An Interview with Laura Baarda
This year we are featuring blogs about our people and giving them a platform to share their stories.
We spotlight our Head of Interior Design, Laura Baarda in our new ‘Inspire Interview’ feature, where we hear from our team – what their professional journey has been like so far and their advice and inspirations.
Tell us about your career journey to date
I have always wanted to do design since a young age; I love design! Art and design were my favourite subjects at school.
I left school following my GCSEs and did a Diploma in Art and Design that allowed me to trial fashion, graphics, and printmaking, but I found that I enjoyed 3D design the most and specialised in this in my last year. I received a scholarship to Northumbria University, where I studied Interior Design for three years – my love for concept creation and design loved every second there. I learnt so much about thinking about things conceptually and experientially, graduating with a first.
I then started my first job three days after my graduation, moving to Cheshire to work at a high-end residential practice in the Cheshire, Wales and Shropshire area, working on glitzy homes and country properties, learning so much about fabrics, ordering, scheme design and working with a fantastic group of designers. I learnt a lot of practical business skills writing fee proposals, how the supply of goods works etc. I then moved back north to be closer to my family and return to commercial design and concept creation with Bowman Riley.
What’s your favourite thing about Bowman Riley?
The people and the projects! The team at Bowman Riley are amazing, so helpful and supportive. They want you to succeed with support from every angle. You are never alone; they celebrate success and help fix problems when you are dealing with challenging situations. But also the team spirit, the way they approach team interaction and socialising. People are friends here!
The projects are amazing and varied, working with great clients and brands! You can get your teeth stuck into projects; they are so varied and diverse that you can let your design styles be broad-ranging!
What was your first job?
My first job was working at a stables near my family’s house; I used to work there in school holidays for free riding lessons at the end of the week!
My first proper job was in an Italian restaurant which was great because it was my first taste of actual money (although that all went on my car insurance). Still, I learnt a lot about dealing with people (demanding chefs mostly), making small talk with customers and making the best of a bad day. I never wanted to go to work on the Friday shift as it was such a long day, but when I got there and laughed with the people I was working with, it made it all go so much better.
What attracted you to a career in the built environment?
I love design; I wanted to be a wedding dress designer, but I realised that I enjoyed the 3D environment so much more, and the more I learn and work, the more I love it! I never get tired of my job and generally love it. I love creating spaces that people can use and change how they feel, create mood, interest, and humour and make spaces that people love and enjoy – it is a privilege. But moving forward, I am keen to work on trying to create more inclusive environments. My nephew is autistic, and I am so fascinated to see the world through his eyes, how he might feel or interact with an interior, and what I could do to improve that.
What’s been your career highlight to date?
This is a tough one. Taylors on the Green is a project that I am so proud of, and the transformation of not only the interior but the feedback from the client and how much the business is benefitting from the draw of people back into the space is so rewarding.
Sportsshoes.com is maybe my favourite project of all time.
What piece of advice would you give someone entering the industry?
The best thing I have ever learnt is managing expectations and giving realistic timeframes and deliverables. It helps keep everyone in check and understand what they will get!
Also, don’t be afraid to fight for your design; if you have done the research and created a solid concept that is built on a foundation of information and statistics that has all fed into the design, then when a client questions something, don’t back down straight away make sure you explain how you got to that place as often they will then agree with you once they understand the story!
What’s your claim to fame?
My Dad was on a Sainsbury’s advert as he used to be a tomato supplier for Sainsbury’s, it is a Baarda favourite, and we are constantly mocking him for it! My grandma kept all the posters in the supermarkets and used to have them in her guest bedroom for ages!
Tells us something people might not know about you
I was a competitive figure skater and competed up and down the country before hanging up my skates to focus on my GCSEs. I was told I was too tall to be serious as you have less control of your limbs to allow you to be aerodynamic! So there is an excuse for being clumsy!