Top Tips for Interior Design Inspiration: A Guide for Property Developers

Property development is inherently competitive – we all know that!

Although the price and location of your property are two things that are really going to influence how successful a certain development is, don’t forget about the power of styling and interior design.

Good design can take your next property from ‘good’ to ‘great’ so you can boost your ROI and command a much higher price. If you’re a developer and you really want to create market-moving interiors that attract a broader spectrum of buyers, where should you turn for inspiration?

In this guide, we’re sharing our best tips for getting interior design inspiration so you can make sure your next property really stands out.

Premium Property Styling by Mar Design UK — `Styling @ Marstanningley

Know Your Audience: The Foundation of Inspiration

The most important starting point in successful interior design is an understanding of your target buyer. Research their demographics, lifestyle and goals. Are they a young professional, a family or empty nesters? Each of these target consumers is different and will be looking for very different things in their property hunt.

For example, your demographic might be young professionals who love to work at home. This demographic is more likely to respond well to sleek modern spaces, whereas a family may be looking for a more flexible space with plenty of storage.

Once you have a clear view of the kind of person you think will be living in your property, you can ensure that your design choices speak to their specific needs.

Networking: Unveiling Industry Trends

Attending industry events is not just a good chance to network with other designers, architects, and property developers, but can also be a good way to get your creative juices flowing.

Go to conferences, fairs and trade shows that will help you get a good understanding of what direction design is going in, and to see what other people are doing. You’ll quickly gather valuable inspiration, but more importantly, you might just find new partnerships to elevate your projects.

Digital Inspiration: A World at Your Fingertips

If you’re not using the internet to get design inspiration, you’re doing something wrong! There are so many great resources out there (a lot of them are also free) that you can use if you’re not sure where to start with interior design.

Below are some of our favourite places to look:

#1 Pinterest: We love Pinterest for curating inspiration boards – basically like virtual mood boards that you can organise by room, style, or property. If you search terms related to your target market (for example, ‘modern family living room’), you will be able to scroll through an endless stream of pictures that you can ‘pin’ for later reference.

#2 Websites that feature interior design articles are also great places to seek inspiration. Some good examples are curated collections of the latest trends, must-have products of the season, and before-and-after transformations, and among the most popular options are Architectural Digest, House Beautiful and House & Garden.

#3 Social Media: Follow design influencers, brands and publications on your favourite social network sites such as Instagram and Facebook. With these channels, you are set for a steady stream of design inspiration and be the first to know about the latest trends.

Magazines

Although it’s fun to look through websites and get all of the latest interior design news, don’t forget about how valuable physical magazines can be.

With a range of subscription-based magazines available, it’s worth investing in a few new publications every month so you can keep up to date.

Quality images, interesting features and expert insight at your fingertips can inspire some unique design ideas when you’re feeling a bit stuck with what to do with your next property.

Showrooms and Trade Shows

Take a trip to visit some of your local design showrooms, or go to trade shows around the country so you can get a real-life view of some of interior design’s hottest trends.

Touching, feeling, and actually looking at various textures, materials and finishes will help you to understand what works and what doesn’t. The good thing is that some random experience can unexpectedly trigger an idea for your future design – you never know when inspiration is going to strike.

Broaden Your Horizons Through Travel

Just because you’re developing your properties here in the UK doesn’t mean you can’t get your inspiration from a little further afield.

When you’re travelling, you get the chance to gain new experiences, explore new design styles and cultures, and meet new artisans who could provide the furniture or textiles for your next property.

Next time you’re abroad, try visiting some hotels where unusual design examples can be spotted. What about restaurants and cafés? At these places, notice how spatial planning, colour changes, and furniture choices jump out at you. Try to challenge your own design routines as much as possible; take the opportunity to look at design from a fresh perspective

It’s Not All About Trends

Keep your finger on the pulse of trends but don’t just rely on what’s ‘in style’ at the moment. Instead of designing all of your properties to be super trendy, prioritise long-term trends: elegant, classic spaces with good quality furniture, neutral palettes and high-end materials that will always appeal to buyers.

One of the biggest things about trends is that they come and go, so although it’s good to take some inspiration from what other people are doing, you don’t want to design a property that looks dated in a couple of years. Develop your own style and make design decisions based on what you think is best.

Elevating Property Values with Mar Design UK — Bedroom @ Marstanningley

Let’s Go On A Design Journey Together

The search for design inspiration is a never-ending journey for interior designers and property developers alike. We hope that the ideas we mentioned above will help you come up with some ideas if you’re having a bit of a dry spell, or provide some inspiration when you’re planning your next project.

Ultimately, don’t be afraid to experiment, collaborate, and keep up to date with the latest trends. If you need some more help designing your property, Mardesign could be the perfect partner to bring your properties to life.

If you’d like to know more about our services, get in touch today.

Check out what investors say.

“I wanted the high-end central London design look to transfer into my property in Derbyshire. Elegance, simplicity, longevity, and a great design, and that’s what I got. I’ll be using Mar Design for my future projects.”

—Ruth Hobbs. Urban Sisters Developments