Kevin Hall Interiors LTD

09/05/2026

Today’s my birthday, and I gave myself a gift I’ve been avoiding for years: a good microphone.

For most of my career I’ve stood behind the pen, the sketch, the specification. Comfortable being the person who makes a room speak, not the person speaking in it. Being on camera is my kryptonite. But this is a new season, and growth doesn’t wait for comfort.

Over the next month, I’m stepping in front of the lens to visit the local artists, craftspeople, brokers, builders, architects, and vendors who make this design world what it is, and share what’s available: the materials, the makers, the possibilities.

It’s uncomfortable. It’s also exactly the gate I need to walk through to get to what I actually want: peace, space, art, health.

Happy birthday to me. Let’s get to work.

08/09/2026

GiveWise BC Wildfire Relief Fund
GiveWise vets Canadian charities working on the ground and grants funds for both immediate relief and long-term rebuilding.  Donate at givewise.ca/wildfire-relief-fund.

A few notes: verify you’re on the official domain before entering payment info (scammers often clone disaster-relief pages), and if you want a tax receipt, always include your contact details as instructed.

07/23/2026

Most homeowners call a contractor first. It is the obvious move, they are the ones who build the thing.

The trouble is that a contractor cannot price a project that does not fully exist yet. The quote fills up with allowances, and the real design decisions end up getting made mid build, on site, with trades waiting.

New in the Design Library: when contractor first is perfectly reasonable, when it is not, and the one question that tells you which situation you are in.

https://kevinhallinteriorsltd.ca/designer-or-contractor-first/

07/22/2026

New in my Design Library: what it actually means when a designer takes no commissions. If you've ever wondered whether the way a designer gets paid shapes what they recommend, this one's for you.

Read it here: https://kevinhallinteriorsltd.ca/independent-representation/

More articles like this at https://kevinhallinteriorsltd.ca/blog/

Interior design and renovation notes from Kevin Hall Interiors, a Vancouver practice: budgets, hiring a designer, and living with art.

07/17/2026

Art is not the finishing touch in a home, it is the first decision.

My latest piece was written after an afternoon at Art Works Gallery's 40th anniversary show, featuring Janine Breck's Leap of Faith.

When you picture your favorite room, is there a piece of art in it? Tell me about it.

kevinhallinteriorsltd.ca/art-in-interior-design

https://www.facebook.com/ArtWorksVan

Art is not the finishing touch in a home, it is the first decision. A designer's case for choosing art early and letting the room follow.

07/12/2026

The Journal is live: a running series where I answer the interior design questions people are usually too polite to ask.

First up, why budgets break before the build even begins.

What would you want me to tackle next?

https://kevinhallinteriorsltd.ca/blog/

07/11/2026

Most renovations are over budget before construction even starts.
Solving that is the entire reason this practice exists.

Kevin Hall Interiors is officially live: a Vancouver, BC studio built on one idea, that the whole interior should be defined and priced before a single wall goes up.

Define early. Price accurately. Build with clarity.

If you are planning a renovation or a custom build, what worries you most about the budget? Tell me below, and share this with someone who is about to start.

https://kevinhallinteriorsltd.ca

06/24/2026

Something came up in a conversation with a builder this week that I think homeowners planning a renovation should know.

The builder described their pre-construction services as coordinating architects, designers, and permit processors. That is trade scheduling. Every general contractor does it. It is their core business. Describing it as a pre-construction service makes it sound like a value-add when it is not.

Here is what pre-construction services actually are when a designer provides them:
Every finish is fully specified before construction starts.
Tile layouts are drawn.
Cabinetry is detailed.
Lighting is coordinated with the ceiling plan.
Long-lead materials are identified early.
Your contractor has everything they need to give you an accurate quote.

That matters because most renovation budget overruns do not happen from bad contractors. They happen from decisions that were not made before construction started, and got made under pressure, mid-build, when every option is more expensive.

Has anyone had that experience, costs creeping because things were not decided upfront?

Kevin Hall Interiors Ltd. | Vancouver
[email protected] | www.kevinhallinteriorsltd.ca

06/21/2026

Design-Build has become enormously popular in Vancouver renovations. One contract, one team, built-in coordination. I understand why it appeals.

But there is something worth knowing before you sign.

The finish selections you will be shown, the tile options, the cabinetry lines, the fixture choices, were assembled before your first conversation with the designer. They reflect the contractor's supplier relationships, margins, and supply chain. The designer presents them to you. They are not starting from your life.

Again, this is a legitimate way to build. Many people are satisfied with the results. But it is not the same as working with an independent designer whose only loyalty is to your project.

An independent designer begins with how you live, what you need the space to do, and what you want to feel when you walk in. Everything else follows from that.

Did anyone go through a Design-Build process and feel like the options were more limited than expected?

Kevin Hall Interiors Ltd. | Vancouver
[email protected] | www.kevinhallinteriorsltd.ca

06/20/2026

When something goes wrong on a project, my client hears about it from me first. Not from the contractor. Not after I've found a way to spin it. From me, before they ever have a chance to notice on their own.

Thirty years doing this work, and mistakes still happen. A material gets delayed. A trade misunderstands the spec. Something I pictured one way doesn't land the way I planned. That's the nature of building anything real.

What matters is what happens next. I call. I tell you what went wrong, what I know, and what I'm doing to fix it. No managing the story. No waiting to see if you catch it first.

I hold myself to the same standard I'd want from anyone working in my own home. Anything less isn't worth much.

Kevin Hall Interiors; Post 4 of 10
Photo by Greg Rakozy on Unsplash