New Home for Belhams Interiors

From change comes opportunity. Shifting from its original location on Beach Street in Fitzroy to Liardet St to our new home in town has brought more space for Belhams Interiors to display their skill and creativity in their new location. With increased foot traffic, and a fresh shopping and design experience, their doors are open longer and more often.

The new Belhams Interiors showroom provides more space to show people who we are and what we can do, says owner Belinda Brown.

“We have deliberately designed the showroom to continue the zones we had in Beach street – living, dining, bedroom and a design area. Styled in neutrals and pattern with a little pizzazz, it is a calming environment in the middle of the city which is the kind of shopping experience we all need.

“We want to portray our design philosophy to our customers which is, a timeless classic base overlaid with your personality.”

A spacious design area offers plenty of resources for clients to create their own style. Benchtops, handles, the full suite of Resene and Dulux paint swatches and upholstery and curtain fabrics.

“People can come in here and pick everything they need for their new home or renovation.”

You may think the best time to talk to an interior designer is after a build or
renovation process has been completed and offer a blank canvas.

But actually, the best time is at the planning stage – at the very start of the house design process. “Most builders and architects look at a building from the outside in. We look at it from the inside out, because that’s where you live.”

Belinda and her team will look at a lighting plan, for example, to check the location of power points in bedrooms. “Are they far enough apart so you can upsize your bed in a few years, without covering the plugs with a headboard? Is there more than one orientation you could have your bed? If so, avoid hanging pendant lights on either side of your bed, choose standing lamps, so you can move the position of your bed if you want.

“Where is the Christmas tree going to go? Is there a plug for the lights nearby? A plan review by Belinda and her team will also consider whether you have enough wall space to accommodate a buffet, television or art, along with specific furniture items.

Window treatments are another aspect that needs some thought.

“Do you want your curtains just above your windows or from the ceiling to the ground? Make sure the builders put a lintel in both places, so you have the option. If you’re going to have remote control blinds you need to get the wiring in before the gib goes up. “You can have a trough where you can recess your blinds and curtain headers, but that too has to be addressed at the build stage in order for the builder to accommodate them in the ceiling structure.” Pendant lights are about 25 kilos so wherever you’re planning to hang them needs to be able to support the weight. What about heating – and cooling. Have you thought about fans?

“We run our eye over people’s plans and make sure they’ve thought about these sorts of things.” Making any variations later can be extremely costly, or sometimes impossible without compromising your overall design. It’s better to consider those decisions at the very start.

Furnishings should be thought about soon after you have made all of your building decisions. Furniture pieces need to be the right size for the room and there can be at least a three-month lead time needed when ordering.

“Beware that when you take your old furniture into a new build, you may feel a bit let down,” Belinda warns. “We offer re-upholstery services so if you have an amazing sofa and you want to take it with you but you’re sick of the
fabric or maybe it’s faded, we’ll get that reupholstered before you move in. Our upholsterer will tighten up the strapping and add any new fill that’s needed, so it arrives like a new piece of furniture.”

As an accountant, Belinda is always cognizant of cost and value for her clients.

“We advise which design features are expensive, and which are more costeffective options – we help you ‘slice and dice’ your budget to get what you want.”

People often don’t know what style they like as they have never had the opportunity to consider it.

“Many of us live in other people’s décor choices and adapt our lifestyle around what we have – the décor of the home’s previous owners and the floor plan of the home when it was built. The myriad of choices can be quite daunting, particularly if it’s somebody’s first time building,” Belinda observes.

“Before I create a design document for my clients, I really listen to them and spend a lot of time with them understanding who they are, what they like and dislike, and what their end style goal is. Capturing that into a design document provides a reference and it’s something clients can refer to again and again during their build. It helps my clients avoid decision fatigue. We can be like magpies when we’re making decisions – lusting after the latest new thing we see in a magazine or on Pinterest. That can lead you astray when what you really want is a cohesive interior plan for your home that reflects you, not trends.”

“We can work with people on a lump sum fee or an hourly basis – it really just depends on what level of assistance our client needs from us.

“We design kitchens and bathrooms and offer a 3D imagery service for any room in your home.”

“When you’re building or renovating, we’re on your design team with your builder and your architect, to ensure the final result is your dream home inside and out.”

Come and visit the store!

Tue – Fri 9am – 4pm; Sat 10am – 3pm
p. 210 229 5582 e. contact@belhams.co.nz
30 Liardet Street, New Plymouth Central
belhams.co.nz

Give us a call to chat about your next plans, or book an appointment and come and see us!