If you’ve ever wondered how a busy interior designer spends their day or mused on how they create the sensational show home looks, you’re not alone. It’s something Redrow’s interior design manager, Emma Brindley, is regularly quizzed on by friends and colleagues, as well as Redrow customers. In her specially created blog for New Homes Week, Emma tells us what makes for a ‘typical day’ in the life of this particularly busy interior designer…
There’s really no such thing as a typical day and a lot will depend on where we are in the show home design process.
If we’re researching trends and products to make sure Redrow’s show homes stay ahead of the curve, I could be visiting one of the many interior design shows at home or overseas, like London Design Week or the Maison & Objet international trade show in Paris.
Events like this really help us keep Redrow’s show homes on-trend. At Maison & Objet this year we saw emerging trends heavily influenced by the darker realms of the spectrum, with varying tones of black taking centre stage, complemented with bursts of kale green. We also saw sophisticated blush dominating sofa and chair fabrics, teamed with dark woods and metallic trims for a luxurious look. Look out for our take on these trends in some of Redrow’s newest show homes coming up.
Members of my team could be visiting one of our hand-picked suppliers to pick out items that will make our show homes extra special; or we might be fine-tuning our carefully researched personas, which we apply to every individual property style in the Redrow portfolio.
This helps us build up a picture of who might eventually live in that home – their job, their hobbies, where they shop, what car they drive, the age of any children and even their pets – which in turn helps us to create the perfect show home for their demographic. When it comes to styling our show homes, Redrow’s philosophy is to reflect how we really live. Every property is designed with its future owners in mind.
If we’re working on a specific show home project then we might have a series of meetings with the construction teams, who build the properties, and one of our design partners who will help us create the finished show homes. It’s very much a collective effort to create every one of our show homes.
We work with a small number of very talented interior design companies, who understand our ethos and so can meet our briefs to the standard we demand. When meeting with them we might be running through the design of a new show home room by room. As part of the process we might look at Farrow and Ball colour charts, for example, and select shades that mirror Redrow’s Heritage look and feel. We’ll put a great deal of thought into which fabrics work best with which paint colours and which furnishings and accessories work well together.
We’ll also liaise closely to choose the right kitchen cabinets and worktops, carpets and tiling, to complement the overall design scheme and ensure everything blends together seamlessly.
Time is always of the essence though as our relatively small in-house team is creating the blueprint for dozens of new show homes at any one time. We’re also creating show homes right across England and Wales so early starts and travel time frequently have to be built into the schedule.
Part of my day might involve a site visit to a new show home that’s recently been dressed. I’ll meet with the individual stylist for the final handover. We might make some last-minute tweaks to some elements but, generally at this stage, it’s about ensuring the property is ready to be unveiled to our customers in all its glory.
There are a hundred-and-one other things that fill my time on a daily basis, from reviewing design boards for a particular show home and providing feedback to the agency involved, to keeping 14 different sales teams updated on the progress of their next show homes, proof reading copy for our latest customer magazine or briefing photographers for a shoot to show off our designs.
It’s a demanding job but there is a great sense of satisfaction each time we launch a new show home and get great customer feedback. Redrow’s show homes are the shop window for our product and it’s important for our customers to feel at home from the moment they walk through the door.
There’s rarely ever a day to reflect though as no sooner has one show home door opened, then it’s on to the next project. A day in the life of an interior designer may be a busy one, but it’s certainly never dull!
To find your nearest Redrow show home search for your chosen development or location at www.redrow.co.uk.