BRIC: Week 1

Week 1

I felt a mix of anxiety and nerves beginning my first day of my placement with BRIC Interiors; entering the unknown world of the Interiors industry. Regardless, I wanted to commit to the task and set my alarm for 8:00am, after which I put on my most fashionable yet professional outfit, (bottom half up), and met the BRIC team via zoom. It was an extremely productive and fast paced week, but it was the main reason as to why I enjoyed it so much. I do feel it was strange to start an internship remotely, and it was definitely a more challenging social and information relaying system, as well as being stuck in the same place all day, meaning being motivated wasn’t necessarily something that came easily at first, however, I do feel that the trickier predicament allowed me to successfully work past this and excel whether it be in-person or remotely via zoom.

Client 1

On my first day, we had introductions from each other and then received our first briefs. My brief was to design a commercial office space in Edinburgh for high-end and exclusive clients, (BRIC often works with the top 1%, so luxury is an essential as a pose to the opposite. As my first project, luckily the requirements for these clients were pretty straight forward.

My week mostly contained the task of designing an office space and assuring that it would be ready for a client presentation,, which meant a significant number of SketchUp files, CAD files and renders. Additionally, this meant finding a concept and restarting multiple times to create something which passed the BRIC standard of luxury, style and attention to the client’s brief. Doing this allowed me to understand the ways of working in different styles and functions.

Requirements

1. 4 working and multi-functional zones

2. Podcast seating area

3. Bespoke Island for standing and sitting

4. Client area

By the end of the first day I had a first draft for Bally, (the director at BRIC Interiors), and Paul, (who works alongside Bally as the expansion manager), had a look and gave me guidance on how to proceed with the design. It was a positive experience and with some tweaking, by the end of the week we had a design that the client would love. Later in the week, Bally and Paul gave me the opportunity to present my design to the client. This allowed me to use the skills I learned from University to draw the client into the design and create a narrative for them to fall in love. The client loved the design the first time, with a few tweaks to the finishes of furnishing we had a completed design and so this was the ideal scenario for working with a commercial client.

After presenting the design to the client, I learned the key to confidently pitching your concept. By taking it easy, revising what I wanted to say, walking the client through the design and the design team’s thoughts behind it, they could understand each part of the design. Most importantly, to communicate with the client, to ensure you are aware of what they want and they understand what you’re willing to change within the design to benefit their space. It is also very important to manage time so that when presenting, you have everything ready for your client to review, all renders on screens, any products list in front of you and a pen and paper so that any changes can be noted down and fixed for the next call with your client. This is what will set you apart from other designers, having these organisational skills and showing your client you listen to everything they say to you.