Your questions answered
Everything you might want to ask.
Grouped by where you are in the decision — from the first phone call, through the project, to the garden and the practical details. If your question isn't here, call Katherine and ask.
Before you call
What does the first consultation involve, and is it really free?
It is a free, no-obligation visit. Katherine comes to the house, walks it with you, asks how you actually use each room and where it frustrates you, and gives you an honest view of what is possible — including the ideas you had not asked for. There is no charge and no expectation that you go further; plenty of people have a consultation and then take six months to decide.
How much does interior design cost?
It depends entirely on the scope, so we would rather talk about it properly than publish a made-up figure. What shapes it: how much of the house is involved, whether there is building work and technical drawing attached, how much sourcing and procurement you want handled, and whether soft furnishings are made to measure. After the first visit you get a clear written proposal for the work in front of us — and you will know the shape of the investment before you commit to anything.
When is the right time to bring in a designer?
Earlier than most people do. If there is building work, the best moment is before the drawings are fixed — spatial planning is cheapest on paper and most expensive once the walls are up. If it is a decorating project, any time; but starting before you have bought the sofa saves you buying it twice.
Do I have to use you for the whole house?
No. Whole-house, concept-to-completion schemes are the core of the work, but spatial planning, soft furnishings and furniture sourcing can each be taken on their own. If one room, one layout problem or one run of joinery is what is bothering you, that can be the whole project.
Do you only work on period properties?
It is the specialism, not a rule. Katherine is drawn to period properties and country homes — houses with history and proportion worth working with — but the same thinking applies to a new-build that needs warmth or a London flat that needs re-planning.
During the project
What actually happens after the consultation?
Spatial planning comes first: how the rooms should work and whether anything needs to move. Then a concept scheme — layouts, finishes, fabrics, lighting — with samples you can live with for a week before deciding. Where there is building work, technical drawings follow and go to your contractor. Then sourcing, ordering, deliveries, installation and styling.
Can you work with my builder?
Yes, and it is usually the smoothest route if you already have someone you trust. Katherine issues full technical drawings — plans, elevations, joinery and setting-out details — and works through them with your contractor on site, so the socket is where the lamp is going and the joinery fits the alcove that actually exists.
Will I be asked to make hundreds of decisions?
You will be asked to make the ones that matter to you, and shielded from the ones that do not. Options come curated rather than infinite: a considered shortlist with a recommendation, not a fabric library dumped on the kitchen table.
How do lead times work?
They get planned around the building programme rather than discovered halfway through it. Upholstery and made-to-measure curtains take weeks, not days, and some pieces take months — which is exactly why sourcing starts early and every order is tracked.
Do you handle the soft furnishings yourselves?
They are specified by the studio and made to measure for the window or the piece they belong to — the right heading, the right drop, the right weight of interlining for a draughty period reveal — then fitted and hung. It is also available as a stand-alone piece of work.
Gardens, areas & the practical bits
Do you do gardens as well as interiors?
Yes, through KB Landscapes — the landscape side of the studio, headed by Greg Bedson with a small vetted team. Garden design, landscaping, fencing and garden maintenance for domestic and commercial clients across Surrey, Sussex and Hampshire. On plenty of projects the two run together, so the view from a new window is designed at the same time as the room it sits in.
Are your Google reviews for the interiors or the gardens?
Honest answer: the Google reviews are from clients of the landscaping side, where Greg and the team are named by name — Jack, Josh and the others. The studio is rated 5.0 on Google as a business. For the interior design work, the testimonials come from Katherine's clients directly, like the spatial planning quote on this site.
Which areas do you cover?
The studio is in Fernhurst, between Haslemere and Midhurst, and works across Surrey, Hampshire, West Sussex and London. KB Landscapes covers Surrey, Sussex and Hampshire. If you are a little outside that and the project suits, ask anyway.
How long has the studio been going?
Katherine has run the business since 2017 — Katherine Bedson Interiors and Landscapes Limited was incorporated in November that year and remains active at Companies House under number 11073692.
What is the quickest way to get started?
Call Katherine on 07721 509162 or email interiors@katherinebedson.com. A few photographs of the rooms and a line about what is not working is usually enough to get a useful answer back.
Still wondering about something?
The quickest way to a straight answer is a call, or an email with a few photographs of the rooms. No obligation, no pressure.