7-Step Interior Design Process for Property Developers; Design First, Build Smarter
- wildkindinteriors
- Nov 4, 2025
- 6 min read
Updated: Dec 10, 2025
By Louise Wynne, Founder of WildKind Interiors
Interior design isn't just decoration. It is one of the key components of your commercial strategy. It shapes how people experience a space, how long they stay, and crucially, how much they'll pay to be there.
Unlike your architect, planning consultant or principal contractor, an interior designer’s work appears to come together towards the end of a build, but that doesn’t mean they should be brought in last.
Every project we work on at WildKind Interiors follows the same clear framework: a seven-step interior design process that brings creative direction, commercial focus and clarity to your development.
To show how it works in practice, here’s how we applied it to a recent aparthotel conversion in the Lake District; a beautiful but very tired guesthouse soon to become a collection of luxury short-stay apartments, designed to stand out in a crowded market.
1. Interior Design Site Visit
Every project begins on location. We always make a site visit wherever the development is in the UK.
Why? Two reasons:
Understanding the space and location.
Standing in the space gives invaluable insight. Light, proportions, and the feel of the area all feed the design. I always leave a site visit more inspired and better equipped to create something unique.
In the case of the aparthotel, the building had incredible heritage but needed layout improvements and a clear interior identity. Seeing it in person allowed us to assess how light moved, how the space flowed, and how the interior could attract its target market.
Adding value early.
An architect’s job is specific, but interior layout optimisation isn’t part of it. An interior designer, however, can add huge value at this stage; improving flow, refining proportions and enhancing guest experience. Spotting potential issues early can prevent costly mistakes.
For example, on another project we discovered kitchen windows were lower than standard worktop height, something that could have caused chaos if found on site. These early insights save time, money and stress. This is an extreme example; however, we always find several areas that can be improved.
The site visit then informs the General Arrangement (GA) drawings, which you’ll see more on in Step 3
2. Client Avatar: Designing for Your End User
Before any mood boards or finishes are discussed, we need to know exactly who we’re designing for. Not you, not me – the person who will actually live in, buy, or stay in the space.
A client avatar (or end-user profile) is a clear picture of your ideal guest or buyer: their lifestyle, budget, expectations, and what will make them feel “this place is for me.” For example, business travellers need great lighting, a proper desk and easy tech; dog-loving hikers need wipeable floors, somewhere to dump muddy boots, and practical, robust finishes.
Creating this avatar is not a fluffy brand exercise; it directly shapes layout, specification and the commercial positioning of the development. When you know who you are designing for, you can make deliberate choices that support higher nightly rates, faster sales or better reviews, rather than guessing and hoping.
To build the avatar, we look at:
Past guest or buyer patterns and reviews
Local competition and gaps in the market
Demographics (age, income, household type) and lifestyle
Purpose of stay or purchase – weekend escape, work trip, downsizing, first-time buyers, etc.
Once this is clear, every step that follows – from concept to FF&E – has a specific person in mind, so the design feels intentional and commercially on point, not generic.
If you want to dig deeper into colour and behaviour specifically, Karen Haller’s work on colour psychology in interiors is a good external reference point for how colour influences emotion and decision-making in spaces.
Creative Concept
Back in the studio, we develop the creative concept - two or three design directions presented as mood boards.
For this aparthotel design, we drew inspiration from the surrounding countryside, the building’s character and the client’s brief: a luxury, modern look with classic influences.
The chosen concept becomes the design foundation. The consistent thread running through every apartment, corridor and the elegant entrance hallway.
4. Internal Space Planning
With the brand identity in place, the next step is refining the internal layouts through a GA (General Arrangement) drawing.
In interior design and architecture, a GA is a detailed floor plan showing the overall layout and spatial relationships within a building or room. It communicates the intended layout to clients, contractors and consultants before any technical detailing begins.
A GA typically shows:
Room layouts – walls, windows, doors and circulation routes
Furniture and fixtures – kitchens, bathrooms, beds, sofas, etc. (to scale)
Zoning and flow – how people move through the space
Key dimensions and clearances
Orientation and structure – stairs, columns and main features
We consider every aspect of how guests move through the space; where they’ll drop their bag, make their morning coffee or take in the view. Every angle is designed for practicality and perceived value.
The result is a layout that functions beautifully, feels effortless, and photographs well. Ideal for marketing and first impressions.
For developers, a GA plan is invaluable: it highlights inefficiencies and missed opportunities before build costs are fixed. It’s how we make sure every layout enhances user experience and adds commercial value before a single wall is built.
For context on how interior design work can align with wider project stages, the RIBA Plan of Work is a useful industry framework many architects and designers reference.
Example GA shown below.
5. Design Development Specification
This is where the detail comes to life. Material samples, lighting design, joinery and finishes are developed to suit the scheme’s tone.
At this stage, the chosen concept is expanded across every space. Each room, from living areas and bedrooms to bathrooms and communal zones, has its own design board, showing exactly how the overall look translates in practice. Each board lists everything needed for that space: finishes, lighting, décor, furniture and joinery.
This ensures the design connects across the development while still giving each area its own character. Those layered stone walls, brushed brass fittings and balanced lighting you see in the CGIs weren’t accidents; they were chosen for their visual and psychological impact.
This is where the creative vision becomes something the contractors can actually build – and the end user will want.
6. FF&E Schedule
This stage helps to ensure the design is fully buildable.
Alongside the GA and design development boards, the FF&E Schedule (Fixtures, Furniture & Equipment) gives the contractor everything they need to bring the vision to life. It lists every specified finishes item for each space, ensuring no details are missed and that everything ties back to the concept. This clarity keeps everyone aligned so what’s built on site matches what was designed in studio.
If you’re still tendering, this documentation is invaluable. Contractors can price accurately rather than estimate. On a recent project, one client saved £100,000 on build costs by having full design specifications in place early, allowing for accurate pricing and removing inflated contingencies.
For developers wanting to align with wider professional best practice in the property sector, organisations like Propertymark publish guidance for agents and property professionals that sits alongside the kind of design work we’re talking about here.
7. Design Intent Pack
The Design Intent Drawings are the technical backbone of the project.
They include tiling elevations, kitchen and bathroom layouts, décor schedules, lighting positions, joinery details and wall treatments such as panelling.
Together with the FF&E Schedule and Design Development boards, these form the full interior design package for the main contractor, providing everything needed to deliver the design exactly as intended.
The Result
Although Grey Walls, the aparthotel, hasn’t yet been built, the design intent is crystal clear.
By bringing an interior design team in from the outset, the developer can now price the project accurately, reduce mistakes within the interior remit and avoid constant contractor queries.
It also means the finished development will look cohesive and high-value, helping it stand out from competitors, attract the right guests or buyers, appeal to future JV partners and ultimately perform better in the market.
If you’re planning a commercial conversion or commercial-to-residential conversion, and want to see how interior design can maximise ROI, get in touch for a consultation and bespoke quote.
About the author: Louise Wynne lives in Yorkshire and has been working with house builders and property developers nationally since 2006. Combining interior design and styling with her colour psychology expertise, Louise gets to the heart of her clients' requirements.
