I am a Senior Interior Designer within the Residential Design team here at XBD, and have worked for here for two and a half years. I work 4 days a week, with Mondays off, so my Monday is for catching up on admin and any personal life requirements, but most importantly I am available to collect my 2 children from school and we spend the afternoon and evening together which I cherish.
My working week starts on a Tuesday, and I always start my day with coffee after the drive into the office. With coffee in hand, I usually check through my emails and catch up with colleagues from Monday’s working day so I can plan ahead and understand what are my most urgent tasks.
On Tuesdays we hold our project meeting, which is the time to talk through all the projects within our residential team currently and we Senior Designers explain the updates on our projects and highlight anything that we feel needs extra attention, etc. Afterwards, I will either continue with emails, review drawings, plan out and source any FF&E as required, check on 3D visuals, or do some space planning or sketches required for my projects. I have 2 projects which are currently on site, so I attend these site meetings on Thursday mornings and after a long summer, it is starting to feel a little cooler without the AC there! I enjoy solving problems and putting my experience to use on site.
Office days are filled with multiple project works, from concept to reviewing detailed designs, to procuring FF&E.
I work alongside our trusted juniors to decide on materials, and review specification documents, which are crucial in Phase 2 and 3 of the interior design process. I also try to squeeze in the odd walk for a coffee and a catch up with my closest colleagues, and enjoy swift conversations and catch ups with team mates as I am moving around the office.
I have worked on up to 10 projects at one time, with a mix of residential villas, penthouses and high end food & beverage outlets, however currently I am working on 7 projects. Right now I am completing the styling of our new XBD office, collaborating on our owner’s private villa, and 5 other luxury villas (some as a home for the private client, and some for commercial sale).
My day to day responsibilities include managing projects from concept to completion. This means listening to the briefing from the client, concept imagery, presentations, material selection, sketching for 3D visuals and detailed drawings, furniture and lighting selections, reviewing detailed drawing packages, assisting with tendering to contractors and suppliers, visiting showrooms with clients, site visits during construction and reviewing shop drawings, mock ups, inspections, etc. as standard. I also ensure my projects are up to date with payments, and keep my management updated on any issues.
It is important in any client facing role to foster great working relationships with clients and contractors. Another vital part of my role is nurturing the younger team members.
It is vital to support our junior member of staff in becoming the best that they can be and in turn contributing to the overall success of the XBD team!
Within our Residential team I work closely on a day to day basis with our Associate Design Manager Giulia, Senior Designers Sharon and Georgina, FF&E designer Ramshaa, and Junior Designer Saania. For the project I currently have on site, I work with our Site Coordinators Mark and Merin, who assist with all things site related such as shop drawing reviews, mock ups, inspections and general site visits. Within our Architectural team I work closely with Senior Architects Qamar and Marija, and for site coordination, Project Execution Lead, Karim.
Outside of XBD, I work closely with sanitaryware suppliers, marble suppliers, and tile suppliers, as well as home automation companies and lighting suppliers. Junior designers assist me with obtaining fabrics, wallpapers, wood and special finishes, and we try to keep ahead of the curve in regard to trends and new products to the market.
