A successful interior is not created by individual pieces of beautiful furniture, materials or colours. What matters is how many decisions work together – and a structured process that gradually transforms initial ideas into a cohesive overall concept. At Anlela Design in Zurich, we guide interior design projects from the initial analysis through concept development and detailed planning to implementation and final handover. Throughout this process, the property, its architectural characteristics, and our clients’ personal wishes and lifestyles remain at the heart of our work.
Interior Design from Zurich Begins with Listening
Every project begins with getting to know one another personally. Before discussing specific furniture, materials or colours, we want to understand how a space will be used, what requirements it needs to meet and what atmosphere our clients wish to create. The initial consultation therefore explores ideas, needs and objectives in detail. Personal preferences and individual lifestyles form an essential foundation for the design that follows.
At Anlela Design, this first phase also involves examining the property itself. During a site visit, we analyse existing structures, the current floor plan, natural light conditions and distinctive architectural features. Existing architectural drawings or initial furnishing ideas can also inform this assessment. The aim is to understand the space thoroughly before making design decisions.
Projects in Zurich and across Switzerland can have very different starting points: from high-end apartments and family homes to villas, and from new builds to existing properties. For us, an individual interior design concept therefore begins with the actual space and the people who will use it, rather than a predefined style.
From Requirements to an Individual Design Concept
Based on the analysis, we begin developing the spatial concept. The requirements gathered are now translated into a design direction. Moodboards, sketches and design drawings help make ideas visible and establish relationships between different elements.
Moodboards play an important role in this process. Colours, textures and moods can be brought together before individual decisions are finalised. This creates a shared visual foundation for the next stages of planning. At the same time, we develop the colour and material concept and consider how the different areas of the interior should work together.
For Anlela Design, interior design always means more than designing rooms in isolation. Proportions, furnishings, materials, lighting and existing architecture should form a harmonious whole. The aim is an interior that is aesthetically compelling while also meeting the needs of the property and the everyday lives of its residents.
3D Visualisations Provide a Clear Basis for Decisions
3D visualisations are an important part of the design phase. They translate floor plans, furnishing ideas, materials and spatial concepts into an accessible visual representation. Decisions therefore do not have to rely solely on abstract drawings or individual samples.
Our clients can see at an early stage how the planned interior could look as a whole. Furniture, surfaces, proportions and the spatial composition can be considered together. The visualisation thus provides a tangible basis for decisions within the planning process.
This phase is particularly valuable in high-end interior design projects because many design components depend on one another. A material does not create its effect in isolation, but through its interaction with light, furniture, adjacent surfaces and the proportions of the room.
Detailed Planning: Turning the Design into an Interior Ready for Implementation
Once the design direction has been defined, detailed planning begins. The interior is now developed with greater precision. Furnishings and fittings are specified in detail, high-quality furniture and accessories are selected, and bespoke furniture or custom-built joinery is developed where required.
Material selection is an integral part of this process. Colours, surfaces and different materials are combined to suit the overall concept, both functionally and aesthetically. Lighting and selected furnishings are also incorporated into the planning.
Some spaces require solutions that standard furniture cannot adequately provide. Where needed, Anlela Design therefore develops bespoke furniture and built-in elements tailored to the space, its use and the design concept. Founder Anna Lena Laufenberg’s background as a trained cabinetmaker brings an understanding of materials, construction and practical feasibility directly into these designs.
Coordination with Craftspeople, Suppliers and Project Partners
A high-quality interior consists of many individual elements that must ultimately work together precisely. Our work therefore extends beyond the design idea. During detailed planning, we coordinate with craftspeople, suppliers and other project partners, bringing together the different components of the project.
For bespoke furniture, for example, Anlela Design oversees the process from the first design ideas through material selection and detailed planning to production, working with selected workshops and specialist manufacturers in Switzerland and beyond. This helps ensure that the design intent is carried through into the finished pieces.
For our clients, this offers a significant advantage: furnishings, materials, bespoke built-in elements and other design decisions are coordinated within a shared overall concept.
Implementation and Personal Project Management
Once planning is complete, implementation begins. During this phase, Anlela Design coordinates construction, installation and craft work, providing personal on-site oversight. Schedules, budgets and quality are monitored as part of the project management process.
This phase demonstrates why a carefully developed plan matters. Many people contribute to different parts of a project. Our aim is to maintain the established design direction throughout implementation and coordinate the individual tasks.
Anlela Design therefore considers personal project management an integral part of the entire process – from the concept to final implementation. Close collaboration with craftspeople and suppliers helps bring materials, furnishings and workmanship together in line with the planned quality standards.
From Zurich to the Completed Space
A clearly defined interior design process provides guidance, even though every project is individual. Assessing requirements and getting to know our clients form the foundation. These are followed by the design concept and visualisation, then detailed planning and furnishing, and finally implementation and project management.
At Anlela Design, this structure allows us to make decisions in context. A floor plan influences the furnishings, the furnishings influence circulation and proportions, materials change the atmosphere, and lighting shapes how they are perceived. Only when these elements are considered together does an interior emerge that works as a whole.
From our studio in Zurich, we develop and oversee bespoke interior design projects for private and commercial spaces in Switzerland and beyond. We combine creative vision, technical precision and a considered approach to materials with a clearly structured planning process.
The Handover Is the Result of Many Carefully Coordinated Decisions
The process concludes with the finishing touches and the handover of the completed project. What began in the first consultation as wishes, requirements and initial ideas can now be experienced as a real space.
For us, the quality of an interior design project lies in this journey: first understanding attentively, then developing the concept, making decisions visible, refining the details and consistently overseeing implementation. The result is a space whose architecture, furnishings, materials and use are connected in a cohesive whole.
Are you planning a new build or renovation, or looking to redesign your existing spaces? Anlela Design guides interior design projects in Zurich and across Switzerland through a clearly structured process – from the personal initial consultation to the handover of the completed project.