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FORJ

Residential interior design Melbourne

FORJ works on renovations, apartments, kitchens, bathrooms, joinery and furniture across Melbourne. We can take on several connected rooms or the full interior, depending on the project.

Discuss a residential projectFurniture and FF&E

What FORJ designs

  1. RenovationsSeveral rooms or the whole home, planned together.
  2. ApartmentsLayouts, joinery and furniture that make the most of a fixed footprint.
  3. KitchensLayout, appliances, storage and joinery for the way you cook and use the room.
  4. BathroomsLayout, fixtures, tiling and storage, planned with the rest of the home.
  5. Joinery and storageBuilt-in storage, wardrobes and feature joinery, detailed for your builder or joiner.
  6. Finishes and fixturesMaterials, hardware and fixtures selected once the plan is settled.
  7. Furniture and FF&EFurniture layouts, selection and specification, room by room or whole-home.
  8. Full interior packagesThe complete interior designed and documented together, from layout to furniture.

Who it suits

We are best suited to substantial renovations, apartments and multi-room furnishing projects. For very small styling or selection-only jobs, a full Interior Design scope is usually more than you need.

If you already have a builder, FORJ can work with them. If you need one, we can introduce builders from our network based on the project, location and budget.

Plan before you select

Before we start choosing finishes, we want the main layout working properly. The kitchen position affects services, joinery affects storage, and the furniture plan influences lighting and power, so those relationships are worth working out while they are still easy to change.

Once the layout is settled, the material, fixture and furniture decisions have something concrete to respond to, and fewer of them get reopened once the builder has started.

How a residential project is staged

You can engage one stage, several or the full sequence.

  1. Stage 01

    Brief and spatial planning

    Understand how you live in the home, review what is there, and plan the rooms, kitchen, bathrooms, storage and furniture before anything is selected.

    What you receive

    • Initial layouts
    • Planning options
    • Key recommendations
    • Early furniture layouts
    • Scope direction

  2. Stage 02

    Concept design

    Set the interior direction: materials, colour, kitchen, bathroom and joinery concepts, furniture and lighting.

    What you receive

    • Concept plans
    • Direction boards
    • Material palette
    • Preliminary finishes
    • Concept joinery
    • Renders if included

  3. Stage 03

    Design development

    Detail the kitchen, bathrooms and joinery, and select the materials, fixtures, hardware and furniture that go with them.

    What you receive

    • Detailed plans and elevations
    • Joinery
    • Furniture plans
    • FF&E schedule
    • Materials and finishes schedule

  4. Stage 04

    Documentation

    Document the interior so your builder and trades can price and build it.

    What you receive

    • Interior plans
    • Kitchen and bathroom documentation
    • Joinery details
    • Finish plans and schedules
    • Interior details

    Not included Structural design, engineering, building surveying or registered architecture.

  5. Stage 05

    Delivery supportOptional

    Builder queries, design clarification, site meetings, and material, joinery and furniture review.

    Not included Project management, procurement and administration, which are scoped separately where needed.

Working with builders

Where a renovation needs structural design, engineering, building surveying or registered architecture, those services come from appropriately qualified practitioners. FORJ coordinates with them from a design perspective.

Responsibilities of FORJ, the builder and specialist consultants

FORJ

Leads the interior design.

  • Planning and design direction
  • Materials, finishes, joinery and furniture
  • Design intent documentation for pricing
  • Design clarification during delivery, if included

Your builder

Engaged by you. Introduced by FORJ or your own.

  • Construction and trades
  • Construction pricing and programme
  • Site management and safety
  • Building from the documentation

Specialist consultants

Engaged separately where the project needs them.

  • Structural, mechanical, electrical, hydraulic and fire engineering
  • Building surveying and permits
  • Access and acoustic advice
  • Registered architecture where statutory scope requires it

Materials and furniture

Material and furniture suppliers FORJ works with on residential projects. Builders are introduced separately, based on the project, location and budget.

Materials and finishes (11)

Furniture (5)

Selections are made for each project. The list is for reference and implies no exclusive arrangement or endorsement.

Who leads the work

Sam Fossati leads Interior Design at FORJ. He has nine years of commercial interiors experience, much of it inside a design-and-build business, and stays directly involved from planning through the key documentation and delivery stages.

Questions clients ask

Can our builder do the drawings?

Your builder documents how the home is built. An interior designer works out the layout, joinery, finishes and furniture together before selections begin. FORJ works alongside your builder, whether you already have one or we introduce one.

Can you help only with the kitchen and bathrooms?

Yes. Kitchens and bathrooms are usually where planning matters most, because plumbing, storage and appliances fix the layout early. We look at the layout, joinery, fixtures and finishes together.

Can we just get help with selections?

We are best suited to substantial renovations, apartments and multi-room furnishing projects. For a selection-only job, a full Interior Design scope is usually more than you need. Selections also work best once the plan and joinery are settled, so we usually start there.

Do we need renders?

Not always. Renders help when a decision is hard to judge from plans, elevations and samples. They are included where the scope calls for them.

Can you buy the furniture for us?

Furniture layouts, selection and specification are part of the design service. Procurement, delivery and installation coordination can be scoped separately where needed.

Plan the home before filling it

Tell us about the home, the rooms involved and whether you have a builder. If plans exist, send them too and we will arrange a time to talk it through.

Discuss a residential project