Spatial Design is a fundamental part of Elite Pubs and the experience our customers have from start to finish. Creating a warm, cosy, inviting space is essential in making people feel at home when they dine with us.
So what does the job of Spatial Designer for Elite Pubs involve?
Well, it’s an extremely varied job, no day is the same. But here’s an overview of tasks and jobs:
- Ensuring all pubs are looking their best all year round, interior and exterior aspects. Interior meaning, furniture, the look and feel of the pub, general maintenance and cleanliness which can include deep cleaning of restaurant floors and upholstery. Exterior meaning gardens and outside spaces. Are they ready for summer, is the garden suitable for families/children? Potting seasonal flowers, working alongside our gardener to ensure gardens are extremely well maintained during peak summer seasons.
- Seasonal planning during the summer months making sure the restaurants will be ready for winter e.g. getting the flowers changed in Autumn, finishing refurbishments. Interior work happens in summer when fewer customers are in the pubs to make renovations as stress-free and seamless as possible. Even things like the car parks need to be maintained throughout the year.
- Christmas and other seasonal events will be handled by our Spatial Designer.
- Refurbishments and staying on-trend. If there are any areas that are not fit for purpose these are changed. E.g. The Scotney Room at The Vineyard. This was run down, dark and a bit sad. It desperately needed a lift so we revised the room, gave it a bright lick of paint and some more interesting textiles and now it’s a bright, inviting space to dine.
- A lot of site visits are involved. Looking at any major refurbishments that may need doing and when they should be done. Starts of by looking for any inconsistencies. Asking questions like, is this fit for purpose? Does this work? How does this make the customer feel?
- Making sure all decisions affect the pub’s literal movement in a positive way.
- Making sure all colours and materials are appropriate. For a pub, we need to make sure all materials can be thoroughly cleaned.
Here are some brands that we absolutely LOVE using.
- Farrow & Ball for paint – it’s just the best!
- Lindwood for fabrics
- Sunbury for fabrics
- Sanderson for fabrics
Not only do we make sure that all of our fabrics, paint, materials, furniture etc are of excellent quality. We also make sure they’re super durable – we want them to last! This also means choosing timeless pieces that will be fashionable for many years to come – we don’t want to be increasing our carbon footprint for no reason!
In terms of style, Elite Pubs likes to keep to down to earth and humble styles. We’re traditional but comfortably stylish. Comfort is our priority. You’ll notice a lot of ‘outside in’ natural materials like foliage and wood, warm colours deep green and blue but we’re also not afraid of a bold print!
We had a chat with our Spatial Designer, Emily, about her favourite parts of the job. Here’s what she had to say;
“No one day is the same, I’m always at a different venue or work space working with different people. I also enjoy being in the pubs with the teams, watching them work, seeing how they use the space and what I can do to improve customer experience but also theirs. One of my absolute favourite parts is solving a problem, whether that’s with the maintenance team or the pub. The team effort is amazing and no one ever lets the other down. There is a lot of job satisfaction when a problem is solved for the pubs. I’m here to make their lives easier and it’s fab when I get to see that pay off.”
Is Spatial Design something you’ve always dreamed of doing but not sure where to start? Here’s some advice on getting your foot in the door;
As much as having a directly related degree can help get your CV seen, you don’t necessarily need qualifications to be an interior designer. Qualifications look good on a CV but until you can prove your creative flare and prove experience you’re unlikely to make it big time – it’s a super hard industry to get into.
You need to be different, push boundaries and stand out to be a freelance interior designer. What can you offer that others can’t? A good tip for anyone seeking a similar role would be to get some sort of diploma/course in it first but don’t stress about having a degree. No matter how long your course is or qualification you’ll learn to use CAD (computer-aided design) which is an amazing skill to have especially if you can use it right. Not a lot of use having a creative mind and vision and not be able to put it onto paper. We’d also recommend learning Vector Works or Sketch Up.
Definitely get a portfolio together. Collate work from either small freelance jobs or even just ideas you’ve had and made up. Those tips are pretty standard so the last advice we’d give is to get yourself on LinkedIn and make your profile fun. You’re creative so make sure people remember your profile. Connect connect connect, with everyone, like, share, comment, be as active online as possible so your name starts sticking in people’s minds. Another good tip is to create a creative CV. This is your first opportunity to show clients/employers your design skills!
