Design Journal

Most homeowners hire an interior designer expecting mood boards and paint colours. What they don't expect — and what makes the real difference — is everything that happens behind the scenes during a renovation. From spatial planning and documentation to builder coordination and on-site decision-making, an interior designer's role during a renovation in NSW is far more structural than most people realise. This article breaks down exactly what a collaborative interior designer does at each stage o…

There's a version of interior design that produces spaces that photograph beautifully but are exhausting to live in. Surfaces that show every fingerprint. Storage that looks elegant but doesn't hold what you actually own. Layouts that work for a single person but create chaos for a family. At Findlay & Co., we believe that beauty and function are not in tension — they're the same thing. A space that doesn't work for the people who live in it isn't beautiful, no matter how good it looks in photog…

Most homeowners start their renovation by choosing finishes. They fall in love with a tile, pick a paint colour, find a kitchen tap they can't stop thinking about. And then they try to build a space around those choices. It's a natural instinct — finishes are tangible, exciting, and easy to visualise. But it's the wrong sequence. Interior flow — how a space is organised, how rooms connect, how people move through and between them — is the foundation that every finish decision sits on. Get the fl…

One of the most common reasons renovations go over budget and over time isn't the builder, and it isn't the designer. It's the gap between them. When a designer and builder aren't communicating clearly — when documentation is incomplete, decisions are delayed, or expectations aren't aligned — the project suffers. This article explains how a collaborative interior designer communicates with builders in NSW, what good designer-builder communication looks like in practice, and why it matters for yo…

One of the most common fears homeowners have when hiring an interior designer is this: that they'll hand over their home and get back something that looks beautiful but doesn't feel like them. That the designer will make all the decisions, present a finished result, and expect applause. At Findlay & Co., we work completely differently. Decision-making is something we do with our clients — not for them. This article explains how we guide homeowners through the design decision process, why that co…

Hiring an interior designer is one of the most significant investments you'll make in your home. And yet most homeowners sign a contract without asking the questions that would tell them whether this designer is actually the right fit for their project, their budget, and the way they want to work. This article gives you the exact questions to ask before you sign — not to catch designers out, but to make sure you're entering a working relationship with full information, clear expectations, and ge…

How to Design a Home That Feels Calm, Connected and Timeless

One of the most common concerns homeowners express during renovations is the fear that their home will end up feeling disjointed. Different rooms may look beautiful individually, yet when viewed together the house can lack a sense of harmony. Creating a cohesive design aesthetic is not about making every room identical. Instead, it involves thoughtful decisions that allow spaces to feel connected while still maintaining their own pers…