An expert answers your questions on commercial interior design

ArchiPro: What is most important when starting a new project?

Bradley Keys: With Spaceworks, 70% of our work is repeat customers. For us as a business, it's actually understanding what the outcome will be and why they are doing the project. Is it an increase in revenue, or is it staff retention? Or do they want to expand their business? It's really about understanding the key benefits to the client and then we can work from there. Where the client is trying to find a business or a design partner, we believe that while there is the element of aesthetics – such as in restaurants to help retain people in the space – it is also about understanding what the business requires and why they are doing it.

AP: How does someone embarking on a project know that you're the right match?

BK: When someone chooses us, we take the time to understand their business and we can provide relevant experience in their market. With a lot of our hospitality projects, we can actually show our client what their increased revenue was post refit or post the new additions. We have some really tangible numbers around office, retail and hospitality of the benefits to why they should do something – proven experience with data behind it.

The internal processes that we have for our clients ensure that there are checkpoints through the process – there's cost analysis to ensure we're delivering a project on time and on budget. We get a lot of projects over the line because we understand what they're trying to achieve.

AP: What is the process of working with Spaceworks?

BK: We do the complete service and we’re very flexible in terms of what services we can provide.

1. The client services team would initially either make contact or receive contact from a client, and we would meet with them. In that meeting, we would sit down and get a high-level brief of what they’re looking to achieve in the space. 

2. From there we put together a very comprehensive proposal that is broken down into about 30 stages – we are very transparent in what we do. We would then put our hourly rate against everything, as we are designers and architects by trade, so we have a full understanding of how long we’re going to take with each process.

3. A proposal is put together, and this is always turned around within 24 hours. We like to present the proposal in person so the clients can get a full understanding of what’s been allowed for and what hasn’t. We will quote a full turnkey solution.

4. After this, everything is done via our online portal. Clients can download our app for Spaceworks and have access to all of the information.

5. Once everything is signed off, the client services team will take the senior designers to the project for a meeting where the brief will go into more detail. They will then go away and complete the design process, including a full plan with the look and feel of what it will eventually look like in terms of materiality. Cost will then be the first checkpoint.

AP: What is Spaceworks’ design philosophy?

BK: We implement our client’s vision, not our vision. We are just helping them, in best practice, to implement their vision. We have a saying in the office that we do award-winning design, whether we enter it in a competition or not.

AP: What is your best advice for commercial interior design?

BK: Understand the end user of your space and work backwards from there so that they are always at the forefront of mind.

Learn more about Spaceworks' projects.