Clarity, a forethought
Words by Jamie Crocker
No smoke and mirrors, no snake oil. Just upfront honesty from the outset
Some people know exactly what they want from a room. Others arrive with a photograph, a rough budget and the slightly unnerving feeling that they have no idea where to begin.
For Ross and Jodie, the founders of Evergreen Interiors and Design, good interior design begins with listening. Having each spent around a decade working for independent retailers, latterly within the kitchen industry, they saw an opportunity to create a different kind of design business: one where clients could bring their plans, budgets and uncertainties, and have someone guide them through the entire process.
Evergreen’s design studio officially opens this month, bringing together kitchens, bathrooms and interiors within a consultative environment. The emphasis is on understanding how people actually live, then designing accordingly. A client might want a handmade kitchen with a solid timber island, for instance, or might need a more cost-conscious alternative. Either way, Evergreen’s role is to explain the choices, materials and implications so that the client can make an informed decision.
That approach extends to pricing. Evergreen works to a fixed-margin model, applying the same margin across its products instead of relying on the inflated prices and perpetual promotions that can make interiors retail difficult to navigate. When a project exceeds a client’s budget, the conversation is about finding an alternative product or changing the specification while retaining the qualities that matter.
For Ross and Jodie, transparency is part of the service. They are prepared to discuss the strengths and limitations of different materials, too, including natural products that may move or change over time. A cheaper product is presented honestly, with its characteristics explained, just as a more expensive choice is justified by its particular qualities.
The same thinking informs their approach to sustainability. Evergreen works with local suppliers wherever practical, extending its search across the South West and UK when a suitable Cornish option is unavailable. In areas such as appliances and bathroom products, where manufacturing is often overseas, the business looks for companies whose own environmental practices and values align with its standards.
Waste is considered throughout a project. Usable kitchens can be directed towards organisations such as Rehome, which helps redistribute second-hand and ex-display kitchens, while working appliances and furniture can be donated to local charities or passed on for refurbishment.
Evergreen also works with local waste companies to recycle materials wherever possible.
Its supplier choices reflect the same scrutiny. Coat Paints, for example, makes its paint to order, uses recycled tins and offers peel-and-stick colour samples designed to reduce waste. Evergreen also works with Cosentino, whose manufacturing processes include extensive water recycling and solar power. These choices are considered individually, with the team looking at how products are made and where they come from before recommending them.
There is a human element to all this that matters just as much as the specifications. Ross and Jodie want people to design homes for themselves, whether that means a restrained scheme or a coloured ceramic toilet chosen simply because the client likes it. Their job is to understand the reason behind the decision and then offer experienced advice.
That can mean challenging a choice, but it can equally mean explaining why a seemingly extravagant detail makes sense for the person who will use it every day. The aim is to make the client feel informed and involved, with Ross and Jodie remaining present from the initial concept through to completion.
Their ambitions for Evergreen are deliberately focused. They want the studio to become a useful hub for the local design and building community, with networking events bringing tradespeople, architects and other businesses together. They also want it to feel accessible to families, with a dedicated children’s area and an atmosphere in which clients can take their time.
That sense of openness extends to the people Evergreen hopes to serve. The studio is intended for local residents, people moving to Cornwall and those buying or renovating second homes. Ross and Jodie recognise the economic importance of the second-home market while wanting local clients to feel equally welcome.
The business is rooted in Cornwall, too. Both founders grew up in south-east Cornwall before moving to Bodmin, where they have lived for several years. Their ambition is not to create a chain of showrooms, but to build a reputation for considered design, honest pricing and dependable service.
For a business concerned with creating beautiful interiors, Evergreen’s most distinctive material may ultimately be trust. Projects can encounter problems; supply chains can introduce variables and installations rarely unfold with absolute predictability. What matters, Ross says, is how those problems are handled.
It is a straightforward philosophy, but one that makes the relationship between designer and client paramount.
