That Refurb Life
SE4, London
(8)
SE4, London
(8)
Interiors. DIY. Styling. Home Organisation
Creating beautiful homes with realistic budgets.
Based in South East London.
Contact us for a free 15 minute phone consultation
8 customer reviews
Saira
Lauren is an amazing interior designer. This is the 2nd time, we worked with her. First, she helped us design our kitchen, diner open plan living space.
The space was so big, I didn't know what to do with it and Lauren really helped us with that. Second time she designed our small family room!
Both times, she surpassed our expectations and designed a cosy and practical space. She is attentive to details and is very approachable and available, if you have any questions about the designs. Thank you so much Lauren and all the best for future.
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Simerdip
Lauren was great to work with all the way through. She understood the brief and came up with great suggestions. She is meticulous in her work and delivered on our project in a timely fashion. I would not hesitate to recommend her! More...
Tarek
Residential Interior Designers
Working with Lauren over the past 6 months to design the interior of my property has been a pleasure. She really took the time to understand my needs with great patience and was able to help me when I couldn’t help myself. She is always willing to have a positive discussion in order to make the best recommendations & has great access to trade discounts at a variety of vendors and styles. Lauren has inspire the designing of my lounge, kitchen, dining room, study and garden in detail and give great recommendations for my hallways and other areas including colour schemes, furniture, rugs, artwork and other soft furnishings. Anytime I need help in the future, Lauren will be my first port of call. Thank you for everything! More...
Neil Long
Residential Interior Designers
I was really happy with my experience. Lauren was very professional, quick to respond and followed my brief really well. As somebody who hadn’t hired a designer previously, I wasn’t sure what to expect, but I was really happy with the way Lauren dealt and took care of everything. At the design stage, Lauren kept in touch via Whatsapp to check my opinion on suggestions etc before sending the final design. I loved the design, suggested items and the mood board and now that my home office conversion is now in process I couldn’t be happier with it and can’t thank Lauren enough! Having the design and a spreadsheet with links to all the items in it was exactly what I needed! Would highly recommend and would definitely have Lauren design my next project. More...
Reply from That Refurb Life
Hi Neil, thank you for your lovely review it’s really great to hear how happy you are. I would love to work together again on your next project. Take care, Lauren
Saira Jawaid
Residential Interior Designers
Very professional but friendly and approachable at the same time.
We asked for help with our open plan kitchen diner living area, that we were unsure how to design and the layout.
Lauren was absolutely brilliant in helping us achieve what we wanted. We loved the final look.
What I particular liked about Lauren, is that she is very approachable, answered all my questions and didn’t mind me asking for help through out the process. She really listens to clients choices too.
I would highly recommend her services!! Thank you ‘that refurb life’
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Reply from That Refurb Life
Thanks so much Saira, I enjoyed working with you too and I am glad you were happy. Be sure to reach out again if I can help. Many thanks, Lauren
julie herbain
Residential Interior Designers
I cannot recommend Lauren enough. From the very start to the end, she held my hand throughout the entire process with her design expertise and I couldn't have been happier with the result.
I had a pretty clear idea of what I wanted for my flat and hiring an Interior Designer like Lauren just gave me great confidence in executing it all.
The communication was exceptional, good news or bad news alike, it was honest and completely transparent and that is something crucial to any kind of projects.
Lauren was very friendly yet super professional too. She was also very proactive, and went above and beyond when it came to upcycling some of my furniture. She also did a lot of project managing for me, which was a real pressure-relief with my hectic schedule.
My space just feels like a different place, and I'm really happy with Lauren's services.
I will definitely contact her again for any future projects and so should you!
Lauren, thank you again.
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Reply from That Refurb Life
Hi Julie, Thank you for your lovely review. It was great to meet you and work together on redesigning your flat and I am so glad you were happy. Take care! Many thanks, Lauren
Elizabeth Mann
I am so impressed with what Lauren has helped me do in my kitchen. My kitchen before looked dull and had no character so my brief was to give it a bit of personality, inject some fun and colour into the space whilst still making it feel classy.
I didn't have a lot of money to achieve the look I wanted so it was very much a kitchen makeover on a budget and she hasn't disappointed!
Lauren mocked up various designs to show me what my options were and then she sourced all of the materials for me in the look that I wanted all within my tight budget.
I am so chuffed with the look she was able to achieve and I love cooking now as I get to admire my lovely kitchen whilst doing it!
Thanks again Lauren, I will be sure to call on you again when I tackle my next project, the living room!
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Reply from That Refurb Life
Hi Elizabeth, Thank you for your great review. It was lovely working with you and I am so glad you were happy with the options I presented to you and you made them a reality - the finished result looks great. I look forward to working together again on your next project. Many thanks, Lauren
Nigel Gibbs
Lauren was excellent to work with. She helped me with the overall planning and produced insightful mood boards and computer generated images to help me see what the room could look like once her vision was brought to life.
She also helped choosing suitable paints, soft furnishings and sourcing local tradespeople. She was clear in what she needed from me and was incredibly responsive and very professional all of the way through. Lauren was fantastic as she told me what she was going to do very clearly, and did what she said she would, when she said she would, which really helped take the stress out of the project.
I must admit I was hesitant about whether or not to get an interior designer in before meeting Lauren, but it turned out to be the best decision I could have made. Not only did it make the whole experience less hassle, but I also ended up with a much better space as a result.
Lauren was meticulous at making sure I was happy every step of the way, and whilst being incredibly professional, was also very friendly and approachable when I had any queries or wanted to make changes.
I would highly recommend her to anyone looking to transform any space in their home.
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Reply from That Refurb Life
Thanks Nigel for your great review, it was a pleasure working with you. Please feel free to contact me again if you would like any help with future projects. Many thanks, Lauren
What’s your interior design process?
1. Initial design consultation - I provide an initial 15-minute phone consultation free of charge to discuss the requirements of your job.
2. Fee proposal preparation - This will be sent to you within 24 hours of the initial consultation.
3. Onboarding questionnaire and kick-off meeting - This can be done either in person if local or via zoom. Here I will need measurements and I will ask you to show me the space (via pictures if remote) in its current form. We will also go more in-depth with your requirements (i.e. specific styles you like, highlighting any pieces of furniture, artworks etc you would like to keep). By talking with you I will establish your individual requirements for the space, the function of the room/s, layout options, aesthetics, your must haves and your wish list.
4. Space planning and concept development - The next step would be for me to take this information away and design the space for you. This would include preparing mood boards and conceptual ideas e.g. plans, sketches, 3D drawings, samples of finishes and suggesting furniture and décor with pricing and sources.
5. Follow up meeting - to discuss the proposed design/designs and for you to ask any questions you have.
6. Project completion - I will provide you with a handover folder with all of the above information for your records.
For Larger jobs in South London I offer an additional service (for an additional cost):
7. Purchasing and styling on site - This includes purchasing and managing deliveries of furniture and décor if required and on-site furnishing, decorating and styling.
8. Project completion - Once all of the work has been completed I will provide you with a handover folder with all of the above information for your records.
Which interior design styles can you cater for?
My personal style is mostly contemporary with industrial and scandi influences. I love working with wood, brick and metal and I love textures and pops of colour and pattern. Even though this is my own personal style I can cater to an array of different design styles, from traditional to art deco to minimalistic.
Please take a look at some of the pictures and mood boards on my Bark.com profile and Instagram pages for recent interior design works, along with before and after pictures, so you can get a sense of my style and if it is consistent with what you are looking for.
What do you love most about your job?
I love helping people create beautiful spaces with reasonable budgets and without maxing out their credit cards. I love showing them that beautiful homes can be affordable. I love my job because I love designing spaces and it doesn't actually feel like a job to me!
What inspired you to start your own business?
After many years of working in a corporate environment and having completed my own full house renovation and extension and helping family and friends with their own interior design projects I decided to follow my passion to make my side hobby my full time career.
I believe beautiful interiors should be affordable to everyone and I want to help you achieve that. You don't need to spend a fortune to make your home look great. A lovely home should be a right not a privilege and should not only be limited to those with indispensable amounts of money. I have always loved DIY, upcycling and finding and making affordable home décor and want to show you that you can find everything you need from high street stores at reasonable prices.
Why should our clients choose you?
Sometimes clients want someone to organise their space better, an outsider to help focus their ideas, have someone else do all the hard work in getting their house in order that will save them time and work.
You might need a trained designer to point you in the direction of lovely homewares, furniture and décor that are also practical for your needs, without spending a fortune. Often clients don’t even really know what they want, they know something’s wrong with the way they’re living, but they aren’t sure exactly what.
I can help you understand comfort, what’s working and isn’t working, explain the flow between rooms, and devise creative ideas that enhance your quality of life. I can help you to come up with creative ideas to upcycle, repurpose or reuse things you already have in your home. I love that by doing this you can not only save money but also avoid wastage on pieces that can be given a new lease of life.
I can help you if you are unsure where to start, would like a second opinion, don’t have indispensable amounts of money or just simply don't have the time to make your home beautiful. I am thorough, I will treat your space as if it were my own and I will make sure no stone is unturned in your quest to create a beautiful home that you are proud of.
Can you provide your services online or remotely? If so, please add details.
I can provide online/remote services, with consultations done via phone or video calls.
What changes have you made to keep your customers safe from Covid-19?
The majority of my work is done remotely meaning physical contraction of Covid-19 is reduced. For those customers local to me, within a 5 mile radius, I can provide in person meetings at your home. If attending in person I will adhere to social distancing guidelines and wear a face mask at all times for your safety.
Residential Interior Design
3D Visualisations / Rendering
2D Floorplans
Mood boards
Furniture upcycling
Available for properties in London and Kent area
Purchasing of furniture and decor
Space planning
Property Styling
Available for properties in London and Kent area
