Why Project Management and Design Teams need to work hand-in-hand in order to deliver exceptional designs.
At Gunter & Co we work as one team to offer interior architecture, interior design, and project management to our clients. Irene and her team lead on the interior architecture and interior design, whilst Ian and team plan, schedule and execute the delivery of our interior design schemes on site. Being in close proximity and collaborating day-to-day allow us to ensure the design schemes are executing to their full extent.
In the early stages of our projects, one of the questions we get asked most frequently by our clients is whether there is a genuine need for a dedicated project manager, and what value a project manager actually brings to the table amongst all the other professional consultants.
In this post, Ian and Irene share how interiors and project management teams work together at Gunter & Co, and why having the design team and project manager - internal or external - working closely together will pay for itself in the end.
How we work
At Gunter & Co we have quite a unique offering amongst Design Studios. Providing project management in-house is a lot less common than combining architecture & design under one roof, and therefore perhaps a bit of an oddity. However, for some of our clients, the focus of the project is squarely on the interiors of their home rather than any large architectural scheme. For those projects combining the management and the design under one umbrella can have many advantages.
Our passion is to create stunning interiors - we want our clients to be stunned by their homes every single day. But we also want the process of creating that home to be enjoyable and relaxed. We don’t want the memory of the project itself to have a negative impact on the enjoyment of your home. We know that for most of our clients building their dream home is a very personal project, where a beautiful end result would not manage to gloss over a construction nightmare.
We also know that our intricate designs require a lot of coordination and attention on site, which is where we know that in-house project management can offer that little extra level of attention and understanding of the design, delivering perfection in the execution.
Our project management and design team work side by side every day. We include the project managers in the design process and design meetings throughout. This not only ensures that our project managers have a thorough understanding of what our clients want to achieve, but also allows us to have ongoing and open conversations about budget, buildability, and programming. In other words, it allows us to tailor the design to site and budget realities, or plan for any complex detailing far ahead of execution. We believe that if everyone has understand the design intrinsically it creates a huge value add for our clients during the construction phase.
This means we don’t just focus on the paperwork or programming, or turn up to the site to sign off on what’s been done. By managing in-house we ensure that the project management fights for the integrity of the design, pushing contractors and specialist trades to do what is right for the design, rather than what is easier and more efficient. We make sure that the level of detail we promised our client is delivered. We know every layer of detail; we make sure that every key element is executed as intended, we prefer prevention to rectification. That level of attention and detail to the design isn’t always part of the project management scope, but we believe that to create an outstanding home having this deep interconnection between site and studio is key.
Teamwork
A great project management team can make a huge difference to any project. The architecture, interior architecture, and overall design scheme can be spectacular, but if deadlines and key milestones are missed, if budgets spiral out of control, and if the small details are overlooked, a project can go from stunning to overrun in the blink of an eye. For a homeowner investing significant sums into the construction or refurbishment of their home a finish that is less than perfect can really dampen the enjoyment of the space.
We also work with a fantastic network of builders and talented craftsmen who we know, trust and collaborate with very closely to create bespoke interiors. Having this strong network in place is key to our success & the success of our projects.
In our minds, if we have to refer back to the contracts to resolve an issue, the project management has already failed along the way. We are constantly in touch with our construction teams and they all keep us informed and updated at every stage so no opportunity to finesse and perfect is ever missed.
Building and design projects always have to have a layer of flexibility to them. You never really know what you’re going to discover when you start digging and moving things around in period or listed properties! Having a team around us that we trust intrinsically and who can communicate with us clearly, allows everything to flow smoothly with outstanding results.
Let’s talk about Budgets
At Gunter & Co we never shy away from talking about budgets with our clients and everything that entails. From the cost of materials to planning costs, labour costs, where VAT is and isn’t added, you name it.
We prefer to discuss budgets upfront as the budget decides the level of finish, the materials and furniture, and craftsmen we can work with. Having a clear budget and idea of expectations on the level of finish and materials upfront gives us a clear framework to work to.
Managing a project well is a balance of budget, time, and quality expectations. If you are budget conscious, we factor in more time for your project to allow for tender negotiations or to find time to value engineer, source alternative suppliers, and avoid provisional sums. If you can’t sacrifice the timeline we consider whether increased workforce and cost is an option, or whether some details can be simplified.
We create very detailed budget estimates working with our quantity surveyor, which includes every single level of cost from the unavoidable spending - planning, insurance, etc. to detailing out the level of finish that can be achieved within the budget.
We think this is a really important part of the project management service. By keeping our clients well informed of the budget we feel they can make more informed decisions, whether this is reviewing the materials and detailing, working to a shorter program, or indeed deciding to increase the spending on certain areas. Ian and his team are always on top of the budget and work with Irene and her team to make sure their specifications are in line on what feels like almost an hourly basis!
What does this mean for you?
Your project will be handled with care and attention to detail by all parties involved.
You will have complete visibility of the budget and we will try to explain to you how, why and when items are coming in the above budget so we can plan, reallocate and balance out these decisions.
We aim for our team to exceed your expectations on what we deliver, keeping to your primary design and project management objectives at all times so that the experience can be as enjoyable as the outstanding interiors.