A full interior design service means we look after everything; from the very first conversation right through to the moment your space is complete. At Zeal, we work through three main phases.

The first is Design Concept, where we get to know you, how you live, and what you want your space to feel like. We'll develop a creative direction that's personal to you - pulling together mood boards, spatial layouts, colour palettes and material ideas so you can see the vision clearly before any decisions are made.

The second is Detailed Design, where we take that concept and work out every last detail. This includes specifying every finish, fixture and fitting - from flooring and tiles to lighting, joinery and soft furnishings. By the end of this phase, we have a complete, fully costed design ready to build and install.

The third is Implementation and Project Management, where we bring it all to life. We handle the sourcing and procurement of everything specified in the design, coordinate with contractors and suppliers, manage the timeline, and visit site regularly to make sure everything is being delivered exactly as intended. You have one team looking after the whole project, so you're not left trying to juggle multiple people and moving parts on your own.

The result is a space that feels considered and complete, without the stress of managing it yourself.

Every project is different, so costs vary depending on scale and scope. For residential projects, we typically work with budgets from £50,000 for a smaller number of rooms, with larger full house renovations running into the hundreds of thousands. For hospitality projects, we usually work with budgets from £100,000 upwards.

Our fees are structured in two parts. First, a design fee that covers all the creative and planning work - from initial concept through to fully detailed specifications. Second, a percentage of the overall project spend for implementation and project management, which covers sourcing, procurement, contractor coordination and on-site oversight.

This structure means our involvement scales with your project in a way that's transparent and straightforward - you're not paying a large upfront fee before we've proven our value, and the implementation percentage reflects the real time and effort involved in delivering your project on site.

We're happy to talk through what's realistic for your specific project from the very first conversation - just get in touch and we can take it from there.

We believe in being upfront about fees - no surprises, no hidden costs. Our pricing is structured in two parts: a fixed design fee and an implementation fee, and you get to choose how involved you'd like us to be when it comes to delivery.

The design fee covers all the creative work - concept development, visualisations, layouts and full specifications. It's fixed based on the type of space you're working with. Standard rooms like bedrooms, living rooms and home offices are from £650. More technical spaces like kitchens and bathrooms are from £900. Open-plan or multi-function areas, such as kitchen extensions or open-plan kitchen and dining spaces, are from £1,250.

From there, you choose your level of implementation support. If you'd prefer to manage the purchasing and trades yourself and simply work from a professional design and shopping list, the design fee is all you pay. If you'd like us to handle procurement, logistics and contractor liaison on your behalf, we charge 15% of the procurement spend we manage. And if you'd like us to run the entire project from start to finish (appointing trades, managing the budget and timeline, and overseeing everything on site) we charge 15-20% of the total implementation cost, depending on project size.

We'll always talk through these options with you at the start so you can choose the level of support that feels right for your project and your budget. You're in control at every stage.

It's worth mentioning that the distinction between these two terms is much more of an American thing. In the UK, the two are often used interchangeably, and most people simply say "interior designer" regardless of the scope of work involved.

That said, there is a meaningful difference in what each actually covers. Interior decorating tends to focus on the surface layer - choosing colours, furniture and accessories to make a space look beautiful. Interior design goes much deeper than that. It's about how a space functions, how it flows, how light moves through it, and how every detail fits together both structurally and aesthetically.

At Zeal, we bring an extra dimension to that - having architects as part of our core team means we can take on more complex projects and think about your home in a truly holistic way, from the bones of the building right through to the finishing touches.

This depends entirely on the scope. A few rooms might take three to six months from concept to completion. A full house renovation, particularly one involving structural work, can take anywhere from one to two years or more. We'll give you a realistic timeline at the start and keep you updated throughout; we know how important it is to have a clear picture of what's happening and when.

Not at all. Many of our clients come to us with a feeling rather than a vision. They know how they want their home to feel, but they're not quite sure how to get there. That's exactly what we're here for.

We're really good at asking the right questions. Over the years we've developed a way of drawing out what people want even when they find it hard to articulate, whether that's through talking about how they live day to day, what's not working about their space right now, or simply looking at images together and working out what it is that draws them in.

Most of our clients come to us because they want to do this properly - once, and for the long term. They don't want to make expensive decisions they'll regret, or find themselves redoing things a few years down the line. That's why we invest real time at the start of every project getting to know you and your home before anything else. The ideas develop from there, and by the time we move into the design phase, the direction feels natural and right, because it's been built around you from the beginning.

Yes. Alongside our residential work, we design for owner-operators and boutique hospitality brands. We understand that a great hospitality space has to work hard; it needs to feel beautiful and considered, but also be practical and durable for everyday use.

We're based in Peckham, South East London, and most of our projects are in London and the surrounding areas. That said, we're always open to the right project further afield. Get in touch and we can talk through what's possible.

We think the most important thing at the start of any project is chemistry. The best results we've delivered have always come from working relationships built on trust - where clients feel comfortable being honest with us, and where we can be honest with them. That kind of relationship makes everything easier, from the big creative decisions to the inevitable moments on site where things need to be worked through together.

That's why we always start with a conversation, no pressure, no commitment, just a chance to hear about your project, share a little about how we work, and get a feel for whether it clicks on both sides. We're not right for everyone, and we'd rather know that early than find out halfway through a project.

If it does feel like a good fit, we'll talk through the scope, your budget and your timeline, and recommend the service level that makes most sense for your project. From there, everything is clearly set out before we begin, so you know exactly what you're signing up for.

You can get in touch via our contact page to start that conversation. We'd love to hear from you.

Honestly, this is one of our favourite parts of the process. Getting to know a new client, hearing about their home and understanding what they're hoping to create. So don't feel like you need to have everything perfectly prepared. We'll guide the conversation.

That said, it does help to have a rough sense of your budget, a feel for the scope of the project (which rooms, what you're hoping to change, and whether you're thinking about structural work or purely interior) and any images or references that have caught your eye. Pinterest boards, magazine tearsheets, screenshots from Instagram - anything that helps us understand what draws you in is useful, even if you can't quite explain why.

If you have existing plans or drawings of your home, bring those along too. And if there are things that are definitely staying, a sofa you love, a piece of art that means a lot, it's good to know that from the start so we can include them in the design.

But please don't worry if you're not there yet. We're good at asking the right questions, and the first meeting is as much about us getting a feel for each other as it is about gathering information. Come as you are - the ideas will follow.

We very much see this as a collaboration. You know your home, how you live and what matters to you better than anyone and that knowledge is essential to getting the design right. Our job is to take all of that and turn it into something beautiful and considered that you might not have been able to picture on your own.

Some clients want to be closely involved at every stage, reviewing options and weighing in on decisions as we go. Others prefer to hand over the reins and trust us to bring something back for them to respond to. Either way works for us, we'll take our cue from you and find a rhythm that feels comfortable. What we won't do is disappear and come back with something that feels like it has nothing to do with you.

It happens, and it's completely fine. Design is subjective and getting to the right answer sometimes takes a few attempts. That's why our process includes rounds of revisions, so there's always space to refine, redirect or start a particular element again if something isn't landing.

What we find is that when we've done the groundwork at the start, really understanding how you live and what you love, the big creative decisions tend to feel right because they've been built on a solid foundation. But if something doesn't feel right, tell us. Honest feedback early is always better than a quiet doubt that grows into a bigger problem later. We'd much rather know.

Yes, as a studio we have access to trade pricing across a range of suppliers and brands that aren't available to the general public. In most cases, we pass a meaningful portion of that saving on to our clients, so you're often getting better quality products at prices you couldn't access on your own.

It also means we have relationships with suppliers we know and trust, which makes the sourcing and procurement process smoother and reduces the risk of things going wrong with orders, lead times or quality.

It depends on the scale of the work. For smaller projects, a few rooms, no structural changes, many clients stay put and we work around them. For larger renovations involving significant building work, moving out for at least part of the project usually makes the process faster, less disruptive and frankly less stressful for everyone.

We'll always give you an honest view on this when we understand the scope of your project. If moving out is going to make a real difference to the timeline or the quality of the work, we'll say so and help you plan around it.

Absolutely. We're used to working as part of a wider project team and we're comfortable stepping into projects where other professionals are already involved. Having architects as part of our own team means we speak that language fluently and can collaborate effectively without things getting lost in translation.

If you already have a contractor you trust, we're happy to work alongside them. We'll act as the design guardian, making sure the build stays true to the design intent and that any decisions made on site are ones we're all comfortable with.

We can help guide you through what's likely to be needed and highlight anything that might require consent. Since we have architects in our team, we're well placed to advise on this from the outset. For projects that require formal planning applications or building regulations submissions, we'll be clear about what's involved and who needs to handle what.

Not every project requires planning permission, many don’t need any consent at all, but it's always worth checking early, and we'll make sure you're not caught out by something that could have been anticipated at the start.

You'll be working directly with our core team throughout - Amanda, Marty and Diana. We're a small, hands-on studio and that's very much by design. We don't have a layer of junior staff between you and the people making creative decisions on your project.

The people you meet at the start are the people who do the work. We think that makes for better design, better communication and a much more enjoyable process, and it's something our clients consistently tell us they value.