About me
There is always more to learn and new ideas to find.
I design with other people in mind because when design is only surface deep it wont last long and it won’t resonate with individuals so push for depth behind the design and bring the whole design team along for the ride.
_________
I’ve predominently worked full-time for architecture and design firms but I’m increasingly interested in new working models too. It’s important to always challenge ourselves. Interrogating how the design industry creates projects and how we work with others is one way to do that. Different working models can provide alternative ways for good design to thrive. Get in touch if you have ideas about this topic.
Experience
I’ve been a designer for nearly 20 years. Since 2010 I’ve specialised in designing the interiors of hotels and restaurants and I thoroughly enjoy the hospitality sector.
I started my design career as an industrial designer then I moved into designing interiors of shops, offices, homes, stadia, a restaurant, a private airport and a religious community centre before specialising in hospitality and F&B. This varied experience made me objective and adaptable so I choose to still design a few retail and entertainment spaces too.
The designs I develop are strengthened by my knowledge about how buildings need to function, how they are maintained, the suitability of materials and construction techniques. Design consists of creativity and practicality, both are needed to turn an aspiration or idea into reality. Technologies are constantly developing so there is always more to learn and more people to learn from, that’s what keeps it interesting and exciting.
Everyone and everything is a ‘work in progress’, let’s lean into this. The rate of change in our society is increasing rapidly and only by constantly developing, sharing and growing can we keep up and keep ahead.
A free copy of my creative process.
I’d like us all to build less but build better and I think the path to that is by being brave enough to question everything on a project, including should we build anything at all?
Contact me if you would like to work together. Claire Richmond.
About this site
By sharing ideas we can free up space for new ones to develop and spark new thoughts in others too. This is a place to post my design conversations, ideas and experiences. No-one designs in isolation, we can inspire each other.
Why call it TBD?
When I start designing I don’t know where it will lead, what it will look like or exactly how it needs to function. By asking questions and proposing solutions so the ambiguity decreases as the project evolves but to some small degree it is always TBD.
To Be Defined, Developed, Debated, Debunked, Discussed, Designed, Detailed, Delivered…. and more.
User centred design creates spaces are never static. After delivery, designers step back and the guests and staff become responsible for how the spaces evolve. Design is a process, there is always room for feedback, learning, growth and development.
Why collaborate?
By combining different expertise, backgrounds and points of view we get better results together. Creative collaboration doesn’t mean collective or democratic decision making for every little point, that wouldn’t benefit anyone. It’s about engaging people in the ideas, inviting them in and taking on many points of view. Design projects involve many people working together; clients, consultants, designers, engineers, etc. and different projects need different types of collaboration models. A discussion at the start of a project can identify the best type of collaboration for that particular time and place.
My collaborators, co-conspiritors and clients
I’ve worked with many talented and dedicated designers, technicians, architects, clients, engineers, consultants, managers and manufacturers. It’s the individuals inside the companies who’s attitudes, ideas and abilities have made an impact.
To those of you who have inspired me just by sharing a studio, by being near you and your work - thank you and keep inspiring others.
A selection of companies I’ve worked with or for:
Publications & Public Speaking
Hix Event - Connection, compassion, community. How hotels could address the growth in loneliness by creating connections with people, rushing less and talking more.
Mix Magazine - Impressions: Hotel Trends. Design for individuals, not demographics, to create an experience guests connect with. Roundtable hosted by David Smalley
Gensler On - The Future of Hotel Design: Human-Centered. Designing for tribes. By working with social scientists we learned what could motivate and unite future guests.
Gensler Q&A Discussion - Hospitality in the retail environment. Retail is taking cues from hospitality design and service to create experiences that are rewarding at all levels
Sleeper Magazine - Gensler scoops Sleep Set accolade 2016. Design for set of shared values that have superseded traditional socio-demographic features and social class.
MeetingsNet - The hotel of the future could be a human-centred non-hotel. Sue Pettifer finds similarities between the Sleepset design and Event of the Future in NYC
Stylus Trend Forcasting- Hospitality's Tribal Focus, by Deborah Cicurel & Mandy Saven
Mix Magazine - Impressions: Hotel Trends. Building on digital first impressions, the experience now starts on-line.
The Design Insider - Creativity Reviewed, BCFA Open. The panel discussed their own creative spaces, the impact of Brexit on creativity and how creativity effects business.
To hear more from me or to read more you can find me on these platforms as I develop them.