Valuable lessons learnt from being a designer on international projects
I have been fortunate to have worked abroad on projects in first-world countries like America, Dubai, and South Africa, where the climate, culture and building rules and regulations differ significantly from what we practise here. But, more importantly, the local taste and client preferences are poles apart.
And while we all grow with each project, learn new lessons and unlearn some with each milestone, each of the projects I worked on abroad taught me lessons I credit a lot of my growth. So here are some valuable lessons I learnt from being a Interior designer on international projects.
New York Hospitality Design Projects:
We worked on two hospitality projects in New York. New York taught me the value of hand sketching my designs and writing measurements in detail. Your communications must be precise, clear and detailed when working across continents. And in writing, One must rely on something other than instructions given over the phone. The habit that caught on then has stayed with me since, and my hand drawings are my treasure.
New York also made me fall in love with skylights. Plan B, a restaurant we designed in New York, is located in the meat packing district and is all about skylights. Add to that the free vibe of the space, something that I try and imbibe in all my designs.
Another thing New York made me fall in love with is Epoxy. It’s ubiquitous; whether it is a high-end restaurant or a small retail store, they all use it. It’s so versatile and makes for a perfect backdrop for any design. We have poured Epoxy on tables and bar tops and love its impact on our plans.
New Yorkers love everything raw and unfinished; that’s where I learnt that everything doesn’t have to be finished well. But, unfortunately, sometimes spending takes away character. And thus, I have mastered the art of unfinished finishing!
Dubai restaurant and bar design project:
In Dubai, I designed a restaurant and bar called the Silver Beach Bar, and the biggest takeaway I had from that project is that Indians, too, can work very professionally! They need to be moved to UAE to do that!
Surprisingly, the quality of artistry seen in Dubai is so high, but a bigger surprise is that they are all Indians working there. And yet, the quality of work and professionalism is way higher there than in India.
The easy part about working in Dubai was that the norms in Dubai are the same as the norms that the malls in India follow. So background research was limited.
South African villa design projects
We designed a villa in Johannesburg and are working on a boutique resort with a beautifully themed restaurant. In South Africa, religion has a significant influence on work. Nobody works overtime, and religious responsibilities come way before anything in the world. So, all the plans, schedules, etc., have to be made keeping that in mind.
Regarding material, South Africa made me fall in love with thatched roofs. It’s so unique and distinctive in that region. So much straw is compressed and made in a panel to make these roofs; it’s so beautiful!
Because labour there is so difficult to deal with, we created all our stonework, furniture, etc., in India and sent containers from here. Something feasible only for some international projects.
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