3 basic principles for creating a commercial interior

My name is Ekaterina Turbina, I have been working in commercial interiors for over 10 years.

I was lucky to work on hotel projects for such operators as Radisson, Hilton, Marriott, Accor. This experience allowed me to understand that design is not just vibrant images, but also thoughtful ergonomics and functionality, when every square meter is created taking into account the economics of the project.

Then I worked on long-term office projects in a team and on my own projects for Mercuryo, Aero etc., creating co-working spaces: Quantum Workspace, M3, Riga Work, Fast office. And once again I remember a hotel experience that offers space in terms of functionality, convenience, budget and brand. Today I apply my knowledge and experience in the design of new jobs.

You can find my work at the website: www.kateturbina.works

To start an offline business the expertise in 3 different areas is important. This applies to architecture, marketing and finance.

More recently, the creation of a project was a clear process, and the organization of supply & demand, including digital marketing and Pr was completely separated. But new reality is that starting "in reverse" is the new normal. And this is not at all a question of supply and demand, but a question of strategy and speed of adaptation to new conditions.

It is possible to work only with an architect, this will reduce the cost of work at the start, but in the future there may be unforeseen costs and difficulties.

The architect can make decisions in the following matters:

1 Evaluate the site.

2 Create a layout.

3 Consider engineering solutions.

4 Develop a concept and form the aesthetics of the project.

Traffic and average check are developed by other experts. The architect can give a piece of advice, taking into account previous experience, but these hypotheses are not supported by numbers.

The financier assembles the entire matrix of solutions and products into a business model.

In my practice, there are approximately 2 similar cases of different scales. In the same period, customers from small cities approached me and wanted to create a co-working space in the city center. We started to find out the type of coworking, why in the city center, but apart from a suitable site in the city center, there were no more introductory ones. In both cases, the phrase sounded: “Can you tell me how to perform that?”

In order to gradually create an effective point, it is important to identify the goals of project correctly within a brief in 3 semantic blocks: architecture, marketing and finance.

Budget allows to find suitable materials and items, it gives new design perspectives.

Thus, it is possible to observe entire project and create personalised solutions, taking into account specific business objectives: site capacity, audience, planned budget, sales.

A very simple real life example. A young team opened an expensive restaurant in suburb, invested the budget, did everything perfectly, but did not take into account the auditory. Despite the high check, the main flow of people was with a request for beer and snacks, which did not fit the format of the design and chief menu at all.

After long discussions, it was solved to close and move to a more suitable location in the city center, where, despite the lack of budget, it is necessary to create a vibrant stylish space and use high-quality materials and lighting.

Mistake at the beginning: there were not studies about the context, the audience, the average check per order in this area. The second site was chosen consciously within a data.

The aesthetics is created taking into account the overall concept of the project.

What is the company selling? Who is the space for? What does the audience prefer? What do competitors offer? Is there a task to be similar or visually contrast to them?

By correctly combining the possibilities of context, budget and audience request, you can create a personalised solution for offline business purposes. Aesthetics is formed in addition to the functionality and the overall concept of the product or the principles of the company.

When we were working on a coworking space, I studied all the competitors in Moscow. I often try to create something completely different to highlight brand’s principles. On the basis of auditory and context studies we created exactly such offers that were synchronised with auditory’s aims. We applied materials taking into account the high traffic of people

According to statistics from Ernst and Young, only 3.4% of  enterprises last three years.

http://start.rbc.ru/article-1

Therefore, it is important to keep eye to new conditions and envisage the adaptability of space. In new projects, I take into account the flexibility so that future areas can be easily transformed. I recommend paying attention to electrician connections not only from the floor, but also from the ceiling, with an accent on mobility.

This approach is already being used in office projects, gastro coworking spaces and retail spaces where tenants change. In the near future, this approach will become the new norm in the formation of any public space.

Commercial objects are created pragmatically, taking into account the budget and logic. The most interesting creative part takes up 10% of the entire project. The rest of work is development, coordination, adaptation.

The new paradigm "the quality of the dish cannot be separated from the quality of the interior" - the restaurant guest evaluates everything at once. Even though the main reason is to go out to eat, going to a restaurant today is an adventure of impressions. We see the same story in other interiors workspaces and hospitality.

Taking into account the high speed of changes in market realities, it is important to look at the project comprehensively in 3 planes at once: architecture, finance and marketing.

I see that projects with a good base in the beginning are much more successful in the future, which is why it is so important to work on a project in conjunction with a marketing expert and financier.

I have seen a lot of mistakes in starting businesses. Therefore, the idea came up to join forces with colleagues from the field of finance and marketing within the framework of a comprehensive service. We help clients to avoid fatal mistakes, financial and reputational losses during starting an offline business. Strategic design is a new budget-driven approach to creating commercial space.

More details can be found on the page

Today it is important to find a balance between fantasy and reality. Each project is a separate story, and both for the customer and for me, it is important to implement a cool project.

If you want a cool project, we are creating a demo service at the intersection of finance, marketing and architecture. We are happy to help you and invite to text at: hellosyncdis@gmail.com