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SIMONE DE GALE
With Phadria Prendergast
Award winning Founder and Executive Chief of Simone de Gale Architects, Simone de Gale, is the powerhouse who is shaping an innovative path for architects all over the world. She shares with us, her top tips for designers whilst being at home.
Simone has remained connected with her team via Zoom and Skype communications. “We’ve got a really good digital system in place, so all of our clients receive all their drawings and documents digitally anyway. We share information with each other as a team digitally already, so it's been quite an easy adjustment as a business”. Simone who started her business 10 years ago, worked from home by herself for the first 3 years – a period she describes as really intense because she was still at the building stages of her business. In those days, she would wake up at 6am and work until midnight from Monday to Sunday until she got an office in Belgravia, London.
Originally, Simone wasn’t for the idea of having to work from home again – and I'm sure she isn’t alone. “I've spent a long time trying to separate my personal life from my work life and now it feels like I'm being taken back to that time when everything was melted into one”. Simone liked the separation. Her Nottinghill home which she purchased roughly a year ago, has been where Simone spends her free time. She has been completing all the decorations herself including stripping and painting the walls and re-doing the flooring. What else would you expect from a designer? Simone, who was thinking ahead without even knowing it, purchased many items before the lockdown occured that she has been able to assemble and put up during this time. Simone says the lockdown has allowed her to embrace and enjoy her home. In normal circumstances, she would only decorate during the weekend or in her spare time. She has enjoyed this time where she could focus on her wellbeing and health.
For Simone, working from home has been enjoyable for her as she has used her time to present herself to her clients, showing them the different types of finishes and the way that she carries her home. “It’s a time to showcase our homes and our expertise as meetings are now from home. If you're a respected designer, you can't have a shabby home - you have to have something that your client can buy into. Our offices in Belgravia are very nice but to be able to extend that to the home is a real opportunity to show your real self and the depth of our integrity”. Simone encourages designers to show clients the best of themselves. Items like laundry and shaving cream in the background of professional video meetings are a big no-no for the designer. “Show yourself as you would if you were going to the office”. On a professional level, Simone personally believes that if you have children or a spouse, it’s fine if they float in the background from time to time. “I think it expands the connection more with the client, they get to see your family life. Don’t worry about it, relax in the process”.
Simone’s Top Tips for Designers Working From Home
Have an environment that you feel akin with, that your personality and character are comfortable in. Showcase your home as an element of your personality.
Spend a good amount of time on your home. It gives people a real opportunity to not only connect with you but also your home.
If you are going to have business calls at home, have a library in the background or a nice bookcase. This shows professionalism. Don’t have bins, creams or anything along those lines in your background. Make sure whatever is in your background is focused on the work. It doesn’t mean work files, it can be a beautiful painting or wallpaper.
Ensure you have a very clear view of your screen so that you can clearly speak to your client or colleague. Be in a comfortable position so that the other party can see that you are comfortable and in your zone. This is your home so if this is how you live, then this is also what your client is investing in.
Good lighting.
