Our Profile
Established in 2001 and incorporated in 2003, Apiffany Interior Design Ltd is a young and vibrant company. Our directors formed the company on the back of many years' combined experience in a wide range of industries, from construction and design to corporate management within blue chip organisations. Led by design director Marie Grainger (BIDA associate) all our staff and associates are fully qualified experienced professionals with one goal: Our clients complete satisfaction.
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Our aim is to create interiors that are visually harmonious and an expression of the personalities of the occupants. We ensure that we understand our clients needs, so that each design is a true reflection of our clients lifestyle. Within this framework we bring to bear our expertise in matching styles, furniture, fabrics, and colour. We also employ specialist lighting designers and audio/Hifi/technology experts to help us address your technology requirements and to fully harmonise form and function. We offer simple, clear, straight forward advice and our clients are invariably reassured by our no-nonsense approach. Client participation is a must, but our project managers will ensure that the disruption to you and your home is minimised and while there may be in flight details to be ironed out almost all of the planning will be complete before work commences. You can then look forward to an interior that has been meticulously planned and expertly implemented. |
Why Choose Apiffany Interior Design?
Apiffany Interior Design sets itself apart from many other interior design companies by not only offering unparalleled interior design concepts & solutions but by providing our clients with a real value added service. So how are we different?
· The Client/Designer Relationship
Here at Apiffany we have always strived to address the needs and desires of our clients, we are not ego-centric 'artistes' with our own agenda that impose our design dogma ignoring the fundamental requirements of the space and the wishes of our client.
We do not provide a formulaic interior design solution. We gain our inspiration from our clients and as no two people are the same, no two of our interiors are the same.
In our view the designers' role in the client/designer relationship is to inspire, suggest and guide our clients toward a beautiful interior which is a personal haven in which they feel comfortable and relaxed - a space in which they feel truly at home.
· Our Pricing Policy
Most of us don't like to make a purchase without knowing how much it's going to cost. This is why Apiffany have a clear pricing policy. Our design fees reflect the work involved in your project, regardless of your budget. So whether you're planning to spend £10,000 or £100,000 our design fee is the same. The only 'fluidity' in our pricing is in our project management fees', but we provide clients with a detailed estimate before they commit to having work completed. So no nasty surprises!
· We actually 'Project Manage' your project!
Many interior designers will offer a service that they define as "Project Management" when in reality they are actually only providing a 'project co-ordination' service. While the naming conventions are subtle, the difference in the service you can expect is not;
Project management is a professional skill with its own set of available qualifications. Within the building trade the term implies the management of timescales, available resources, in terms of manpower, costing & budget control, health and safety, compliance with building regulations and quality control of work achieved. A competent project manager would also be expected to 'change manage' any variation to the works with as little disruption and additional cost to the client as possible.
Most interior designers shy away from this level of management because they simply do not have the skills or the knowledge to control, what can be a very complex schedule of works.
So what does all this mean for you?
You simply have to decide what level of commitment you require from the designer you employ. In real terms if your designer offers a 'project co-ordination' service and not a 'project management' service they are absolving themselves of any responsibility for the subsequent build work.
Most interior designers will also insist you pay each individual contractor directly and the design firm will add their percentage for 'project co-ordination'. While this may all seem perfectly reasonable, the importance of who raises the invoice and who you pay for the work becomes apparent when you consider the issue of final responsibility for the works. The invoice for the works represents your warranty for the results – so if a problem arises – you will be left to deal directly with the individual contractor to resolve it, not the interior designer who specified the work.
At Apiffany we do it all very differently
Our experience has shown that many of our clients employ our services because they don't want the hassle of dealing with builders and tradesmen.
Most of our clients don't have the time or the inclination to sit at home waiting for the 3 plumbers to arrive to give an estimate for the work or to chase the building firm when their subcontract electrician hasn't turned up and the decorator can't get on with the job. Nor do they want to chase suppliers because the light fittings haven't arrived and the electrician is coming the next day, or the lovely new taps that have been ordered for the bathroom have arrived damaged!
At Apiffany we 'manage' your project in the true sense of the word. We manage all aspects of the build phase of the project – ensuring best use of resources along with the management of costs, timescales and delivery schedules.
We directly sub-contract the services of plasterers, decorators, plumbers, carpenters, electricians, floor & carpet fitters, upholsterers and soft furnishings manufacturers, all of whom are fully insured, qualified and accredited by their respective trade/professional bodies.
To ensure optimal use of resources we produce comprehensive project plans and work schedules along with ordering, supply and delivery schedules to ensure all materials are on-site as required. We supply our clients with copies of all the planning documentation so they know what is happening and when.
Unlike many other interior design companies, where the entire project is fully project managed by and contracted through Apiffany, we underwrite the work fully against any installation defects for a period of six months, so ensuring our clients complete peace of mind.