What Clients are saying
THE GROWN-UP RETREAT
THE STUDY
"You seemed to instinctively know what I might like, and what would work in the room"
CLARE, SYDENHAM PARK ROAD
Play below to hear my chat with my lovely Client Clare
ON HER 'BEFORE & AFTER'
... and these were the Before Photos of the two Living Spaces below
BEFORE PHOTOS OF
THE GROWN-UP RETREAT
BEFORE PHOTOS OF
THE STUDY
.....David, Peckham
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'I moved into a long term rented house with my two daughters, and it was 'fine', but I could tell the 'dads-gone-to-Ikea' aesthetic wasn't helping my girls settle into a new and unusual space, so I looked for help, I searched for someone who'd 'get it', and I found Lynlea West, and I'm so glad and grateful that I did.
A few weeks later, a couple of clean and clear presentations, some well managed budget setting, some tight timing plans and now... It's a space transformed, it's a house to a home, a pad to a painting, a casa to a casanova, and most importantly, its kids who come through the door and run into a world they now love.
On time, on budget, on point, and always on my side, whether it's getting a better deal on a better bed, or finding someone to fix/fit/flatpack when I couldn't. The difference isn't just the design, it's the detail and the depth of consideration.
When we move to a place we can buy, there's no doubt, I'll be back hanging out, having a laugh and having an education in how to make space special, with Lynlea.
.....Amy, Peckham Rye
'I have recently finished a major refurbishment/extension project with Lynlea West Studio. I would never have thought I would use an interior designer, but stumbled across a recommendation for Lynlea West Studio on this forum at the time we were starting our project.
My original thought was to get Lynlea to help with final colour choices and maybe help pick some furniture but having met her and getting on so well I ended up using her for a huge variety of things from choosing my kitchen to the placement of sockets and light fittings!
It has been great to have someone with such experience to bounce ideas off. She quickly seemed to grasp the style that worked for me, and developed layouts and schemes that worked for us with in terms of aesthetic, layout and functionality. She has a great eye, and came up with some brilliant ideas, and suppliers, to help work within budget. Lynlea’s hourly rate makes her service very flexible which definitely worked for me. Her knowledge and experience has saved me time and money. It’s like a secret that nobody knows about. The savings I made through Lynlea’s trade discounts practically offset her fee.
I would highly recommend Lynlea for whatever size house project you may be embarking on. She is easy to get on with and will help you achieve a home you love.'
.....Claire, Anerley
'Lynlea did an amazing job redesigning my bathroom. From the first consultation I felt that she understood my ideas and style and immediately solved problems of reconfiguring the layout, choosing the sanitary ware, floor and wall tiles, paint colours right down to the decorative accessories.
I spent a lot of time thinking about the project and not really getting anywhere but as soon as she was involved the whole process moved swiftly and painlessly forward and I'm delighted with the results.
I highly recommend using Lynlea, she's easy to communicate with, fast and has a great sense of style, brilliant ideas and can deliver results in a timely fashion and on budget'
.....Kate, East Dulwich
'The thought of having an interior designer always felt over the top and unaffordable. With Pinterest and Houzz, I thought I had all the inspiration I needed, but Lynlea has completely changed my opinion of what an interior designer can do for you, regardless of the size of the project or your budget.
Coming to the end of a loft and kitchen extension, I thought I was getting to the exciting bit, where I got to finish the house as I wanted, but after months of making mundane decisions with builders, my enthusiasm was flagging and the endless possibilities for what I could do was rather daunting.
I came across Lynlea by chance and immediately got her round for an initial consultation. I had a list of things I wanted some advice on, and Lynlea was able to understand my style preferences and make a number of suggestions for all of them. Importantly, she did something I really needed, which was to give me the confidence to give some of my bolder ideas a go. Seeing the whole package in a mood board, it all came together and you realise the value an interior designer can add. I really wish interior design is something I'd have factored in at the start of the project, as there are a number of things I would have done differently.
I found Lynlea to be extremely friendly and professional. She had lots of great tips for finishes and a long list of quality suppliers and trades people. I'd highly recommend working with her.'
.....Rebecca and Dan, East Dulwich
'We undertook a major house renovation last year and got in contact with Lynlea early on to help with decisions about colours. She gave lots of fantastic advice and before we knew it we’d asked her to help with other decisions too. Lynlea gave us the confidence to go with some bold choices and suggested pieces that would work together and within budget and often from shops we hadn’t come across. In addition to furniture and colours, Lynlea also helped us source curtain fabric and offered advice on style too. Finally, she was very useful in suggesting other local, trusted professionals.
Lynlea is friendly, professional and responsive. I would highly recommend working with her.'
.....Joanna, Tulse Hill
'I'm project managing my own house renovation, it's a big project - extension, kitchen, side return, loft and I was weighed down by all the decisions I had to make, but reluctant to ask for help as I'm quite fussy and into design myself. My husband found some recommendations on East Dulwich Forum and forced me to phone them to save our marriage, and my sanity!
After speaking to three or four I chose Lynlea and after meeting with her, a burden has been lifted! She blitzed through my long list of questions in a couple of hours. She was really focussed, listened and responded to my ideas with better ones. She has so much experience I feel I will now save money by making the right decisions (and she is really not expensive). Oh and she's really delightful and down to earth. From the tiniest details of kitchen finishes, room layouts and furniture design, paint colours, lighting schemes, even more architectural stuff, she knows what will work and is realistic about budget. I am so glad I got her involved, now all I have to deal with is the stress of the builders - when they turn up!'
.....Lisa, South London
For context, a few months ago, my partner and I purchased a terraced house and proceeded to rip everything out of it in order to renovate. What a journey it’s been, and telling you about that would be more of a dissertation than a recommendation…
This house is the first time it ever crossed my mind to ask an interior designer for help. On the one hand, money… I assumed that an interior designer would be an all-in thing where you’d have to pay a percentage of the project costs. Which in any case would be impossible as we’re project managing ourselves and have independent tradespeople working on different aspects. On the other hand, we couldn’t face the magnitude of decisions we had to make - particularly with respect to paint colours, lights and tiles - while also project managing and with busy jobs on top. I also considered an online-only service, but I wanted to be able to explain things in person and have more interaction generally. I gave My Bespoke Room a spin, and didn’t really find it useful at all.
Enter… Lynlea West. An amazing interior designer who is willing to work on an hourly rate and focus on the specific aspects you’d like assistance with. Lynlea is wonderful at striking the balance between staying within spec while politely saving you from yourself when something you haven’t asked for help with is about to turn into a disaster. There were a number of occasions where we happened to be meeting at the house (which is basically a building site) and she asked just the right questions of tradespeople. Things it never would have occurred to me to ask.
Also, the time-saving of it is just outstanding. I probably could have spent half a lifetime ordering tile samples and becoming progressively frustrated by it. Lynlea found floor tiles we liked within a short space of time, fitting to other furniture we’d already decided on.
As well as taking on all the decisions that would have taken us ages and caused us a lot of stress, through Lynlea we’ve benefitted from a number of trade discounts. In effect, she subsidises the cost for her services by obtaining these helpful discounts for her clients. I had no idea this was a thing before we engaged Lynlea.
Speaking of suppliers, I’ve been amazed what a difference it can make to have someone helping you who knows which suppliers to consider, for example for lighting and even things as seemingly simple as door knobs. Yes, door knobs. I would never have come across these suppliers through Google search (I spent plenty of my own time looking and didn’t come across them).
I also appreciate Lynlea’s willingness to understand our preferences and get a real sense of what we like, even when it isn’t at all trendy!
And then there are the ‘oh *hit’ moments, where a tradesperson is asking you how you want thing x done, like now, because they are in your house and you’re in the middle of your morning jog before work wondering what the hell was decided for that? Did you even decide? What’s the right answer? You need to know like right now??! Yes, they do. And thank goodness Lynlea is willing to help when it’s urgent.
I am so grateful we found Lynlea, via recommendations on this forum. I would have a lot less hair right now if we hadn’t emailed her. Thank you, Lynlea!