The Boundaries I Had to Learn as an Interior Designer

When I first started working in interiors, I thought being a good designer meant being endlessly accommodating.

I wanted to keep things moving, say yes to ideas, make decisions quickly and, most importantly, make sure my clients were happy at every stage.

But over time, I learnt that good design sometimes requires saying no.

Not because I want to be difficult. Not because I think my way is always right. But because part of my job is knowing when to pause, question something, or protect the overall vision of a space.

These are some of the boundaries I’ve learnt to put in place — and why they ultimately make for better interiors.

I won’t rush a decision just to keep things moving.

There’s often an understandable urge to make a decision simply because a decision needs to be made.

But interiors are rarely improved by rushing.

Sometimes the right answer needs a little more thought. Perhaps we need to look at the room in a different light, reconsider the proportions, or simply give ourselves time to see whether something actually feels right.

I’d much rather take an extra moment to make the right decision than move quickly and spend months wishing we hadn’t.

Not every trend belongs in your home.

I love being inspired by what’s happening in interiors. Trends can be a wonderful starting point and can introduce fresh ideas, colours and materials.

But your home shouldn't feel like a showroom for whatever happens to be fashionable this year.

I’ll always ask whether something works for you, your home and the way you live, rather than simply adding it because it’s currently popular.

A well-designed home should still feel right years from now.

I won’t fill a room just for the sake of filling it.

One of the hardest things to learn is that empty space isn't necessarily a problem that needs solving.

There can be a temptation to keep adding — another chair, another side table, another piece of art, another accessory.

But sometimes the most considered choice is to leave something out.

A room needs space to breathe. Not every corner needs to be decorated, and not every surface needs something sitting on it.

Thoughtful restraint can be just as important as what we choose to include.

I’ll tell you when something isn’t quite working.

This might be one of the most important boundaries of all.

If I can see that something isn't working within the overall design, I’ll tell you.

That doesn't mean your idea is bad, or that my opinion is automatically more important. It simply means I'm looking at the room as a whole and considering how each decision affects the bigger picture.

Sometimes an idea we love individually doesn't work once it's in the room.

And that's okay.

My job isn't to agree with every decision simply to avoid an awkward conversation. My job is to help create a space that feels considered, cohesive and genuinely right for you.

I won’t compromise the whole design for one piece.

There will always be those pieces we fall completely in love with.

Perhaps it's a sofa, a beautiful fabric, a piece of artwork or a particularly special antique.

But loving one thing doesn't necessarily mean it belongs in the room.

If accommodating one piece means compromising the proportions, colour palette, layout or overall feeling of the space, I'll always encourage us to step back and look at the bigger picture.

The room comes first.

And sometimes, as painful as it may be, that means letting one beautiful piece go.

Boundaries aren’t about being difficult.

They're about caring enough to do the job properly.

I've learnt that being a good interior designer isn't about saying yes to everything. It's about having the confidence to say, "I'm not sure that's right," when something needs reconsidering.

It's about knowing when to pause rather than rush.

When to leave something out rather than add more.

When to choose timelessness over a passing trend.

And when to protect the overall design rather than force one individual element to work.

Because ultimately, the goal isn't simply to create a room that looks beautiful on the day it's finished.

It's to create a home that feels considered, personal and right for the people who live there — and sometimes, getting there requires a few well-placed boundaries.