change. To explore thi

Lighting is one of the simplest ways to change how a space feels. It shapes atmosphere, enhances colour, and quietly supports our sense of wellbeing. I often think of it as the emotional undercurrent of a room — something you might not consciously notice when it’s right, but that changes everything when it’s not. Yet standing in front of a wall of light bulbs, faced with numbers and jargon, can feel anything but calming. Understanding just a few basics makes it much easier to