Hobbit style magic
Catarina Araújo
Interior design
Sofia Andrez
CEO of Atelier Sofia Andrez Interiors
Has COVID-19 brought more or less productivity to Interior Design companies? Can a team work together without physically being in the same space? What advantages can we draw from this new reality?
At Atelier Sofia Andrez Interiors, with the decision made to work remotely, we ended up having to deal with a totally new reality, never experienced before, but that brought some advantages in relation to the past, of us all being together in the studio! The time, cost and fatigue caused by travelling no longer exist; the constant interruptions of suppliers knocking on the door, without scheduled meetings, no longer clash with the creative flow of the designers and other employees, while focus and concentration levels with regard to daily work improved as compared to pre-COVID.
With an organised schedule of meetings on Teams among our 14 employees individually assigned to each project, we have worked remotely with greater success and productivity than we had before COVID, and therefore we have to thank all those who have not failed prove themselves in this troubled time we are going through!
As internal management, this new reality has forced us to have a detailed daily schedule of tasks and goals to achieve, by the team and on individually, which at this moment is filled up until the end of December and is being achieved.
In Lisbon, where we are going open our showroom, located in Avenidas Novas, since the State of Emergency, we have been awarded the tender to undertake the Interior Design of two 5-star hotels in the Lisbon area, as well as a luxury residential condominium of 18 apartments. In the Algarve, with our showroom in Vilamoura, we have several residential projects mainly concentrated in the luxury resort of Quinta do Lago and in Vale do Lobo.
Both clients and suppliers are now more aware of the need to reduce the number of face-to-face meetings and whenever possible we hold them digitally and this has brought more time for the team to focus on project development!
With the issue of lockdown and remote working, and the trend to make more out of our home time, we have seen an increase in clients wanting to improve existing spaces, in particular outdoor spaces, and we believe that in the near future they will suggest rooms, inside their homes, with another type of functionality.
At Atelier Sofia Andrez Interiors, with the decision made to work remotely, we ended up having to deal with a totally new reality, never experienced before, but that brought some advantages in relation to the past, of us all being together in the studio! The time, cost and fatigue caused by travelling no longer exist; the constant interruptions of suppliers knocking on the door, without scheduled meetings, no longer clash with the creative flow of the designers and other employees, while focus and concentration levels with regard to daily work improved as compared to pre-COVID.
With an organised schedule of meetings on Teams among our 14 employees individually assigned to each project, we have worked remotely with greater success and productivity than we had before COVID, and therefore we have to thank all those who have not failed prove themselves in this troubled time we are going through!
As internal management, this new reality has forced us to have a detailed daily schedule of tasks and goals to achieve, by the team and on individually, which at this moment is filled up until the end of December and is being achieved.
In Lisbon, where we are going open our showroom, located in Avenidas Novas, since the State of Emergency, we have been awarded the tender to undertake the Interior Design of two 5-star hotels in the Lisbon area, as well as a luxury residential condominium of 18 apartments. In the Algarve, with our showroom in Vilamoura, we have several residential projects mainly concentrated in the luxury resort of Quinta do Lago and in Vale do Lobo.
Both clients and suppliers are now more aware of the need to reduce the number of face-to-face meetings and whenever possible we hold them digitally and this has brought more time for the team to focus on project development!
With the issue of lockdown and remote working, and the trend to make more out of our home time, we have seen an increase in clients wanting to improve existing spaces, in particular outdoor spaces, and we believe that in the near future they will suggest rooms, inside their homes, with another type of functionality.
