Happy Homes & Higher Profits: How Thoughtful Interiors Boost Property Value with Holly Scott

In this inspiring episode of the Girls in Property podcast, Athena Dobson sits down with award-winning interior designer Holly Scott, whose passion lies in crafting beautifully curated spaces. Together, they dive into Holly’s creative journey, her philosophy on designing happy homes, and why interior design is a game-changer for property investors.

They explore the power of design in shaping emotions and lifestyles, uncovering how thoughtful interiors can significantly boost property value. Holly shares expert insights on maximizing space, the must-know strategies for first-time property flippers and HMO landlords, and the small yet impactful details—like smart storage solutions—that can make or break a deal.

The conversation wraps up with Athena and Holly discussing how great design not only enhances living spaces but also reflects lifestyle and success, ultimately leading to higher profits in property investment.

✨ This episode is packed with practical tips, valuable education, and as always lots of laughter—perfect for anyone looking to elevate their property projects!

📩 Plus, Holly has generously shared two FREE downloads to help you bring your interior design ideas to life. Grab them below!

4 Essential Design Secrets: To Create A Home You Love - https://academy.hollyscottinteriordesign.co.uk/products/courses/view/1165405

Design Academy for free blogs, downloads and my online course - https://hollyscottinteriordesign.co.uk/designacademy

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Transcript

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0:02

Good morning everyone and welcome to today's episode of the girls in property podcast. Once again, good morning. Hello. How is everybody doing today? I am absolutely loving your DMs telling me whereabouts you, you listen to my podcast. I literally get all sorts. get the school run. I had somebody the other day who said to me that she was cleaning out this entire service accommodation unit and she's like, literally I've just listened to three of your episodes back to back that got me through it. So love it girls and guys keep it coming. And thank you so much and keep telling me where you're listening from. Today, I have a very interesting episode for you all. And the reason it's really interesting is because this has actually come as a request from you as the listener. So I don't know how much have you sort of watched my stories or know, but recently I put out a sort of, you know, you can put out like a ask me anything question. And one of the questions that got asked was, Could you please have an interior designer on the podcast? And as most of you will know, I've actually never had an interior designer on the podcast in all 98 episodes. And so I thought, well, why not? Why don't I get an interior designer? And as a result of that, the universe brought me to this person. So without further ado, I would love to introduce you to today's conversation with Holly Scott. Hi, Holly. Hi Athena, thank you so much for having me. I am so excited to be here. I know and you know the universe is an amazing thing isn't it like literally yeah I put out that sort of message and then you know we got in touch and you're like well this is what I do and I we got to know each other and I was like I love that I love what you represent of course you're gonna tell the viewers all about and I was like yes I would love to get you on the podcast so here we are and think I saw that story actually. think I saw the story that you'd put out there and I said, I'd love to come and speak on your podcast. So yeah. exactly how it is. And you know what, that's what it's all about. You put the intention out and then the universe brings you what your intentions are. So we all need to take that forward with whatever it is that we're doing. And Holly, before I get you to introduce yourself to everybody, I would first of all, because it just happened, I would love to also tell the listeners who maybe would have seen from the stories, me and you, didn't we, we literally had a phone conversation to try and organise this podcast and as many listeners will know this literally happened two nights ago or a couple of nights ago and I was on the bus to London and it was you that I was on the phone to trying to organise this podcast when that woman long story short this woman basically came came up to me the erms were just finishing the erm bus journey, the coach I should say, and she said to me basically that I shouldn't have been on the phone and I disrupted her and of course I apologized to her, of course I did, and then she called me insignificant and I was insignificant and had an insignificant business and I felt really bad for her and I wished her well and I said look I wish you no hard feelings, hope you're well and then she asked me if I was religious and I said no I'm not religious or no she said who would you think you are Jesus because you're trying to be. you know religious and I said I'm not religious and she says no you're going to hell instead and I thought wow okay so yeah thanks for that Holly I was on the phone to you Sorry, I don't bring bad energy at all. But when you sent me that, I was like, what? How's that happen? But how rude? mean, well, she was clearly eavesdropping on your conversation, which is kind of rude as well. I know, I know and she said to me, she called me love and I was like please don't patronise me and call me love. She said to me by the way I wouldn't say to somebody that you're on the coach for your branding. It's not very good branding to tell somebody that you're on a coach. That's even worse. Yeah, I know and do you remember actively me saying to you multiple times I was like Holly, I'm so sorry, I've got to speak really quietly because I'm on a bus and I was actively being really quiet. Do remember that? I said, I'm really excited to come on your podcast. And you said, I'm really excited, but I can't raise my voice because of the past. You were trying to be really quiet. I and then she said that to me. So I thought everyone who's seen the stories knows the story about this this woman who was really mean to me That you that they'd love to know who the other person was on the phone. It was you So so I don't know what she's on about. That was a great conversation. Yeah, if anything, I'd be like, this is interesting. Try and get on her podcast as well. But yes, I thought I'd let everybody know that. with today's episode, before we begin, would you first love to, I'd love you to introduce yourself, tell everybody about you, how you got into interior design, your background, what it is that you're doing at the moment, and how you, what you're looking to do in the future as well. my gosh, such a big question, but I love it. So I've always been creative, love being creative, that's just who I am. And I actually started my creative journey back at school. So I studied art and textiles, went to university and studied mixed media textiles and always wanted to create something that was, guess, three-dimensional and created a talking point. And I left university and went traveling and came back and thought, right, I need to get a job. What jobs are out there that are creative? I didn't want to work in an office. Like that's just not who I am. And it was my dad who said to me, why don't you be a window dresser? And I said, what's a window dresser? And he said, know, people that dress the windows. When we used to, we now do it with our girls, but we used to drive up to London at Christmas and look at all the Christmas lights and look at the Christmas windows. and yeah so basically I started my journey doing window dressing because I called Selfridges and said can I come and work for you in your window department because that's where I wanted to work and they said we don't have a job at the moment but we can offer you work experience so it all started there so my background is window dressing and interior displays that I worked at Selfridges, Harvey Nicks, Harrods, Ralph Lauren all the fabulous luxury but fun as well companies out there. And we moved out of London when I was heavily pregnant with our first daughter. And I also always knew I wanted to work for myself. So I didn't want to go back. We moved out of London. I didn't want to be commuting into London. And I didn't really want to have that job with a baby because a lot of the time we'd be working through the night, for example, to hang Christmas garlands. The hours can be quite antisocial. and I also wanted to be a mum that was around. So I left working in London and set up HH Styling, which my maiden name is Hall, so I was Holly Hall. And that was really based around event styling. I grew up in a wedding venue just outside Henley. So, you know, I love to style the barn for weddings and different parties and things. And that was kind of bringing the create a talking point and create a space, but in a different environment. And I did do some interior styling, but actually a mum with a young baby, I wasn't really putting myself out there. And actually it would have been too difficult. So I then found Stella and Dot, which is a jewelry network marketing company and joined for the free jewelry, built it into a successful business over a few years. It was my fashion fix. It was my people fix. I love being around people and it worked around being a mum. and then they pulled their European business and I just sat there and went, what am going to do? And everyone who knew me said, you need to be creative again. You you're lost doing this. I said, no, I really enjoyed it. And I learned so many great skills. And I think everyone's life has a path, doesn't it? And it all helps you grow into who you are. And so I then thought, okay, yes, let's do some interior styling because... what I'd done in windows and in displays, you're creating a talking point, you're getting people to stop and look. when, especially in the Ralph Lauren stores, that was the interior. So we changed everything every time a new collection of clothing came in, from the flooring to the artwork, to the props, to styling the mannequins. So it was a huge variety. And also each store was different styles. So Bond Street was very, you know, luxe, mahogany and... you know, very upmarket. And then you had the Brompton Cross store, which was more shabby chic. So it was fun, I guess, working with different styles. You didn't realize it at the time, it's when you look back. And it was at the beginning of lockdown when I thought, because I found another jewelry business as well, because that's what I'd known. And I thought, I'm doing jewelry, or I'm, you know, I'm selling jewelry and styling women, and I'm also interior styling. And for me, it made sense because I had styled spaces and mannequins. but something didn't feel quite right. And also we didn't know what was going on in this world. And so talking about jewelry just seemed a bit odd, didn't seem quite right. And I found the interior designers hub, which is an amazing community that I'm part of. And I did their training on how to become an interior designer. So I already knew the skills of what to do, but it was more training on the business side. And that's when I then rebranded to be Holly Scott interior design. And I really was passionate about helping people in their homes because we were stuck in our homes and so many people realized that they hated the environment they were in. And I knew that I could help them change that. So the start of Holly Scott Interior Design was actually all virtual design consultations, virtual design. I designed a villa for somebody in Italy. She hadn't even seen it in person when she bought it, which was crazy, but really cool. So it's just amazing what can be done. then... It's evolved since then. I was just working one-to-one with clients, designing their spaces, interior design consultations to help them. And what I realized was so many people want and needed help with the consultations, but a consultation for me takes a whole day out really. And there's only one of me and I thought, well, how can I help more people? And that's when I then decided to create something online. I wasn't sure what at the time, but that's when Happy Home Design was born. And that's my online course, which teaches homeowners the skills and the confidence from my award-winning process to be able to learn in really easy steps how to create your dream home. and it's evolved more since then. I've just launched Happy Home Design VIP this year which is almost a hybrid service so you get to learn the course, you also get me in your pocket on WhatsApp so you can you know sometimes you just want that second opinion so you can be like Holly is this right is this color right or you're in a kitchen shop or a sofa shop I think I want this one but do I? and it also includes a private design consultation and all sorts. So I'm really excited to have launched that because it's just giving that extra level of support without having to pay me to design a room for you, which is obviously a more luxury package. And I'm also doing my first in-person Happy Home Design Live event in March, which I'm also really excited about because I think I've been so online that I was used to it, even though my private clients who are local, you know, I do see in person. And I thought, actually, I do my workshops, free workshops online. I thought, no, let's do something in person because I love being around people and I love just inspiring others. So that's, I think in a nutshell, my journey. Does that answer your question? Absolutely. And you know what, just going back to the shop windows, it's an always interesting one. So I love going to London and seeing the shop windows. I love it. Particularly you said it yourself, particularly at Christmas. Always love seeing the displays at Christmas. And I guess in a way you never really appreciate the time, dedication, effort that has gone into designing that window. You know, where somebody can go past it and go, that looks nice. And you're like, That took months of months. Yeah. And for you to go, that's nice. Yeah, but yes it is. actually, but if it makes you stop and look and entices you into the store, that's, think, I guess actually I've always been around creating a talking point. If I stop and look back and I hadn't really thought about that until we've had this conversation. But even with a home, it may not be, well, it can be creating a talking point for people that are coming in to visit. I always recommend a funky wallpaper in a downstairs toilet. But actually it's creating a talking point for you and your family. So it's making sure, and this is why I like to call myself the happy home designer. Yes, you can design a home that looks beautiful, but if it's not creating the right feeling for the right space and it's not reflecting your personality and your style, then actually it's not gonna be a happy space. And I know obviously your network of listeners are more property investors and things like that. So they're designing spaces potentially for other people, but you can still think about the feeling and the lifestyle you're wanting to create for that end user. And I think that's really important because you could just paint a house white or magnolia, please don't do that. And please don't paint it gray because that is such a depressing color. But actually if you think of who you're trying to attract, similar to a shop window, who's your ideal client? Who are you trying to attract? Who's going to use the space and design it based on what, you know, the lifestyle they would want. Because actually if you're creating a lifestyle and an interior that's enticing and selling the dream, then you're gonna sell it better, like quicker and, or rent it if you're renting it, sell it or rent it faster and probably at a premium price because it's somewhere that people really want to be. Absolutely. Holly, we're going to come on to this because I really want to talk about what you just mentioned about the fact of property investors in creating the space. Before we do that, my laptop is not plugged in. you better plug it in then. It's the first time this has ever, ever happened ever in 98 episodes. 98 episodes, have never not plugged in my laptop, but it's because I've just come from the bus coming back from London. And I'm like, my laptop is about to die. I do have the cable to hand in a different room. So I'm gonna ask you to do something for me. on then. Can you please tell the listeners, do me a favor, can you tell the listeners what you are celebrating at the moment? I'm gonna go and come back and I'm gonna be able to hear you through my headset and then I'll come back. Sorry listeners. No, it'll be fine, I'll be able to hear you, don't worry. Sorry listeners. So tell the listeners what you're celebrating and I'll be right back. Okay, see you in a minute. So I am really excited to be celebrating right now my first Happy Home Design VIP member, should we call it? Let's call it a member. She's already actually been in my Happy Home Design course for a while, but she is actually building a brand new house. And she's got to the point where she's being asked loads of questions by the builders. and everybody else and she just needs that second opinion and that second voice. yeah, has joined and Athena is reconnecting. So hopefully her laptop hasn't just died. So yeah, I'm really, really excited to be able to give her that extra help and support along the way so that she... feels supported and more confident in her choices. You're back. She's back, she's not quite back. And also, I will add to that, oh, you're back. I will add to that celebration while you're sorting yourself out, that I've also just had, she's also gets a, I've got a bonus running this month that you get a free ticket to one of my in-person events, so she's coming to that. And I've just had another lady. who has also said she would like one of the only eight limited spots at Happy Home Design Live. It's very limited because it's in my house. Are you back? Love that I'm back. I'm back that has never ever happened before that is hilarious But you know what that just shows you that that's what this podcast is all about It's about keeping it real not needing to be perfect accepting imperfection and Still powering through and that's what I represent. So yay Love it It's all good is not great right now. that's fine, don't worry, it carries on recording. It's not a problem. fine. Yay. So in terms of then your celebration that you just did. So I heard the fact that you've got this new VIP client, which is absolutely amazing and that you're doing more in your home as well. And I love the fact that it was so intimate as well, that you actually are doing these within your home, which is amazing. Yeah, well, I just thought, do you know what? can then give, well, firstly, it's a new thing. And secondly, I just think it means that people can come to my home. I have two children and a dog, not that they'll be here whilst I do it, but I can then talk through the design process and thoughts that I had in my head to design the different spaces in our home, practically around having a family. And then I can also give examples on how those who are attending can take what I've done but work it into their design style because we're going to be talking and discovering their interior design style. We're going to be talking about which colours create the right feelings for them depending on which room they're wanting to design in the day and then we're going to be interactive and have create a mood board and a plan for them to go away with for a room of their choice and they've got me there to ask anything which is always fun. you know mood boards are the best aren't they? When you create a mood board and you're like right what's the feeling that we want to have and you made an excellent point actually just before I had to go and just sort the laptop out which is you were talking about the fact that sometimes in your home it's fine to paint a wall or it's fine to have that but it's about how a room makes you feel and sometimes I can be just talking personally about about my own home sometimes I can get ahead of myself in terms of trying to make it functional or I'm like right this has to go here this has to go here but sometimes I forget get to think to myself or how do I want the room to make me feel is it yeah always and you know what when I go to people's houses now it's so funny I go to my friend's houses and I'm like I love your home I love what you've done here I love this I love this and I get really obsessive about their house and they're like they're like and they're like trust you to literally go around each room and I'm like yeah but I love it I'm like maybe I should do that and The closest I've ever got really, cause I'm kind of a gray kind of a girl, Holly, like my house is kind of clean lines and know, grays and whites and blacks and things, but I have bursts of color in the kitchen with a bit of yellow. So my bin is like yellow, for example, because I... I want a bit of sunshine in the kitchen. I want to have a bowl of, sounds ridiculous. I now want to have a vase of lemons with lemons on the walls and things. I love lemons. Shock horror for a person who's half Greek. color and vibrancy. So I hear you when you said that about how a home makes you or a tenant or someone else living in it. makes you or them feel. So we're gonna come on and speak about that and how investors can use that as well. And then terms of my celebration, what I'm celebrating at the moment is similar to you really, when you're creating these and you said it yourself, these in-person events, you're like, look, we've done Zoom, we've been there, we've done it, I now wanna get in front of people, which is what you're doing in a fantastic way. And so I'm back once again with the Girls and Property Retreat on Friday, 25th of April, which is an in-person event. And there's going to be 80 us, 80 women across anything to do with property, interior design, construction, finance. We're all going to come together. And the tickets got launched actually last week. And now, yeah, the tickets are already selling. So we thought about, I know, I know, it's really exciting and just trying to bring different types of people together and different women together. You know, a lot of people ask me, why do I create this space for women? You know, why do I feel it's necessary? And I stand by it. It is about empowering women to have a place where we can come and have conversations that we are not comfortable to have in front of men. And there are conversations that we are not comfortable to have in front of men. Those conversations need to happen as women. And so it's so important and it's also important to just see these absolute badass women speakers talk about their journey and how incredible they are and what they've managed to achieve. It is just mind blowing. So I'm announcing the speakers, probably be next week by the time this podcast comes out slowly, slowly. So yeah, I'm to be announcing speakers over a period of time, announcing the guest. I've got eight expert tables that are going to be had as well this year, which I didn't have last year, but I think that what a lot of people actually want to do is have up close interaction and personal questions to ask. with experts as well as opposed to just having speakers. So I'm going to be having... yeah. I think you get more out of it, don't you? Because you can go with the question and you can have a discussion around it. I think that's really exciting and nice to change things up as well, I think, if you haven't done that before. Well, the feedback always is that whenever you go to these events, you want to get up and you want to move around. If you sit all day, is tiring, the energy is low. So first of all, you want to get up and you want to move. But the second thing also is I don't really want to have eight speakers. I only want to have three. Three is enough. So with that then, there's still experts that people want to talk to. So I thought, well, let's create these tables. So the tables are going to be announced over until April time over the next couple of weeks and months. and I'm really excited by it all because there's going to be all sorts of topics. I'm going to be sitting on one of the tables. I'm thinking about my, I've got my topic in mind, which I'm keeping to myself for now. No, no, I'm keeping it to myself. It's a secret, but you'll see, you'll see what my topic is going to be. Or yeah, yeah, my topic. And yes, very much looking forward to it. So I think for this conversation, what we're celebrating is... intentional in-person interaction, aren't we? That's what we're celebrating. So yeah, I love that. And empowering others, absolutely. So quick question for you then, Holly. So you were speaking about earlier about the fact that you create these beautiful homes or happy homes for people to live in. So when you're thinking about investors then, and you're thinking about how you can help investors in terms of helping them with interior design, and then... you know, going forward. So let me give you some examples to help you and sort of prompt you in this. I sometimes have people who come to me and will say to me that they're looking to sell their home or not their home. They're looking to sell a flip. So they're like, right, right, that's right. But of course, sometimes because that happens, they're not actually putting furniture in the property. They're just selling it as it's. And what happens is, is that people come around to view the property. but because there's no furniture in, because it's white walls, because it doesn't have that feeling and love, and it's residents that's moving into it, they can't quite imagine themselves living there. And as a result of that, it potentially doesn't sell. That could be one of the reasons it doesn't sell. But as soon as they potentially put furniture in and lease it and create this home, suddenly it sells. So that's one example of one that I've received, where people have spoken to me about. And another example, which I think is the most prominent one, is for example when people do things such as HMO conversions, which is like houses of multiple occupation. So you might have like five people living in the home as opposed to just one family, it's like five different rooms. And these can sometimes be seen stereotypically as quite beige, down and out, studenty kind of accommodation. Whereas now people are creating these really vibrant homes to live in. One person I know, one female, does an amazing job at these HMO conversions and even has a gym. in them. She literally takes one of the rooms and creates a gym for people to be in. So what's your feeling in terms of how what you do can help investors to almost profit better or create a better chance themselves in terms of sales? Yeah, I mean, that's a really good question. And they're both two quite different scenarios, I guess. But what I would say is my Happy Home Design course basically breaks down the design process in really easy steps. And you may, as an investor, be thinking, well, I don't need to be an interior designer. But actually, it's kind of like that conversation we had at the beginning when I was talking about creating a talking point. And it is a shop window because you're then surely advertising your or marketing your house either to sell or to rent to the HMOs, is that what they're called, online or through an estate agent or wherever you're marketing them. And actually you want people to stop scrolling through Rightmove or whatever it is and yours to stand out. So therefore to just go boring and beige, isn't going to help you sell quicker but also it's not going to stand out so it's only going to be worth what it's worth i would say i would say if you create something that has a feeling or is selling a lifestyle so i would say if you're selling if you're selling a house and you've got no furniture i definitely wouldn't just go boring with the paint i would suggest that you look at the colors that are creating the right feelings for the right spaces so in a bedroom you want to create calm in a living space you probably want to go calm you could go a bit more fun in a dining and kitchen space so i think my and then with the hmos you actually want to i'm assuming you rent them furnished usually yes, H. Moser furnished, Traditionally. so you want to furnish it and I would say create it to a... I'm going to say luxury level but you can create luxury without the price tag. Okay? So as long as you know how to create a beautiful room with all the layers, the right colors to create the right feelings, then you're going to have a better shop window that's going to make people stop and people will pay a premium for it because they're like wow this is nice. Nicer than just white and grey with Ikea furniture. So I think it's educating you as an investor to make the right design choices to create the outcome that's going to make a difference. And so there's different ways that you could do that. If you wanted to work with me, for example, Happy Home Design will teach you that process, which you can use over and over again. There's also an online community that you get within that where you can pop on and ask questions. And you've got a support network of others going through the same thing. So if you're stuck on something, you also get my black book of suppliers, which is for different budgets. So depending on how much you're wanting to spend, as I said, you can very much create a luxury lifestyle look without having to spend too much, but actually quality. in some instances, especially for the HMOs, you want to buy furniture that's going to last. So it's making the choices of the right fabrics that are going to last and things like that. And actually, if you're selling a property, I would say you absolutely should either furnish it to sell it, whether you hire the furniture or you buy it. And if that's your business, you buy it to sell it. You can always then take it with you for the next property. or you work with an interior designer or you follow the course and you create mood boards for the rooms so that actually you can say well this is the room but this is what we would suggest or even have 3D visuals made up of a design so that that room is designed and you sell it with the design but that may not work you know that's a bit more of an investment I suppose to then sell it but Yeah. I think you then you're more likely to sell it probably at a premium price and also to get it sold depending. I tell you that, for example, if I think about the people that listen to this podcast, for example, they're either experienced in property or they're starting their journey. There's a bit of a mixture, I would say. So if we take somebody, for example, who's just on their first project, their first flip or their first HMO, as it were, and you were like, okay, we've now got this shell, let's call it. What would be the three tips that you would give to them to say, right, let's take a flip to start with, because HMO is a bit different. So it's currently bare, they can't sell it, they're struggling to sell it because people can't quite visualize it. What are three simple things that they could do to get it up to speed to make it look, you know, a bit more pizzazz in the person, in the buyer's eyes. So I would say you need to add furniture. I think you need... What type of furniture? Okay, well which room do you want to talk about? Good question. See, this is a good question. So I think that for majority, well, I think personally that the, most people, the majority of the homes where they hang out, like the heart of the homes is kind of the kitchen. Yeah. The kitchen. Yeah. in your kitchen, I would definitely say you want to add window dressings to the windows because that's gonna make it feel more homely straight away. I would paint it an interesting color or a color that's nice. Just don't go white or beige because that's just really, really boring and bland. So I think have a color scheme for your room. So the first thing I would say is come up with a color scheme for that room. Paint the walls, add some window dressings, and then I would definitely make sure you've got a nice dining table and chairs in there, which are bringing in the color scheme. So don't just please don't go just plain wooden table and plain wooden chairs. Bring in some like upholstered chairs with some color and some fabric. if you've got a breakfast bar definitely add some bar stools in there and then add a couple of plants as well even if they're you know even if you don't want to put real plants in there get some really nice faux plants and and some artwork on the walls because actually you're wanting to create some layers and a bit of homeliness so that you're selling a space and even actually if you've just got the main rooms i wouldn't say you probably need to furniture in all the rooms but the main spaces so actually that's selling the lifestyle isn't it so having a having a clear color scheme and furniture that's in proportion to the space window dressings so that you've got a beautifully designed room it's at least giving the vision for that house and then people can add that when they, you know, add that to the rest of the house when they move in. Yeah, definitely. I love that. Absolutely. I love everything you just said. And also I've just been laughing to myself thinking about the lounge as well because with the lounge is definitely British people, I would say. We always want the focal point to be the TV, don't we? We're always like, right, there's a TV in Cunninghame Tours. Or is that wrong? Yeah? Okay. Yeah. it the tea? Well, the other question, so it's how do you want to feel in the space and how are you gonna use the space? Because a living room isn't always just used to watch telly. It could be a social space, it could be a reading space, it could be where you do your gym. I've had one client and she had to move the coffee table every time she does her exercise three days a week. So we have to buy a coffee table that she could move. Yeah. Storage as well. Sorry, I'm just going, storage is something I've just done my Instagram post on today. Storage. I mean, that's another whole conversation. Yeah, but you are so right. just, just again, coming back to this, cause this is really interesting about storage. I remember when me and my partner, Steve were renting at the time when we were renting in Bournemouth and then we were looking to go rent in another place. And you know, the flat was perfect. It was perfect. It overlooked, was in Christchurch. It was going to overlook the Marina. It had like two bedrooms. It had a fantastic layout. Everything was perfect for it. Apart from it had no storage, none. I've just thought of another thing, okay? So this is where my brain just goes like this. So if you are doing up a property to sell it, think about the layout that's gonna be ideal for that room. Okay, you can think of the end client, who's gonna buy the house. But for example, talking about storage, if there isn't much fitted storage already in there, you could put fitted storage in. Obviously that's gonna cost you more to do. but it's probably more likely to sell because storage is huge. But there's nothing worse. had a virtual consultation with a lady yesterday and she's moving into a new build and she is worried about storage in the living room because she's got two young kids and she's going to need storage for toys even though she wants that to be a more adult room. So we were talking about how she can get storage in there. And the thing that really annoyed me was the one wall at the end, it was like a long room, but the one wall at the end had a radiator on it. and the opposite wall had a window. And I said, why did they not put the radiator under the window? Because you can't use the whole of that wall with the window because there's a window there. But now I can't use the wall that's got the radiator on it to do either put in your own built-in storage or to put a sideboard or something because you're gonna block the radiator. So I always recommend if you're doing a house, put underfloor heating in because there's nothing worse than radiators. blocking space but have a think about what you need to put on walls. So for example in a kitchen dining space if there's not going to be enough storage in there within the kitchen units you might want a sideboard in there so which wall are you going to likely to put a sideboard on? Make sure the radiator is not on that wall. that making sense? and i just thought i need to share that because that's one thing you could really think about if you're flipping a property and if you're renovating it i'm... if that's what you're doing. what I love? This is why I love the podcast, right? We all can learn lots of things, you know? And like, for example, I'm not an interior designer, which is why I've got you on the podcast. And I just wouldn't think about those types of things. And I'm sure a lot of listeners are sort of nodding along and going, I wouldn't have thought of that. And I wouldn't have thought of that. And that's what's so wonderful about it. I feel like there are gems that you can just take from everyone. Like for example, you you've got like your power team of like an architect and saying, well, why don't you design the actual building in this way? And then having you as interior designing coming in and saying, well, why don't we do it in terms of this styling? And I think that it's just so interesting in terms of not just for our own homes, you know, there are a of mums that listen to this podcast. And when you said about storage for the kids, I was like, yeah, the mums are going to be nodding along to that. But it is so true and clever storage. And actually, one thing that you just said also, me talking about radiators and I don't know why it popped into my head because it's fresh from a conversation I've had. But a lot of people say to me, I don't need you yet as an interior designer because I'm just getting the builders in or I'm just speaking to the architect. And I say, no, you need to get a designer in earlier. And this is why I encourage people to join my course earlier because then you can work out your layout for a room. Where are you, for example, in a home office, where are you putting the desk? Do you want it in the middle of the room? Because if you do, you're gonna want power in the middle of the room on the floor. Where are you going to put your lamps and your lighting? Because lighting is really important. That's the other thing you need to add to that kitchen design is statement lighting, pendant lighting. And don't put spotlights everywhere. my gosh. Don't put spotlights everywhere. What was I actually talking about? Well, do you know what? Lighting is actually a really big one because, for example, so I also used to have service accommodation units. So what I mean when I say that to you, Holly, is kind of Airbnbbooking.com, if you think about it that way. And I've stayed in quite a few of these as well myself. And ever so often I'll think to myself, God, the lighting is awful in here. You know, I love, I very rarely, people who know me will know. I very rarely put the main light on. I do in here because obviously I need the light tonight, but I'm the same. So, in fact, there's a whole lesson on lighting in my course. I remembered what I was saying is you want to think about the design really early on because then you can make the right decisions on where you need power sockets, where you need, I mean, power, know, plug points, where you want your light switches, because which way is your door going to open? And do you want it to open that way? Because you want to use that wall to put a storage unit or your sofa. So... yeah so basically you want to think of the design at the beginning because then you can actually make all those right choices that are really going to make a difference They will, they will make a difference. like where your thermostat goes and i know this sounds funny but it really drove me mad because we moved into a new build we've been here four years and in the hallway the only bit of wall that is there which isn't a doorway that i could put a sideboard or a little cabinet there was a thermostat right in the middle of that bit of wall and i said why have they put that there why isn't it on that tiny wall over there because that means i can't hang my mirror so we actually swapped it out for a smart thermostat And that is not something you would think of, I know, when you are building a house or you're doing a house, or don't put the thermostat there, but actually think about where you want to put artwork and mirrors, because don't put a thermostat in the middle of a wall that you might want to put something on the wall. Yeah, and I'm just trying to, I'm thinking about this. So I'm looking to do my own flip or my own bioreferrous rent refinance this year as an investor. And I'm thinking to myself, and I'll be really honest with you, Holly, before I had this conversation with you, I wouldn't have necessarily thought in this way. I'm now thinking in this way based on our conversation. So as an investor, of course, majority of the time when we're thinking about things, we want to think about the end goal, which is the profits at the end. That's the one thing we want to think about. And so when we're looking at our spreadsheets, we're thinking to ourselves, how can we minimize our costs as much as possible? And so potentially before this conversation, an interior designer was not at the forefront of my mind when thinking about things. However, what would be at the forefront of my mind when thinking about things is an architect. So where my question in my brain is now going, Well, if I'm willing to invest in an architect Why would I not be willing to invest in an interior designer? Who can then show me how to be designing the property in the right way so that when a potential let's say I'm gonna flip it when a potential or either or actually when a potential tenant or a potential customer Buyer comes along and looks at the property. They go here is ample storage. Wonderful. Here is where I can hang up all of my bits. Here's the downstairs toilet. Here's the thermostat is in the correct place. Therefore I can have, you know, the one thing I hate is the fact of nowhere to put bedding and towels within the boiler room. Massive, massive, massive, massive. It really irritates me. There's nowhere for me to do that. And yeah. you know tick it off and actually i know you've said about the architect but i've worked with some clients and the architect depending on who you use hasn't thought of the flow of the home and they haven't thought about the walls that you need for storage so i've ended up going in and saying no you need you don't need doors there and there that as a wall so you can put a sideboard on it because you've got no other wall space in that room to put it so actually and they then ended up having to spend more going back to the architect and getting to them to redraw the plans so I would say an interior designer even sometimes can come before the architect or alongside the architect and there's another client I'm working with at the moment and actually they're building a house and he you know I said well we want fitted cupboards along a fitted media unit across there and the architect's drawing into the plans. I'm not sure an architect needs to draw into the plans, but he wants them to. So he keeps going back with all of the ideas I'm suggesting, because an architect doesn't always think about the design. And like we've said, where you need storage and where you need all of this. So yeah, and that's why I think my course is so good. I'm so passionate about it because it's such an affordable price and it's teaching you all of these skills you can go back and look through it and if you're you know if you're flipping properties and you're doing them to rent you can use these skills once you've learned them you can go back and refresh but you've got them which means it's going to put you a level above the other properties out there. Absolutely, absolutely. And like I said, honestly, before I had this conversation with you, sometimes it's always you always think to yourself, how how can we use our power team the most effectively? And like I said, an interior designer might not have been at the forefront of my mind for my power team. However, I'm telling you, after this conversation, I am definitely going to be thinking differently, because it is about what is right for the person who's going to be living in the property and that will then dictate it. And quite frankly, you know, if we think about go back to having a HMO, a house of multiple occupation, there is, it is so congested all over, for example, spare room tends to be where you find these and it's so congested and actually if you were to cut through that by having this really amazing home for somebody to live in and to market it at the right price as well, they would be snapped up in a heartbeat, you would barely need to do any advertising for it. It's your shop window. That's what I was saying. It'll stop the scroll and people will say, my God, that looks amazing. I want it. And you will literally have people queuing or how quickly can I get these properties? If you're known for that, if you're known for the amazing statement, beautiful, I mean, people are gonna want that. And also, am I right in thinking HMOs, you often get doctors and professionals and people like that in them. Yeah, so they're gonna want that level. They want to, this is something I've been talking about recently. Not only am I designing spaces or teaching you how to design a space, which is reflecting your style. Okay, maybe we can't do that. Your style, but also your success. So if your target market is, doctor or I don't know what other kind of professions but professional people well they're going to want a home that's that level so that they can invite a friend around if they want to and they're not embarrassed and this is what I talk about do your does your home reflect your success would you invite a client would you be comfortable inviting your client into your home for coffee because if you're not and you and you're not you don't think a doctor or whoever your target market is is going to want to come in there then it's going to be less appealing. And I think you will absolutely get a premium price for somewhere that looks more premium. So I would say, I know I'm biased because I am an interior designer, but that's your shop front. That's where you're marketing. So it needs to look amazing because that's gonna stop people and that's gonna make people want it. So don't just think about, yes, I get the spreadsheet and the profit, but you're gonna get a higher profit, I think, for... investing a small amount in educating yourself or if you don't want to do it pay an interior designer that's obviously going to be a lot more so that you're getting it right and you're making a difference and you're standing out. Definitely. I think the takeaway for me from this episode is very much around creating this lifestyle. I think that's the takeaway. It's more than bricks and mortar. It's more than just walls. It is the lifestyle that you want to either have for your own home or that you want to have to show to tenants that you want to then and get, also attract the right perspective tenant. Because if you do actually create this beautiful home, then the prospective tenant that you're going to therefore attract is going to go, this is the place I want to live or a tenant might look at it and go, no, this is not for me. This is, you know, it's not right for me. And that's right. So you're going to attract the right people to it. So I think that's kind of my takeaway from today is very much around the lifestyle. What is it that you want to represent? And give me a lot to think about actually in my own home as well, Holly, in terms of storage and... Yeah, how could I do that differently? So you've given me a lot of food for thought. I have got a couple of free downloads as well to help so I will give you the links I don't know if you can share them but I've got one which is four essential interior design secrets to create a happy home and you want to create a happy home or that lifestyle that people are going to want to buy into and I've got another one which is around tips on how to create a beautiful room so I can share those with you and that you could you know by all means share them with the listeners if that's something you can do. That would be brilliant. So what I'll do guys is in the show notes, if you click on the show notes on them, I'll pop the links that Holly's just mentioned there. So both of those are free, aren't they Holly? Yeah. for you to start thinking about when you're creating because I do think it's really important to not forget the final touches. Definitely. Well, it's like ourselves, isn't it? It's like if we're gonna dress ourselves, you know, it's like, okay, well, what are the final touches? Do I want to add some jewelry today? Do I wanna? Yeah. I think that's probably come from my background of window dressing and it's the styling. I love styling the shelves at the end of a project, but it really makes the difference. You know, add some plants in there, add a splash of color, please put cushions on a sofa. You know, all those bits and bobs really just make a difference. And I'm really passionate. The more we've been talking, the more I've thought about it is your shop window is when people are scrolling and you want to sell that lifestyle. because that's going to attract your more premium client. I love that. And my final question for you at the end of this podcast is, have you ever gone into somebody's home and just thought, God, I would have designed this completely different. This is awful. I don't really like to go in and judge. Do you mean like a client's house or a friend's house? Just a house. I mean like a silly way that you've walked in and just thought to anyone's house you've walked in gone. dear Or I would have done this differently there is actually a client I'm working with at the moment who bought a house and she said, I'm going to really need your help. It's a great house, but the kitchen is really odd. The kitchen is like in a really small corner and it's got this like curved breakfast bar. And then you've got all the rest of the space. I'm thinking, why have they? I remember when she first sent me the pictures from Rightmove and I thought that is really odd. And it's just awful. And we have had a bit of a laugh about it and I'm like, please, can we just change the whole layout of this space, which we are, it's on the to-do list. And it was all, there's loads, it's like a new build of a barn almost. And all of the wood was like really dark brown. It wasn't even mahogany, it was dark brown, know, that awful, I think it was even painted. she said the one thing I really hate is this dark wood everywhere and there's two rooms that have glass partitions so it's not a wall it's a glass wall with these wood slats between them which looked awful anyway we've changed the colour of them now to black and it looks amazing because it's really lifted it and it's given it a more modern feel and I can't wait to do the kitchen but yes I did go in there and think who has designed this kitchen like this it is a disaster I love that. Do you know, the last house that I owned, I think you would have absolutely hated the lounge. Honestly, my house would have been the house you'd have walked in and gone, because we had an L-shaped lounge. You know, L-shaped lounges. We just could not work out how to work the L-shape of the lounge. it, no, it was, no. No, it was just, was, so there was a separate kitchen with a wall. It was, this was a while ago, but it was just a lounge. It was in an L shape. So you'd literally not be able to use the, the L to the L shape because you couldn't see the TV from it. You couldn't really do anything with it. So it became this kind of cozy corner that never got used. So we literally, for how long were in that, like three years I was in that house for, we literally never used a section of the lounge. because it was just bizarre. So you would have hated the L shape, I'm telling you. is another client I've worked with that you just bought it back, had an L shape. And it was a bit of a challenge, but we worked it out. So actually we partitioned it and used without building walls, but we partitioned it the way we laid the furniture and created it into two spaces. But yeah, you do see some odd things out there. I love it. I love it. Brilliant. So Holly, I'm sure that people are going to want to get in contact with you after this podcast to sort of ask you loads of questions and wanting to connect with you. So if people wanted to connect with you, what is the best way for them to do that? anywhere. So Instagram, I'm Holly Scott Interior Design. You can find me on Facebook as well, Holly Scott Interior Design. My website is hollyscottinteriordesign.co.uk and within the website, I've also got my design academy, which has got loads of blog posts and free downloads and lots of tips to help you. And my online course is on there as well. And where else? Where else do we hang out? Facebook and Instagram, LinkedIn as well. Just find me. I'm around and I always love to have a chat and you know, it's all good. particularly on the bus when I'm calling you so Perfect and as always I am Athena Dobson the underscore official and girls in property on Instagram and then when this podcast comes out the The tickets will go into the final stage of its launch, which is basically general sale on Monday the 10th. So if you haven't already grabbed your ticket when you were on the wait list or in the community, then grab your ticket. I'm not sure how many are gonna be left on Monday, but yeah, it's gonna be amazing. It's gonna be a really great, great session coming all together on Friday, 25th of April for the Girls and Property retreat. Don't forget to get yourself in there. And then also just to mention that I've also got, of course, my Girls and Property community. The next session that's gonna be had is gonna be on Tuesday 18th of February, where I have got Property Filter coming on to do a demo for everybody. So if you're interested in joining the community, then the next session will be on Tuesday 18th. And we're about, I think, 87 members strong now, so it's growing every day. So come and join. But Holly, thank you for this conversation. You've definitely given me food for thought for myself and the projects that I've got coming up. So I really appreciate that. And I'm to be reaching out to you in terms of thinking a bit differently, I think going forward and understanding for myself how important an interior designer really is for projects. Definitely. Yeah. for having me and I'm all about just inspiring and giving confidence to others and that's what it's about. It's, you know, sometimes hearing something or, you know, like I didn't even know we were going to talk about location of radiators today but, you know, it's just thinking maybe outside the box and thinking a bit differently and if I've inspired somebody to make a difference then we're all good. So thank you so much for having me. I've loved it. You're welcome and that is what Girls and Property is all about. We just inspire each other and we just try and champion each other. So I love that. So girls and guys have an amazing week, whatever you're up to. Let me know where you're listening from and enjoy it I'll see you soon. Thanks guys. Bye.