Self-analysis is a great place to start when considering how to achieve the perfect interior scheme to suit you and your needs. It is not time for criticism just simple observation of your routines and what makes you feel good. How you conduct your life and what you expect from it. Do you entertain a lot and want to impress or are you after a cosy retreat away from life's stresses and strains. Understanding your personality type is a good first step to a successful design.

Spend some time considering your surroundings and the furnishings you have collected. List favourite pieces that you wish to use in your scheme and look for a common link between them. It could be colour or period, perhaps a favourite artist or designer. This will help focus your own ideas and suggest how your preferred interior elements might work together. In this situation, a designer can help you take what you have and re group it, identifying new ways of presenting your furnishings and introducing new elements and colours with confidence.

Part of the observation process is to acknowledge your preference for particular styles. Do you opt for clean simple lines or clusters of detail. Eclectic or a minimal look. Perhaps you take inspiration from the past and have a collection of antiques. Whatever your style preference, it is an extension of your personality and can be as individual as you wish to make it.

Choosing a style is not an exact science, often style elements and period details overlap and blend very successfully. You may wish to let your possessions and your own creative intuition establish its character. This is often a more practical option, if there is not the budget to buy a complete look.

Does your style constantly evolve and change, with small updates and additions all the time. Do you enjoy reinventing your room and introducing new purchases? Or perhaps you have a fixed idea of how your room should look and once that is achieved it remains so until it requires renewing or freshening up.

If you are the former, once you have the main elements of your scheme the rest will naturally follow and evolve from the magazines you read and shopping trips you take. If you are the latter, a fuller more detailed scheme is needed to cover all the elements and purchases required. A designer can help you produce and implement both types of scheme, giving you as much detail and assistance as you require.

Do you enjoy your home being a strong topic for conversation and consider it a canvas on which to experiment and display ideas. Alternatively, perhaps you prefer your surroundings to quietly and comfortably surround you without intrusion.

Whether you prefer to follow a continuous theme throughout the house or have different decoration in every room, with good planning and advice a combination of both vibrant and dramatic areas can blend happily with more subtle and peaceful settings.