SBID are delighted to launch a new blog series designed to dig beneath the surface of the interior design industry, exploring the personal journeys of professional, practising interior designers across this diverse, far-flung field. With the aim of peeling back the glamorous guise of interior design which extends much deeper than perception permits, we get the honest and exclusive insight on what it's really like working in the Interior Design industry as an interior designer.
For our first interview, we talk to Interior Designer and Director of HomeSmiths, Jacqui Smith, as she discusses her work-life balance, how she uncovered her lingering passion for interior design and her unusual route into the industry.
Can you describe your current job?
I run an interior design practice in Sussex with my husband David, working in healthcare and private residential.
What is your background and how did you get into interior design?
Since a young age I would decorate dolls' houses and spend hours rearranging my bedroom. Graduating from St Andrews with a degree in economics and maths I ended up in marketing but never felt that I fitted. My free time would be spent on all things interiors be it my own home or those of friends. I met my husband, David who at the time was a cabinet maker. Friends would say, 'wow you two could work together'. With impostor syndrome looming I did not see how at the time but then we decided to set up HomeSmiths as a bespoke furniture business. Clients would ask David for advice on colour and that's how it all started for me. People responded well to my ideas so I decided to take some courses, build up a portfolio and very quickly our client base grew. In 2007 we closed the workshop and focused purely on interior design. David still designs furniture but is no longer behind the bench.
Describe an average day in your job role...
I am very much a morning person. Assuming I am not due on site early I will start my day with at least 15 minutes of exercise before breakfast. This wakes me up, clears my brain and definitely helps me focus during the day. Usually at my desk for 8am, I like to have clear chunks of time for my design work rather than dipping in and out so I tend to clear my bitty jobs first. Running a number of projects at any one time those small jobs can take my brain into lots of different places so by clearing those first I can then focus on designing with a clear mental desk! Lunch sometimes involves a walk, it depends on the day but I never miss lunch and make a point of stopping rather than eating at my desk. I aim to finish at 6/6.30pm. Six years ago I lost the sight in my left eye. Before this happened I would often work late but these days I am too tired to do this consistently. There will be the odd time when I am working on a deadline which keeps me in the office until 9pm, but any later than that I find is complete false economy as I tend to sleep poorly and feel less on it the next day. After work I cook dinner, I might go for a walk or just relax with David and my two teenage sons. Family time is really important to me.
Which elements of your profession do you enjoy the most and/or find the most rewarding?
I LOVE working in healthcare design. The built environment can have a massive impact on a person's health and well-being and support them from a sensory and cognitive perspective. Well designed living spaces keep people independent for longer and everyone benefits from that. When I see the community's residents use the built-in spaces that I have designed, that's a wonderful moment. Not from an ego perspective since I genuinely feel that there is no place for ego in healthcare design, but as pure job satisfaction.
What do you find the most challenging aspects of your job?
Being let down by suppliers, dealing with constantly moving fit out dates and trying to keep everyone happy. I am not a fan of confrontation. When I shared this once with a rep she told me that I was in the wrong job! I have got tougher over the years but I don't feel the need to throw my weight around and I feel that our clients and suppliers respect me for that. I care about our clients, our team and am a very fair person and at all times professional, so when met with unreasonable behaviour, I can struggle.
"Interior design is not about the latest kitchen or the most expensive wall covering, it's about creating environments that people want to spend time in..."
What do you wish you knew before working in the field?
I do think I went into it with my eyes wide open. I do love a spreadsheet and the paperwork side has never phased me. Some designers I know who have closed their businesses will say that they found the admin/planning side too onerous. The reality is that interior design is hard work, stressful at times and rarely glamorous, but I knew that from the start so my expectations were fully managed!
What would you tell your younger self if you had the chance?
Believe in yourself. A talented New York designer who was an ex-banker once told me that to be a successful interior designer you need to be "great with colour, organised and smart", and I would add to that - good with people. Had someone told me that when I started out I would have felt more confident in the early days.
What has been your favourite project to work on?
On residential, a country house in East Sussex and on healthcare - that's a hard one, but I would probably say a dementia home in Ipswich.
What do you think is the biggest problem the interior design industry faces?
Brexit! I know that's potentially a predictable response but I feel that people in the private residential market are more cautious at the moment and in healthcare we have had projects delayed, pared back or clients have felt that they can save on the engagement of a professional and do it themselves.
Which people do you admire the most in the industry and why?
I admire any designer who is down to earth, authentic and hard working. Interior design is not about the latest kitchen or the most expensive wall covering, it's about creating environments that people want to spend time in but crucially, ones that work, ones that make day to day living easier. A room can look stunning but if the needs of the people spending time in it have not been considered then that's not interior design, and the needs of people in the space is so incredibly important in healthcare design.
If you were inspired by Jacqui's story and want to find out more about interior design and the role of an interior designer, click here.
For many interior designers, life at home and life at work are one and the same. Some spend long hours at an office, while others blur the lines between their job and life by working from home. Dedication as an entrepreneur is essential, but at a certain point, everyone needs to find a way to feel like more than just his or her professional title. Here are five tips to help you develop a balance between work and life in the realm of interior design.
1. Understand Your Limits. From designing to client relationship management and keeping up with small-business trends, interior designers may easily find themselves working long hours each day and into the night. Small-business owners and freelancers often throw themselves into their work, thinking that the success of an enterprise depends entirely upon them.
Working long hours when a deadline is approaching is logical, but consistently pulling 12-hour shifts for months on end will likely result in burnout. As any interior designer knows, it’s difficult to be creative and produce high-quality work when feeling like you’re at the end of your rope. Rather than overdoing it, Forbes recommends protecting your private time, such as when taking walks, driving to meet clients, or even grabbing a quick bite to eat in between searching for design materials.
Even with designated time to take a mental break, long days can still be exhausting. If you find yourself getting toward your maximum work abilities, remember that it’s okay to say no. There’s no rule that says you need to take on every design opportunity that comes your way, at least not right away. Tell a client you’d be happy to take on a project—starting next week.
2. Create a Schedule. Many people envy interior designers who work from home; they can set their own hours, dress how they please, and are free of the burden of a morning commute. However, there are some downfalls to operating from home. As opposed to onsite staffers, who leave an office and can immediately mentally detach themselves from work, self-employed or home-based interior designers live where they work.
That’s why it’s particularly important to set a work schedule while at home. Whether a designer prefers to wake up early and begin working or meeting clients at their homes for consultations by 8 a.m. or would prefer to sleep in later and take more evening appointments, the important thing is to establish a steady schedule, and adhere to it.
Use time-management techniques and schedule time specifically for searching for fabrics and other materials, schedule another allotment for returning client emails, and set an end time to your workday. Then stick to it. That might mean calling it quits while in the middle of a search for the perfect light fixture for a home, or emailing a client that you’ll get back to them with a full update the next morning.
It may be difficult to step away at the end of the day, but soon this will become a habit that will keep you healthier, happier, and more balanced.
3. Designate Space. Creating a home office that is conducive to productivity can make a huge difference in attempting to strike a home and life balance. A small spare room is perfect for an office where an interior designer can spend their time and even meet with clients; then once they’ve completed their work, they can shut the door to their office, marking the end of a workday. A home office is another great place to show off your eye for style, and clients who meet you at your office will be able to see how effective design can be when you’re in charge. Check out Janelle McCulloch’s Library of Design blog for design insights and home-office tips.
Some find it too difficult to fully separate home and work life when designing in their living room or even a spare office. For those designers, shared workspaces are a great option. Shared workspaces are designed for freelance and independent workers; interior designers can rent out a desk in a communal space where others will also be working. You can reserve a desk for a day, week, or even months, and you will be able to keep your physical home separate from work.
4. Get Organized. You’re a creative, dynamic interior designer managing a small business, and… your workspace is a mess. You have fabric samples in stacks on your desk, binders full of design ideas on top of a spare chair, and notes stuck to your computer monitor reminding yourself to call to vendors. One of the easiest ways to free up time for a healthy home life is to keep work documents, files, and contacts neat and orderly. Use binders to store contracts, keep the surface of your desk tidy, and clean up your hard drive.
Take an afternoon to look through your desktop and sort everything out. Designate folders for projects by client name, and label important emails so you never have to spend precious time searching through disorganized files again. If you don’t use this method already, try setting reminders for yourself using an online calendar that you can access from your office or on your phone. It’s amazing how many hours a bit of organization will free up, leaving time for family and friends.
5. Develop New Passions. Working as a freelance interior designer or running a small firm requires passion and dedication, which is why it’s no surprise that it’s hard for many designers to think of anything else. However, to find a balance between life and work, it’s important to consider life outside the world of design.
Think about something you’ve always wanted to try, or a hobby you used to have when you were a kid. Now get out of the house and do it. Take a painting class, go for a run, or become a member at a museum and keep up with new exhibits. Not only will these activities help you feel balanced and relaxed, they’ll also clear your head. When you return to your desk the next day, you’ll feel refreshed and ready to take on a new day of design.
How do you balance work and home life? What do you do to make sure you step away from your desk at the end of the day? Let us know in the comments below.
Author Anne Bouleanu, Line//Shape//Space
As an interior designer I am always on the lookout for products designed with environmental consideration in mind. What better place to find such products than to visit the “ecobuild” exhibition held annually at the Excel, London.
This year again the event was buzzing with manufacturers showcasing their sustainable designs of new and innovative products and technologies, for the construction industry, lighting design, interior design and garden design.
Two products caught my attention this year as I wandered around the exhibition.
Beautiful hand made decorative lighting designed by Sarah Turner.
Sarah hand makes these decorative lights from every day waste plastic drinking bottles collected locally. You would not be able to tell where they originate from once the lighting had been created. They looked magnificent. After cleaning the bottles she sand blasts them to give the opaque look. They are then hand cut and sculpted in to decorative forms. Sarah uses her talent to help recycle just a few plastic bottles and thus contribute towards resolving problems of landfill site.
Timco wood is a wood plastic composite product made from 100% recycled wood chip and high-density plastics. This eco-friendly product is used for decking, cladding, fencing and balustrade system. It has the warm feel of wood with durability and water resistance of polyethylene plastic. As such the product is easy to install and it doesn’t splinter, rot or warp. It is also low maintenance and will look good for years to come.
The availability of the range of colours, materials and textures allows you to create many stunning contemporary as well as conventional looks.
The product is readily used in commercial environment but I would specify this product for busy, budget and time discerning families who prefer to spend their time enjoying the garden and family rather than worry about the maintenance and the condition of the decking, time and cost.
Written by interior designer Sangeeta Goyal
An excellent example of paint being a more adaptable choice than wallpaper occurred when the owner of a Grade I listed Mayfair Mansion wanted a very elegant, expensive, handmade wallpaper applied in the 44 foot stairwell, which had sweeping vertiginous curves.
Applying wallpaper would have proved to be an impossible task, due to the curves and the irregular surface. In the skilled hands of SBID accredited Glaze artists a pattern was created, inspired by paper found in the Victoria and Albert archive. The result was simply stunning. All the motifs, each one a 22 stage process, fit the 2,500 feet perfectly with not a join in sight.
Glaze Specialist Decoration have recently completed a fabulous project at The Dorchester Hotel in Park Lane, London. Ten highly skilled specialist decorators worked throughout the summer to bring the historic Gold Room back to its 1930’s glory.
Glaze artists recreated a beautiful summer sky using a fresh palate; this involved soft clouds, birds, and vines twisting around the gilded moon gold fretwork. The ruched curtains are in fact a trick of the eye, all painstakingly hand painted by one of their talented team. To complete the effect the cornice and pillar mouldings were decorated using moon gold leaf after a faux Verde Borgogna Lastra marble effect had been painted onto the original surfaces. The interior designer Alex Kravetz said at the end of the project: ‘Amazing work – I am very happy indeed and I hope to be working with the Glaze team again soon’.
One service that Glaze Specialist Decoration offers is historic conservation. One of their artists was responsible for recreating Queen Victoria’s hand painted Chinese silk wall paper. Needless to say this was a very unique request and they are more likely to be working on projects such as the Mayfair Mansion and the Dorchester Hotel.
As well as completing grand projects such as the Mayfair Mansion, Glaze have also had some amusing and slightly unusual requests. Recently, an artist was commissioned to disguise a bicycle shed in a stylish Westbourne Park Villa - a beautiful bamboo tree with falling leaves now disguises the bike shed, which is hidden beneath a set of stairs, creating a unique yet functional piece of art. This just goes to show that with the right product specification, all kinds of problems can be solved.
Glaze Specialist Decoration offer a first class service to Interior Designers, for both traditional and contemporary finishes as well as polished plaster.
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