Suzanne Fox, Beaminster

We are absolutely over the moon with Partners in Design. Having bought our cute little cottage on something of a whim, we soon realised it was completely unsuitable for day-to-day living. We were confronted with a lack of space, a peculiar layout and some questionable home improvements from the 1970s. We were completely out of our depth. If we were going to turn it into the perfect little bolthole in Dorset, we needed inspiration and we needed help. Enter Barbara and the team. From the first time Barbara entered the tiny cottage, she immediately saw the potential. Right from the start she gave us a vision, creative ideas and helped us see the potential too. She took on the whole project - from start to finish; managing the planning, the building work and the interior design. Working with her and Jess to put together the right look for the interior was an absolute pleasure. A wonderful morning was spent in their studio discussing and choosing all the colours, fabrics, wallpapers and soft-furnishings. As the project progressed and ideas evolved or needed to be adapted, Barbara was constantly looking for solutions and giving us even better alternative ideas to consider. Fast forward to the completed cottage. We absolutely love it. Everyone who has walked in has said how beautiful it is, and the comment ‘you really have thought of everything’ has been repeated a number of times. Barbara, thank you for thinking of everything and for creating such a wonderful little cottage for us.

Steve and Carol, Horn Ash

We thought we would write to you, now that phase 1 of our house renovation project is complete, to express our gratitude for all that you and the team have done for us over recent months. Firstly, we were keen for you to know just how much we have appreciated your very careful and hands-on project management. It has been reassuring to have such a reliable and professional approach overseeing an excellent team of trades and craftsmen that you have brought together. The result has been the very efficient delivery of a complex project and true to your word we finished exactly on time for Christmas! Even more gratifying has been the way in which you, Jess and the team completely understood our initial thoughts and ideas about the project and converted them, through your design process, into reality. The focus on design quality has been excellent and exciting - all along you have kept our aspirations high with brilliant advice about colours, materials, furnishings and finishes. Your ideas and energy have pushed us in design terms and we are particularly grateful to have benefited from that. Thanks in no small measure to you and the team, we now have a home that is a joy to live in.

Tom and Juliet Phillipson

Overall we were delighted with the result achieved by Partners in Design. We particularly liked the computer simulations used to demonstrate colour schemes, potential furniture and picture placement and cabinetry designs. Our bespoke cabinetry and colour schemes (including curtains) have transformed our new-build house into a well-planned and eye-catching space with plenty of storage and mood-enhancing lighting effects. Attention to detail was very strong. We did spend considerably more than we had planned but only because we had not expected such a comprehensive and attractive range of choices which we could not resist.

Silvana & Chris, The Ollerod, Beaminster

Never having refurbished / designed a property before I didn't consider design and project management teams a necessity. I changed my mind very quickly when we attempted to do it ourselves after buying a beautiful restaurant with rooms that was in need of a lot of love. We were lucky enough to have Barbara and Jess on our doorstep, and went to see if they could help. They were extremely sympathetic to what we wanted, and after spending some time with us really just 'got it'. They put forward the most incredible ideas for wall papers, colours, light fittings, furniture, and a brand new bar, all along the lines of what we wanted and most importantly within our budget. Barbara was particularly amazing at coming up with solutions, and improvising, for the areas we hadn't considered when doing our budget for the refurb. Sourcing everything would have taken us weeks, or never at all, which is one of many reasons for using PID - they understand their clients, what they want and then find the perfect options for them. They always give you choice, and add some interesting things in that you just wouldn't have thought of, but that work beautifully.

Daren and Gail Kemp, Marnhull

The odds were stacked against Partners in Design from the outset. A house that needed renovating after 40 years of being ravaged by DIY and neglect; Clients that had little clue about what they wanted and even then were prone to changing their minds more often than not and a budget that was both tight and discerning. We were attracted by the idea of working with a company which could do it all: the design work , the build and project management through to completion. Today Barbara and her team have turned our house into a wonderful country home. Barbara was our main contact throughout and took care of every detail down to the placement of the cushions! The house has been transformed inside and out and we could not be more happy with the results. I would highly recommend Partners in Design to anyone looking for a creative and professional interior design and project management company.

Anthony and Ghislaine Garvey, Cerne Abbas

Since we are well into the 3rd age as we planned our new house we realised we needed help. This we found in Partners in Design. Barbara and Jess gave us the experience and creativity we needed. Blended with our own taste, we have arrived at design solutions that fit comfortably with our life style. Some cutting edge. Some retro. A lovely mixture. All arrived at as we bounced off each other. Fun, lively, challenging and enjoyable. We would do it again.

Bruno and Susanne Klohe, Darmstadt, Germany

We bought a multi storey Georgian terraced house in Bath with the idea of having it renovated and equipped to serve as a holiday home. Living overseas we struggled once it came to decoration, furniture, lighting, etc. A good friend recommended "Partners in Design" and we proceeded with the refurbishment. Partners in Design took on board our philosophy and ideas and the relationship was one based on trust and empathy. At times we changed our plans and extended the scope of the project but Partners in Design handled everything with calm organisation. It is a complex undertaking to deal with taste, style and ideas when you are at such a distance and often have to rely on telephone, post and email. But Barbara and her colleague Sarah were full of great ideas and communicated excellently with samples sent to our home and conference calls in order to completely fulfil our needs and wishes. The builders and tradesmen they used were of excellent quality Our project is now finished and our home is a gem. They have exceeded all our expectations. In the future any projects we may have, will only be undertaken with the help and advice of Partners in Design

Allan and Vanessa Ahlberg, Bath

It's a few weeks on, possibly a month even, our new rooms are settling down, and we are really enjoying them and the difference they make to the way the house works. As you know, we had been looking for somewhere else to live. We are very glad that with your help we decided to make improvements instead. The design you came up with for the bathroom and the new kitchen and study have transformed the house. We are altogether pleased with the way you suggested we use the space in each of the rooms, with the materials you recommended and with the colour schemes you gave us. When we look around now, we see the benefit of your design skills: the superb finish in the bathroom, for example and the lovely cabinets and bookshelves. Thank you for all this and as well, for your management of the work in progress. Steve's men and Lee's were with us for quite a time and we appreciated their courtesy and reliability along with their skill and desire to get things right.

Peter Harper, Bath

I gained two fundamental benefits from employing Partners in Design. One is the design itself. Partners in Design were able to take a few basic and rather uncertain ideas of mine and show how they could be realised to best effect. With the result that I had both what I wanted and something much better than I could have anticipated. The second is the project management. Important factors in my delaying refurbishment previously were not knowing where to start, the order in which tasks should be accomplished or whom to employ to undertake the work. Partners in Design provided the answers, identifying the project's principal parts, establishing timelines, recommending reliable and skilled tradespeople and ensuring that a complicated interplay of tasks and persons went smoothly and on schedule

Mr and Mrs D Mansfield, Bath

Some of the best aspects of our experience in having our apartment completely refurbished by Barbara and her team were: We were offered a complete holistic review , that gave us choices but not so many as to baffle. As this was not our main residence, we had total confidence and comfort leaving our keys knowing that the work was carried out in our absence, in a professional coordinated manner. The colours, furnishings and lighting transformed an apartment into a home, which you could walk straight into, being one of the tidiest and cleanest in our experience. Our only misgiving is that we did not have the bathrooms done at the same time, however after establishing the excellent work carried out so far, we will be leaning on Barbara and Chris to help us out in the new year

Sam and Nigel Eatough, Bath

We had thought about using an interior designer in the past and eventually we bit the bullet and selected Partners in Design. I would thoroughly recommend using their service, Barbara is great fun to work with, has great vision and she has exceeded all our expectations at a fraction of the cost if we had tried to do it ourselves; We can't praise Partners in Design highly enough. Our apartment simply looks amazing. We had planned to make changes for years but never seemed to get around to making the required decisions. We needed guidance, and where others offered advice for bits and pieces, Barbara simply took responsibility for everything, organising all the trades as well as offering great practical advice on the design and colour schemes. It was this one stop shop approach that made this a fun experience and I would highly recommend her services to anyone thinking of updating their home

Sarah and Mark Hepworth, Bath

Engaging Partners in Design to help with our home renovation and redecoration proved to be an excellent decision. We felt instantly that you understood what we were looking for and would do a good job within a budget we could afford. We were proved right. Your approachable nature, passion for your job, quality of your tradespeople and advice on colour and interiors were second to none. We love our home now, thanks to you. And best of all you were fun to work with

Val and Michael Earp, Salcombe Devon

Having spent time on a fruitless search for wall paper for our guest rooms, we discovered Partners in Design. We were delighted when Barbara responded to our brief for rooms that feel 'part of the countryside', another that is 'fun'. She seemed to understand our needs quite precisely; we reacted with instant enthusiasm to all her first choice suggestions for colour texture and design. We now have refurbished rooms that are stylish and distinctive and absolutely what we wanted. Not only does she find the less ordinary - papers, fabrics, lighting, all ideas for an overall 'look' - the trades and suppliers were coordinated and worked to excellent standards. We are thoroughly pleased with PiD on all counts. We will undoubtedly use them again and do not hesitate to recommend Barbara to others.

C. Scriven, Charmouth

Initially I wondered if a project designer was a little grand for my modest house; How wrong I was. Barbara and Jess transformed my dull and boring 1990s terrace into a bright airy modern home. Barbara kept me on track and steered me back when I wondered off to the “country cottage” look instead of modern seaside “villa”. She suggested colours and fabrics but not too much to confuse me and I eventually had a scheme that I would not have dreamed of using but is quite perfect. She managed her team of tradespeople with skill and kept me informed every step of the way. The whole project took about 10 weeks (on time) and unbelievably it was great fun, We laughed a lot and I shall miss them both.

Jacqui and Andy Parsons, Hinton Charterhouse

As an overseas client looking to renovate our period property in Bath from a distance, PiD were invaluable in helping us achieve the home we have always dreamt of. Barbara acted as our eyes and ears on the ground, bringing a ready made team of skilled and reliable tradespeople to the table saving us the headache of trying to source them ourselves. The work carried out included replacing the roof, installing new wiring, upgrading the plumbing, designing and fitting a new master bathroom and kitchen, and converting the cellars into liveable space, along with complete redecoration - everything from paint colours to carpets and curtains. PiD also carried out a refurbishment of our two bedroom cottage, adjacent to the house - which again included a new bathroom and kitchen and complete redecoration. We are absolutely delighted with the end results, which is due in no small part to Barbara's ability to meet and indeed exceed the expectations of a sometimes highly demanding client!

Testimonials

What our clients say