The Waves of Design
2017.12.29
No matter what industry you’r working in, open and effective communication is pinnacle to facilitate and improve any situation. In fact, communication is a major factor that contributes to the success of Artwill Interior Design House. Founder and Creative Director Regina Kowk and her team pride themselves on being good listerners, and believe that understanding the needs of her clients before working on the design is the most important element to achieve results that the client is happy with.
After graduating from university in Australia, Regina spent five years working in an interior design firm. In the early stages of Regina’s career, clients had always asked her to work independently for them, giving her the confidence to establish her company. “When Artwill was first founded, we only had three people working together. However, we insisted on our work and took the time to understand the need of our clients. Now, years later, we have 12 people in the company. However, we still emphasis the importance of collecting more information in the initial stages to come up with a design that meets the needs of our clients.”
After Artwill has won many awards in both local and international competitions, it further affirmed Regina and her team’s forte and strength. Even though Artwill’s client has expanded and their workload has gradually increased, Regina has not forgotten their working principle. “Every day we have to meet different clients with different needs. We need to analysis their preference and discover ways to meet their requirements, “she says “This is very challenging. If I can fulfill their requirements, then I am content. It motivates me to keep going and ignites my passion for interior design.”
When asked to describe Artwill’s standard consultation process, Regina adds that her search for inspiration is not only based on what the client says, but also delve deeper into their world. “I will have in depth conversations with my clients to find out their habits and their preferences for colours and materials,” she says. “I will also visit the flat in person to check the view and the surrounding environment.” Of course, the biggest challenge is to make sure that both parties have the same understanding of a specific design concept. “A client once said to me that he wanted a minimal design. After a few consultation sessions, I found that to him simplicity meant something different to what I had in mind,” Regina recalls, “So I did a lot of researches and shared many pictures with him. Finally, I realize that he ahd live in England and wanted a home with British accents.”
Having worked in interior design for more than a decade, Regina has witnessed many changes in the design industry. One of them is the application of new technology. “As technology advances, the design process has been improved. In the past, we drew the design plans by hand. If the clients had any opinions, we spent a lot of time to modify the sketches. Now, we utilize computer programmers to speed up the revisions and to generate 3D images that look more realistic.”
Finally, Regina advises to listen carefully and to ask relevant questions when trying to find a suitable design company. “The first step is to understand the background and the strength of the company,” Regina recommends, “You have to refer to their past designs and see if any of them strike a chord. Talk to the designers and see if you both have the same understanding of a concept. It will make the process smother in the long run.”
Author: Vivian Mak
Source: Squarefood Magazine
