Helen Fewster is one of the directors at Suna Interior Design. Having studied Theatre Design at university, Helen has always had an eye for design and spatial awareness. Helen started her career as a show home designer in the late 90s, joined Suna Interior Design shortly after the creation of the company in 2001 and bought the business with her fellow director, Rebecca Tucker, over 10 years ago.
Helen’s expertise lies with the company’s specification and marketing suite services, where she enjoys being able to get stuck in with the team, offering guidance and design advice.
8.45am: Arrive at the studio. First things first; grab a cup of tea – an absolute necessity when it comes to preparing for the day ahead! Log into the computer and do a quick scan of emails before sitting down with the team.
9.15am: Team update. This is an opportunity to check in on projects, discuss allocation of work, discuss priorities and brainstorm. We have a range of services including designing marketing suites, design for development specification, show home interiors and CGI interior design creation, so it is important to ensure work is distributed well and plays on the strengths of the individual members of staff.
11.00am: Desk time. It is so important to find time to sit at my desk and catch up with emails. I check that all client enquiries and questions have been dealt with and get myself up to speed with any new projects the team are working on. Assess new opportunities, prepare fee and project proposals etc.
Noon: Meeting with the senior management team to have a company overview and discuss the general running of the business. Today we have a host of topics to discuss including HR and staff, the website, social media and Suna Interior Design’s new marketing strategy. Lots to discuss so this can take a while but we outline some strong outcomes for the future.
2.30pm: A moment’s pause to realise I haven’t yet had any lunch. Grab a bite to eat, today just a sandwich at the desk back in front of the computer to check emails again. Our studio is based in the Wimbledon area, so plenty of places to eat nearby when I get the chance to pop out.
3.00pm: Spend some time doing one-to-ones with various members of the Suna team. This is an opportunity for me to troubleshoot, answer any questions and help progress designs. I really value these moments when I can contribute to the design work. Many aspects of my day to day are to do with the running of the business but I am a designer to the core and this remains the driving force behind everything I do. Having the opportunity to brainstorm designs with the team and push the work to the best it can be is really satisfying. We have a very collaborative design approach at Suna which we believe is one of the reasons for our success.
4.00pm: The big reveal! For the last few hours of the day I head over to the prestigious Ancaster Gate development in Richmond Hill to do a site handover. We walk the client through the show home, discussing room by room all the finer details of the design. We have been working on this project for over two years, creating all the specification and interiors, so it is a very proud moment to be able to see the final product. The client was delighted with the results and it is certainly moments like this which make all the hard work worth it for the team; an excellent end to a busy day!
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