Josie is talented, passionate and a great team player. She is a dynamic professional with a strong academic background. Her interior design skills are second-to-none. The combination of smart ideas with leadership qualities help her set and achieve high goals. Josie is the Creative Director of the Q Design House at Richmond of England.
Tell us a few things about your background/education. What made you choose your profession?
I had always loved design when I was younger and at school, but I was encouraged to take an academic route by parents and teachers - so when I left school I studied Politics, Philosophy & Economics at Durham University, and graduated in 2012. Having completed a few internships in other career paths - politics, PR, sales - I decided that I still ached to work in a design field and I had to give a design career a go. I enrolled at Chelsea College of Art, University of London, and completed a post-graduated course in Interior & Spatial Design. I worked in London for a number of award-winning Interior Design practices and co-founded Q Design House in 2018 with Michelle Katz. Michelle and I have been friends since we met at school in 2002. She took a different career path and worked as a management consultant in technology and luxury marketing before joining me in the design industry. We seek to combine both design and project management at the heart of what we do - to make the design process as stress free as possible for all of our clients.
What are your responsibilities as a Creative Director? Can you share the design process you follow?
As the Creative Director, I take the design brief from the client and lead the design process. At Q Design House we do not have a set style - we enjoy working with the client to determine their style preferences and creating a scheme that is truly unique to them. To do this, we firstly we go through a Concept Design phase in which we review different style and layout options with the client to determine the direction they want to take. Once the Concept Design has been approved, we refine the design and put together a much more detailed design which includes all finishes, fabrics, furniture specification, joinery design, etc.
What was the most significant moment in your career?
Our first completed project at Q Design House was nominated for the Interior Design & Architecture Awards and one that we will never forget as it was a stunning Chalet in Switzerland which blended all of our strengths in project management, interior architecture and interior design.
Have you ever turned down a client? If yes, why?
We work on projects of all shapes and sizes, so we like to try and take on small projects as well as large sometimes the small projects can be just as fun!
Who inspires you and why?
I am always taking inspiration from other designers – both interior, architectural and product. Reading magazines, scrolling through Instagram and pinning images on Pinterest is certainly an obsession of mine and always makes my head spin with new ideas.
Can you say a few words on how our services at High Q Renders have contributed to your work?
It is very helpful for us to be able to show our clients our designs in 3D - this gives our clients greater confidence in our designs and makes the decision process easier and less stressful for them. We enjoy working with High Q Renders because you create beautiful life-like images and are very efficient and fast-paced.
What makes your business model unique?
The combination of backgrounds that Michelle and I bring, with a specialty in management and design respectively, make us unique as we have a clear focus on project management alongside the design. This enables us to take on projects of all shapes and sizes and manage architects, contractors, structural engineers etc to provide a turn-key service with all design elements managed under one bracket making the process more seamless and less stressful for our clients.
To what do you attribute your success and where do you see Q Design House in the near future?
Hard work, perseverance and working closely as a team has helped us so far. In the near future, we have exciting projects lined up within the hospitality industry but unfortunately these have been put on hold for the lockdown of COVID-19.
Is there any other information you would like to share with us?
Our desire to listen to our clients and create spaces that are unique to them and achieve their own personal visions. For more information, please visit the company Instagram account @qdesignhouse and the website www.qdesignhouse.com