According to Christopher, “It took Covid to convince me that working from home, as I had done for many years, was no longer right for me or the longevity of my team.” So he set about acquiring a new studio in Richmond, a short walk from Christopher’s home. “We bought it off the plan and had a small window of opportunity to customise the fit-out, but I didn’t have much thinking time for creativity. I was in lockdown when I had to design the interiors in a rush. So most of it came to me very quickly. It was a need-this-done-now job, which in hindsight, was probably the best thing for me. I didn’t have the luxury of being able to languish over decisions. I couldn’t second guess myself. I just had to run with my initial thoughts and make it happen.”
Looking back, Christopher feels he made the right decisions about the design, which was primarily a response to the industrial warehouse architectural style of the building. He wanted to juxtapose authentic, enduring and quality finishes with highly crafted details against the very raw nature of the building, which has a lot of exposed concrete. As well, he was very cognisant of the fact, most of their clients seek out the studio for their high-end residential interior design work. “So the fit-out needed to showcase and represent our core work.” says Christopher