In these blogs and throughout this website, you’ll have seen the word ‘bespoke’ plenty of time: ‘bespoke garden office’, ‘bespoke summer house’, ‘bespoke design’… Everyone understands what the word ‘bespoke’ means, and I am pretty sure everyone would love to have a bespoke ‘something’. But everyone also knows that bespoke design means more money. Or is this a misconception?

Once again, here at A Room in the Garden we’ve found an expert to answer our question and give you some pointers about creating a bespoke room for your garden.

Hi Aaron. First of all, thank you very much for joining me for a coffee and a chat. How about you tell me a bit about yourself and how you got into architecture and interior design.

Thank you for inviting me. To make a long story short, my family has worked in the construction industry for many years. They used to buy unloved houses and give them some much needed TLC, creating a home where we could all come together as a family. I was always passionate about design, so when it came time to choose a university course, Architecture was the natural choice for me.

Following my graduation, I worked for various individuals and practices including Brighton University, gaining experience in all different aspects of the industry, from home extensions to the refurbishment of listed buildings. And then I finally decided to open my own architectural and interior design practice, Pavilion Architecture.

Architect and interior designer Aaroon Humber and my self at Franklin’s Cafe & Antiques A perfect blend of coffee and inspiration!

What aspect of your job do you love the most?

Without a doubt it’s the creative part of my job that I love. It is always so satisfying when you work with a client to create their dream home that is unique, individual and designed just for them rather than a creating a carbon copy of the latest front cover of Vogue.

When people hear the word bespoke, the first thing they think is, “expensive!” Is that the case?

No. Having something bespoke does not have to mean expensive at all. If you have a budget, you just have to make sure you use your money wisely.

Any advice about how to do that?

In each room you need to choose your focal point and accent with key pieces. For example, the fireplace is often the focal point of a living room, and this can be enhanced with the right accent pieces. They don’t have to be brand new designer accessories or furniture; they can be old items collected from charities shops. Just remember to keep it simple, less is more and shop local.

How do you create something bespoke? Design does not come naturally to everyone, and some people may find it hard to express what they like. Any tips on how to go about it?

The first design consultation is for me to get to know my clients and find out their design preferences, aspirations, requirements, budget and time-frame. I always ask my clients to collect images and objects that express their personality and taste. So, choose a starting point for your design scheme and work outwards. Remember a space is never finished. The best spaces grow organically as you add to it over time rather than being finished in one go.

What do you think is the advantage of having a bespoke design?

To have something that is individual to you can be very comfortable, fulfilling and enjoyable. It can be scary to break the rules to have something different. But I believe a home should be the place where we can really be ourselves rather than “Keeping Up with the Joneses”.

I agree with you! I think that there is a great satisfaction in having something completely bespoke! At the moment, we are working on a project for a lady who loves rabbits. Her reaction when she saw that we incorporated a bespoke screen with a rabbit silhouette was priceless.

Last question. As you know, we specialise in bespoke garden office and summer house, or even better, bespoke garden rooms in general. What is your opinion on building a garden room? Is it worth to have a bespoke design?

A garden room is a fabulous way to extend your home. I would recommend to any homeowner considering a garden room to carefully consider their requirements and opt for a solution that not only meets their needs but also fits into and enhances the garden. This will not only add to your enjoyment of the space but will also increase the economic value of your home.

Thank you, Aaron!

Hopefully his great insight will help to unlock the mystery of bespoke design for you a little bit more.

And, as always, if you have any questions about design that you would like to talk to us about, please do pick up the phone, email us or simply add your comment below.

To learn more about bespoke garden rooms, check out our article on how we design bespoke garden rooms.