FAQs

What is interior design?

Interior design is a complex and constantly changing discipline that is the art and science of planning and creating internal spaces. It’s an environmental design profession that influences the way people live, work, rest and play. It also influences things such as how children are educated and patients heal. Interior design involves the design and coordination of internal spaces such as a house, hotel, office, school, shop, restaurant, hospital, church, boat, plane or transport hub. Interior design includes the selection of materials and finishes along with furniture, fittings and equipment such as sofas, chairs, tables, beds, headboards, table lamps, window dressings, wall art, accessories, etc. for these spaces.

What does an interior designer do?

Working with space, scale, proportion, lighting, colour, textures, materials and furnishings, interior designers visualise and create environments that are functional, aesthetically pleasing and safe to occupy. Interior designers develop designs for internal spaces that meet the aesthetic, regulatory and commercial requirements of their clients. An interior designer also works closely with their client and the wider design team of architects, engineers, project managers and consultants to deliver projects. They require a blend of aesthetic, technical, numerical and management skills to deliver successful projects.

Do I need an interior designer?

Hiring an interior designer brings numerous benefits to your project. By paying an interior designer to advise you and deliver your project, you will save both time and money while gaining the invaluable experience, supply chain and project management skills that a professional interior designer will bring. An interior designer will help you quickly identify your brief and requirements, as well as your preferred design style. They will then bring their trained and experienced eye to your scheme, and zone into your requirements. Leveraging all their industry knowledge and expertise they will ensure that your project is completed without abortive costs, on time and on budget, leaving you to get on with your day job

How long does the interior design process take?

The length of time the interior design process takes depends on the size of the project. For an average residential project, the design process can take as little as 6-8 weeks and the installation is determined by the construction programme, as well as the lead time of the products chosen, often between 6-12 months on a new build. On a new build hotel project, the programme is more complex and takes longer. On a smaller mid-scale property, the design process can be as little as 3-6 months. Installation in that case is dependent on the construction programme which is often 40-50 weeks at least and frequently a lot longer. For up-scale and larger properties, this can increase by 50%. See our 9 key work stages of the interior design process for more information.

What does FF&E stand for?

FF&E is an acronym for furniture, fixtures, finishes and equipment and refers to the products that Interior Designers specify to furnish and finish a project. FF&E products are typically all the loose items that are not fixed directly to the building, including products such as sofas, chairs, tables, beds, headboards, table lamps, curtains, accessories, etc. There are various explanations online for what FF and E stands for we simply see it as everything we specify.

What does OS&E stand for?

OS&E is another acronym and this one stands for operating supplies and equipment. OS&E in hotels includes all the loose operating items that enhance the guest’s stay or are used by the hotel team and include items such as bedding, towels and linen, glassware, crockery and cutlery, hairdryers and ironing boards, small kitchen appliances and cleaning supplies, amongst other items.

What is FF&E Procurement?

FF&E Procurement is the sourcing, budgeting, purchasing, delivery and installation of furniture, fixtures and equipment in hotel, luxury residential and workplace projects. It is a specialist discipline that requires significant furnishing industry experience, solid financial acumen, strong negotiation skills, complete with a global supply chain and logistics capability.

What is OS&E Procurement?

OS&E Procurement is the sourcing, budgeting, purchasing and delivery of consumable goods that require regular reordering in hotels, luxury residential and workplace interiors. OS&E includes not only items such as tableware, glassware and silverware, it also includes products such as housekeeping equipment & supplies, guest room amenities, uniforms and office supplies, amongst other items.

What is FF&E in interior design?

FF&E is a specialist discipline within interior design where the focus is on the sourcing, specification and design of all the movable products or items in a project such as sofas, chairs, tables, beds, headboards, table lamps, curtains, accessories, etc. There is a common misconception that FF&E design is simply the pretty side of interior design, which is not true as this specialism also involves detailed scheduling, costing and budgeting.

What is the difference between purchasing and procurement? 

People often mistake purchasing for procurement and vice versa or use the terms interchangeably. These are, however, quite distinct operations. Purchasing, in a nutshell, is the final stage of simply ordering goods. Procurement, on the other hand, is made up of many steps before and after purchasing, including research, sourcing, negotiating, supply chain management, transport & logistics, budgeting, project management and installation.

If you think of purchasing as a one-step process – similar to clicking ‘Buy Now’ online, then procurement is the precursor to purchasing and the mechanism that gets the products to site.

What is the difference between purchasing and sourcing?

Sourcing is integral to securing the perfect FF&E procurement. It is, therefore, key to understand what goes into this phase of the design process in a bit more detail.

If FF&E is a mountain – then purchasing is merely the summit: you’ve been through the trek up, but there is also the trek back to tackle before the project is complete. Think of sourcing as the trek up.

Here are the five steps we go through when we’re sourcing products:

1. Research: Everything starts with product and supplier research, usually driven from the interior designer's specifications. Getting the right product aesthetically is key, however, we consider many other factors including how sustainable are the products? Do they meet industry standards? Are the materials durable? Are they safe? Are they functional? Do they meet the budget requirements? What are the lead times?

2. Product Development: Often designers create bespoke products and designs for a project that have never been manufactured before. So the OCCA Buying Team will undertake a rigorous product development process with suppliers and manufacturers, developing prototypes to bring these products to life.

3. Testing: Before finalising product selection, we will often co-ordinate third-party product testing for things such as sustainability, durability, flame retardancy etc to ensure that every product we procure meets the relevant standards and regulations.

4. Budgeting: alongside the specification & prototyping stages, each product is processed through the budget framework for the project and put out to tender to obtain best pricing and value for our clients.

5. Scheduling: The sourcing process must also factor in the programme and how long it takes to manufacture or produce items. This is known as lead time, and part of our job is to accurately plan around lead times in order to procure the right products and schedule a seamless timetable of installation later on.