Since the start of the pandemic in 2020, there was a major shift to remote work out of necessity. Something you might be surprised to know about re:Design though, is that we were always a remote design studio when we started in 2018! It was one of the core strategies the company was founded on. Remote work promoted a work/life balance for us and allowed us the flexibility we needed to live our lives outside of work! We know many people are, and have been, skeptical about remote design so we figured we would share with you how we make it work and why it’s so successful for us!

Remote work location showing a resort behind the laptop working document

How We Got Here:

First, a little history. When we decided to take the leap and start our studio, one of the things we made sure to be transparent about was the lifestyle we wanted to live. There was no point in building something that didn’t suite how we saw ourselves living! We knew that for this to be successful, we also had to be happy! We both wanted to create a business that offered accessible and easy communication, from anywhere. At that time we both lived in Winnipeg, but knew that wasn’t always going to be the case. Fast forward to today… Robyn lives in Calgary, Emily lives in Montreal and our studio is still based out of Winnipeg - because why not! We aren’t limited by a physical location and we have had almost five years of amazing projects to prove that it works! With all the resources available to us, we knew that it was possible! Two years ago when the pandemic hit, of course it was still a shift in how we went about our business, but it didn’t change our internal dynamic. It really just expedited the remote communication process with our clients and as it turns out, there are lots of efficiencies with remote work that the more traditional approach lacks! Our time is what client’s pay for, so when we get to save time, our clients get to save money - a win for all!

How We Make It Work:

There are a few key things that make our process successful not just for us, but for our clients and other professionals that we work with. We depend on all of these and working with a team that has bought into the idea that this process works. We still face new challenges all the time, but we are always able to find a solution that works for everyone! Here are the five main ways we make our remote design process work:

1. Our Communication

We think people underestimate how much we actually communicate as a team. It’s constant! From weekly meetings with all of us to update the team on where things are at, to daily Zoom/phone calls to work through things together - it keeps everyone connected and on the same page! This communication translates to our external team members and our clients! For the most part, people don’t even realize where we are! Most of our presentations can be done over the computer and many of our clients and contractors love that the meetings don’t take them out of their way either! Our communication style is casual (but still professional) and we find that quick phone calls/texts here and there are a very effective way to keep a project rolling without taking up too much valuable time.

Interior design meeting with team member on zoom and two people in the office surrounded by samples

2. Our Design Process

Interior designers working remotely on floor plans and layouts

Our design process is broken into four (sometimes five) phases. This not only keeps the process organized, but it allows us to break apart who does what. There is always going to be certain elements of design that are better executed in person and we plan for that in advance. Our phases allow for us to plan when we need to be where and who is going to be leading the design. Our process helps us plan!

Interior design team doing remote work via zoom meetings in different locations

3. Our Team

Nothing can top having a good team in place - which we have! All of us are very comfortable with this style of communication and we make sure to over communicate with everyone we work with! Staying on top of what is going on is one of our strengths and what helps everyone stay on track! We also work with our external “team” members that also appreciate the process and can adapt things on their end to make the completion of a project run smoothly. It has taken us years to find the people we jive the best with to make our design and build process successful and we love sharing this process with our clients.

4. Remote Resources:

We rely heavily on digital communications. Whether that’s Zoom, Teams, FaceTime, e-mails or texts! We have found communication can be quick and easy when you use these tools properly. For the most part these tools are very familiar to everyone we work with, but there is always the exception and we are also very adaptable. We make our process very clear during our initial consults so there are no surprises. We want people to work with us because we make it easier for them, so if our process doesn’t fit, that is okay!

Interior designers discussion using remote technology for team development and meetings

5. Project Scheduling

Of course we know that nothing beats the personal touch. We schedule our projects months in advance so that we can plan when we need to be where! Both Robyn and Emily travel back to the re:Design home base for site measures, initial meetings, sample reviews and Chelsea is the eyes and ears on the ground in Winnipeg 24/7! Between the 3 of us, we are always where we need to be! For the projects that are located outside of our typical work zones, we just make a plan that suits that project! Some require us to be there and others don’t!

Why We Love It:

A major benefit to remote work is that we are always inspired by different environments and it helps keep our creative minds fresh! Working in new places and also in places we are comfortable in can influence design in many ways and keeps us creative! We also love our dogs and who doesn’t want to work and cuddle at the same time! Multitasking at it’s finest. Adorable photos for reference:

This type of design process has allowed us to live in different cities and work on projects located all over. To date, we are working on and have completed many projects in our home base of Winnipeg, but also in Montreal, Calgary, Kenora, Kelowna, Vancouver and Orlando! We love the variety and being part of a larger design scene. Take a look at some of our projects that were completed while being remote! If you’re curious if our process would work for you, just send us a message… we are always happy to chat!