DE S IGN CENTRE
Schubert agrees, pinpointing the moment as when the early stages
of a job have been delivered, when pieces are installed or paint goes on the walls, and clients can visualise the outcome. He cites an arts & crafts house in London, where a client initially wasn’t convinced by his suggestion of red faux marble for the living room fireplace, as a case in point. “In the end I said, ‘if you don’t like it, I’ll pay to put it back to how it was’.” Sometimes that’s the level you have to go to, to show how much you believe in something. “Perhaps an even greater instance of trust though, is a recent Salvesen Graham client who agreed to putting a large-scale floral design from the duo’s first collection of wallpaper (at the time unreleased) on their bathroom wall – without seeing a sample. An interior designer’s role is special in that they are often the only
professional – unlike an architect or builder, say – to see a project through from beginning to end, which can mean it falls to them to initiate uncomfortable conversations, whether about delays or budget. “It’s helpful that we can view the whole project holistically and, because we have that personal relationship, we’re in a good position to help clients overcome any hurdles,” says Graham. Milan-based Eric Egan, who is behind design firm L’Artigianato,
always asks clients to define their project scope and proposed budget at the get-go. “Rarely do these align, and then we work with them to understand whether we adjust the scope, the budget or a bit of both. Often, when a client has a budget that cannot be exceeded, and a scope which they do not want to reduce, we suggest breaking the project into phases, so that they can do it in sections, properly,” he says sensibly. Like many interior design studios, Elliott Barnes Interiors in
Paris has a portfolio of both residential and commercial clients and the two are not always dissimilar. Barnes is currently mid- way through a project for champagne estate Billecart-Salmon which involves renovating the headquarters and two suites of the chateau. “Of course, it is different because you need to capture within a space the essence of what that particular brand is, but with Billecart-Salmon, my client is the seventh-generation CEO so it’s still a family project,” explains Elliott. “Conveying that heritage is as delicate as designing a private living room.” Whatever the type of client, for Mike Fisher, founder of
multidisciplinary practice Studio Indigo, “it’s important to realise that some want to be led while others want to be active in the design process. When choosing an interior designer, it’s about getting that personal chemistry right – and of course, it works both ways.” While it’s important for clients to feel that their needs are met, designers also aim for an end product that they can be proud of. “I want to embody a client’s taste but it should also be an expression of my creativity. To do that we have to have creative collaboration,” agrees Schubert. Often, having completed one project, a client will go on to
commission another. “I can think of one client whose two houses we designed in London; this was followed by the country house, then properties in New York and Switzerland. We started each project afresh, as a different journey,” confirms Fisher. While at Taylor Howes, over half the studio’s current projects are for previous clients. “Working for an existing client is easier the second time around,” says studio founder, Karen Howes. “We have already been through the learning phases which leaves us even more confident and excited to deliver a design we know they will love. However, we do like to push the boundaries and propose out- of-the-box ideas. Then they discover what they truly want.”
ABOVE, TOP TO BOTTOM: US-born, Paris-based Elliott Barnes’ recent work includes renovating the HQ of champagne house Billecart-Salmon, a project that was both a commercial branding exercise and highly personal, being driven by the seventh-generation CEO; a Holland Park family home by Taylor Howes, with a soft, calm colour palette and fabrics and trimmings by Dedar, Lelièvre Paris and Zimmer + Rohde. The chandelier is Donghia’s ‘Renaldo’
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© Elodie Dupuis
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