Describe everyday use
Discuss who lives in the home, how they host, where they work and what they need to store. Separate daily routines from occasional events. This gives the plan a useful basis before furniture and decorative choices become the centre of discussion.
Draw the privacy boundaries
Identify family areas, guest rooms, shared living and quieter spaces. Review sightlines and circulation together, including the relationship with terraces and gardens where relevant. Privacy is a spatial question, not simply a choice of doors or curtains.
Record what stays
Collect available plans and photographs, and identify retained structure, finishes and furniture. Specialist conditions and approvals need their own review. The design brief should distinguish an aspiration from a condition that has been measured or confirmed.
Sequence the decisions
Agree the spatial plan before fixing detailed joinery, lighting and procurement. Record a budget framework and the preferred timing, then review them against the developing scope. A coordinated decision sequence helps protect the character of the home through delivery.