Most of these are things people email me before they book. If your question isn’t here, email me at jacqueline@thegladedesign.com and I’ll answer it — and probably add it to this page.
Working with me
Which service do I actually need?
Short version: if the problem is one room that doesn’t work, start with Fix My Floor Plan. If you’ve got a list of decisions and you want to talk them through, book a Design Consultation.
Fix My Floor Plan is a layout review of a single room — you send it over, I send back sketches and a written recommendation. No meeting, no calendar juggling. $297 a room.
A Design Consultation is 90 minutes on your whole place: layout, colours, materials, joinery, storage, or just a sanity check before you spend money on something you can’t undo. $550, online, wherever you are.
If you’re not sure, buy the floor plan review. It’s the cheaper way to find out.
Do I have to be in Melbourne?
Only for in-home consultations, which I keep to Melbourne’s south-eastern suburbs. Everything else — the online consultation, Fix My Floor Plan, the digital guides — works anywhere in the world.
Honestly, I prefer online anyway. You can share your plans on screen, I can mark things up as we talk, and nobody loses an hour to traffic.
I’m overseas. Does the time difference make this hard?
No. I work with clients in other time zones regularly and the booking calendar only shows you times that work at both ends. You’ll see your own local time when you book.
Do you take on full design projects?
I do, on a select basis. Full design is a long relationship — months of decisions, trades and detail — so I take on a small number of projects at a time and give each one my full attention. It matters that the house and I are a good fit, so it always starts with a conversation rather than a price list.
If that’s what you’re after, email me at jacqueline@thegladedesign.com with a bit about the project and I’ll reply within two business days.
What don’t you do?
I give interior design advice — layout, spatial planning, joinery, finishes, styling. I’m not a structural engineer, building surveyor, or a plumbing, electrical or gas designer, and I don’t give legal or planning advice.
So if a recommendation of mine touches a wall that might be structural, or moves a services point, that goes to the relevant qualified person before anything gets built. Compliance with the National Construction Code, council requirements and body corporate rules stays with you and your builder. That’s not me being cautious for the sake of it — it’s the line every designer works to.
Fix My Floor Plan — $297 per room
What do I actually get back?
Two things, together.
Clear layout sketches — drawn to your room, showing where everything sits: furniture, circulation, joinery, the lot. Not a rough scribble on your photo.
A written recommendation that goes with them, in plain language: what’s making the room feel awkward, what I’d change and why, sizes and clearances to work to, and the practical next steps in the order I’d do them.
The drawing shows you the answer. The writing tells you why it’s the answer, which is the part you need when you’re standing in a showroom or talking to a builder.
Where a room has more than one good answer, I’ll often draw more than one so you can see the trade-offs side by side. Some spaces have two or three sensible layouts; some have exactly one. It depends on your room and your brief, so I won’t promise a number up front — but I’d rather show you the options than pick for you.
Is it a 3D render? Can my builder build from it?
The sketches are design drawings — they show layout, sizing and how the space works. They aren’t architectural or construction documentation, engineering drawings or 3D renderings.
In practice they’re exactly what you hand a kitchen company, a joiner or a builder to say this is what I want — and then they produce their own shop or construction drawings from it. That’s the normal order of things.
What do you need from me?
A floor plan or a sketch with rough measurements, a few photos, and a short questionnaire about what’s not working and how you actually use the room. The questionnaire comes to you straight after you buy.
I don’t have a floor plan. Can I still do it?
Yes. A hand sketch with measurements is fine — width, length, ceiling height, and where the doors, windows and power points are. Take your time getting the measurements right; that part matters far more than how neat the drawing is.
How long does it take?
Five to seven business days. That clock starts when I have your completed questionnaire and everything I need — not the moment you pay. If something’s missing I’ll email you, and the sooner you send it back the sooner you get your review.
I’ve got three rooms that don’t work. Do I buy it three times?
You select the number of rooms at checkout. Worth knowing: if the rooms open into each other, a single open-plan zone usually counts as one space, not three. If you’re not sure how to count yours, email me before you buy rather than after.
Will you tell me to knock out walls?
That’s up to you, and it’s one of the questions I ask before I start.
If the wall is staying — budget, structure, heritage, or you simply don’t want the disruption — say so and I’ll design around it. Plenty of the projects I’ve published kept the layout and the services exactly where they were and still ended up working far better. Moving a wall is the expensive answer and it’s rarely the first one I reach for.
If opening it up is on the table, tell me that instead and I’ll usually show you both: what the room becomes if the wall goes, and what it becomes if it stays. Then you can weigh the difference against the cost rather than guessing at it.
Either way, if something structural is involved I’ll flag it and tell you who needs to look at it before anything gets touched.
Can I ask you questions once I’ve read it?
Yes, on anything that isn’t clear in what I’ve sent. If it turns into a second round of design work, that’s a consultation.
Design Consultation — $550 online, $700 in-home
What happens in the 90 minutes?
We talk about your space and I give you real answers. Colour schemes and direction, materials and finishes, furniture layout and sizing, space planning, joinery — kitchens, wardrobes, built-ins — storage, styling, or a review of an architect’s floor plan before you sign off on it.
You send through photos, plans and a short survey when you book, and I go through all of it before we speak. That’s the difference between 90 minutes of useful advice and 90 minutes of me getting up to speed.
Do I need to have decided anything first?
No. A lot of people book precisely because they can’t decide. Bring the mess — the half-formed ideas, the three quotes that don’t match, the paint samples you hate. That’s normal.
I’m thinking of buying a house. Can I book about a place I don’t own yet?
Yes, and it’s one of the better uses of a consultation. Bring the listing floor plan and photos and we’ll talk about what the place can and can’t become, and what it would realistically take. Much cheaper than finding out afterwards.
Can my partner or builder join?
Please do. It saves the game of telephone afterwards.
Do I get anything in writing?
Yes. You don’t have to frantically take notes while I’m talking.
We use the 90 minutes properly — often sketching as we go, playing with colours on screen, working through inspiration images and looking at real products. Afterwards I send you my working notes from the session, along with whatever came out of it: the sketches, the colour direction, links to the materials and suppliers I’ve recommended, and where to find the pieces we talked about.
I send through as much of it as I can, so you’re left with something you can act on rather than a memory of a nice conversation.
What if I need to reschedule?
- More than 48 hours before: full refund, less any non-refundable payment processing fees.
- 24–48 hours before: one free reschedule, or a 50% refund.
- Less than 24 hours before: no refund.
- If I have to cancel: you choose — full refund or a new time.
Missed appointments with no notice are non-refundable. Full detail is on the Refund and Returns Policy.
Digital products
What format are they, and how do I get them?
PDFs. The download link appears on the confirmation screen the moment you pay, and the same link is emailed to you — so save that email somewhere you’ll find it again.
Is anything posted to me?
No. Everything I sell is digital, so there’s no postage, no delivery charge and nothing to wait for in the mail. International customers don’t have customs or duty to think about either.
I’m not in Australia. Is the Kitchen Layout Dictionary still useful?
Yes. Layout logic doesn’t change with the postcode — how you move through a kitchen, where the landing zones need to be, which shapes work in which rooms. Some of the standard sizes are quoted to Australian conventions, so check appliance dimensions against what’s sold where you live. Everything else applies as-is.
Can I get a refund on a digital product?
Digital product sales are final, because you get the whole thing the second you buy it. That doesn’t affect your rights under Australian Consumer Law. If a download won’t work, email me and I’ll sort it out.
Money and the practical bits
What currency are prices in?
Australian dollars, including GST where it applies. If you’re overseas your card will convert at whatever rate your bank uses on the day.
When do I pay?
In full at the time of booking or purchase.
Do I get a discount if I book more than one thing?
No. The prices are the prices.
Do you earn commission on the products you recommend?
On the blog, sometimes — some of the shopping links are affiliate links, which means I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you, and there’s usually a discount attached for using the link. It’s set out on the Affiliate and Advertising Disclosure page.
In a paid consultation or floor plan review, no. You get what I actually think.
How do I get in touch?
jacqueline@thegladedesign.com. I answer within two business days.
Still not sure what’s right for your own place?
That’s the part I do — and there are two ways in, depending on how much you need sorted.
Fix My Floor Plan — $297 a room. Send me your floor plan and a few photos. I’ll tell you what I’d change: where the furniture goes, what’s making the room feel awkward, and the practical next steps to fix it. Back with you in 5–7 business days, and there’s not a single meeting involved.
Or a Design Consultation — $550. Ninety minutes on your whole space: layout, colours, materials, joinery, storage, or just a second opinion before you commit to something expensive. Online, wherever you are in the world.