H&K ep 26
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Hello and welcome back to the podcast. Today we have a very special guest. Won't we, Helen? We do. A client of ours, Michelle and Jamie Galanos. We met Michelle and Jamie, gosh, I think it would be about 18 months ago now.
Guys, wouldn't it? Or maybe two years.
Because building is a very long process. Michelle and Jamie built the most stunning brand based home in Connells Point here in Sydney. So we thought we'd invite Michelle and Jamie on the podcast just to give their perspective on what it's actually like to work with. An interior designer from the beginning of the [00:01:00] process, the concept, all the way through to construction.
So thanks very much for joining us today, Michelle and Jamie. We appreciate it because we were talking a lot about, the whole construction process and design process from our perspective. But it's nice to be able to have our listeners hear what it's like from your perspective, having lived through it, breathed it, Yeah.
Consuming day and night for the entire time and no doubt leading up to it as well, so yeah. There's so many decisions to be made, isn't there, when it comes to building and Jamie's actually in the construction industry, so he knows exactly what construction's like, but then to do it for yourself. So guys, what was it like, as we said, there's so many decisions to be made, you had a vision in mind of where the home, where you wanted to be.
Tell us a little bit about the decision process and how you found working with designers. And I guess what led to your decision to [00:02:00] renovate, not renovate, build down and build a brand new home. Yeah, I think it's something we've wanted to do for a while, building, something that just suited us.
But, and that's why it surprised me how that decision fatigue is such a real thing and does set in, because you are so excited when you start this process. You've got a bit of a vision and it's just also, at the beginning, for me, who's not in construction or building or anything to do with these industries, I thought it was just going to be the most fun, exciting to make all these decisions and then to realize how many decisions need to be made decisions that I didn't even think were decisions.
And it, you just, unless, I don't know, unless you've got expertise in the industry, it's really hard, at least Jamie knew, had a bit of an idea of how many decisions would have to be made and could kind of get us started, but you just burn out very quickly. Yeah, I think Michelle, Could really [00:03:00] understand the the detail of what would be required yes, she had a vision and yes, she could explain it all and I could see what she wanted, but to get to that decision to make that to have that answer.
It was so many hurdles getting there and that caught her off guard because, as you both know, there's so much involved here. Every room is involved, absolutely. You've got your kitchen and you've got your dining room and then that's it. Every single room here, M& L had input into everything.
Yeah. And that was a long process. We have been visitors. We've met with you guys. You guys did proposals, and there was a lot more clarity there, and then we left it to you guys then because you guys are the experts [00:04:00] at it, and I think that was really helpful, being able to have the overall vision of what you want to achieve, but then handing it to somebody who then worked with that, and that you could trust to work within your vision, not to put their own foot of, their own style.
Like we, we had a style that we wanted to achieve, but you were actually able to name it for me. Is that it?
I remember that. Yeah, , I knew what I liked, but I didn't have a name for it, but then name it and that gave it more clarity and then just be able to draw everything together. Yeah, everything was cohesive. That was a big thing because we, we picked out bits and pieces that we like, but then, sometimes that requires slight changes to make everything cohesive, and that's what we really helped with.
Yeah, and you're not the only ones, and we find a lot of our clients that are pretty much in the same boat. They're very excited about their pending project, a little bit nervous as well because it's a big cost. You're making decisions, but it's also costing [00:05:00] you, your life savings or whatever it is, and you want to make sure it's right, and that Overwhelm when all those questions start coming in and you look at the whole thing as a whole at the beginning and then at the very end when it all comes together, you appreciate it as a whole.
But in between, as you said, Jamie, there are so many individual things that you have to decide on and pull together to create that cohesive look in the end. And if you can achieve that. Then I think you've ticked the boxes. And for us, we don't want to dictate. a particular style or a particular design, but our job is to guide you through that process and help bring out of you what it is that you like and want and will work for your daily routine and how you function and all of those things.
I mean, we're there to guide you. So it's almost. I spent so much [00:06:00] time with you, Michelle and Jamie, and you're both working and you have high pressure jobs. For me to be there for you, through that, throughout that process, when you're trying to run the family, and both work full time jobs, as I just said yeah, it's almost like holding hands, and we became quite friendly and I'm happy to say, I think we are friends.
At the end of this project, because we just worked really well together and from, as we're saying, it's like, it was from the concept right through to the production. To construction. It was there. We were there for you. And as Helen said, drawing on your, what you wanted from it. And in the end, I think we achieved that together.
It's teamwork. We're a collaborative team, aren't we? Exactly. And by spending that time too, you also understood our family. We've got two young, very boisterous boys. Gorgeous boys. And we had to, and we had to consider that though in everything we were doing. Because it has to be, everything has to be durable and child friendly.
And, yeah, that you have to, make that happen as well. And that's where [00:07:00] I guess we Practical. Yes, I was just going to say, that's where we don't dictate. I could have said, I think you should have this finished and, and not acknowledge that you do have a young family of boisterous boys that, I have to be mindful.
We both have to be mindful of that. That's your what you want to achieve out of it. And as Helen said, you've spent a lot of money on this beautiful, beautiful home. You want longevity as well, and you want your family to grow through the seasons of life and by coming up with, surfaces that do that for you.
That's exactly what you'll get. Yeah, exactly. Yeah. I think Karen and I've been around a long time, dare I say, and we've both had children and families and we've seen that grow and like evolve. And then you've got parents as well. Sometimes people have got elderly parents that they've got to take care of.
Our lifestyles change and evolve as we move along. So it's really important that a designer and even an architect really understand. The [00:08:00] family dynamic. Exactly. Because if we don't investigate and quite often we feel like we're being a real busybody when we ask questions because we're kind of delving into your lives and but we have to we have to put that hat on and think okay if this was me you know I'm this is the way I'm going to think this is how I'm going to walk through the space or deal with things within the space whether it's your kitchen or the bathroom or the routines that you go through with your children or you know some people have extended families and It's.
We really have to put that cap on and that's what we do, so that we're riding through this, and it is a roller coaster ride, of design and construction that we, take with you, I guess. So did you, can I ask, were there any surprises, like working with us as, drafting designers? Were there any surprises along the way that you hadn't anticipated working with a design team?
I think just how you were able to enhance a [00:09:00] space, like for example, I think of our walking roads, and we obviously had an architect and, he drew up our design, and we were sort of happy with it, but then when you looked at it, you were sort of like, Oh, this space just doesn't work, so it's not going to be very practical for you.
And I just didn't, I guess I didn't realise that you also had that design element to you as well, as it's not just about, finishes. You were able to really, I love our walk in room now, we call it our secret room for the boys. But, you've thought of this wonderful concealed door, anyone who sees it is just amazed.
The wall, yeah, we're the road. Where's the built in right? Yeah, hang on a moment. It's really blown, it's blown everyone away. We just love it. Everyone who sees it loves it. We love it. And the space now is so much more functional. [00:10:00] Yeah, I respectfully did that with the architect too. You had a great architect.
He was, I came up with the floor plan concept and sent it off to him and said, you have this layout. I'd like to propose this. And we worked really well with him. He was. But I think that was the thing, you worked so well with the architect and with the builders and everyone just like you said, it's teamwork.
And everyone has to work together, otherwise it just doesn't work. Yeah, I think too, like you said, you have to work together, but you also have to have that, as Cara mentioned earlier, you need that connection with your client and the builder and the architect because you are working closely together for a decent period of time.
There's money involved, so There's tensions, there's stresses, there's pressures, timeframes, and all of that sort of thing. And at the same time, you're trying to think about what you need and what you require and answer questions. And if you don't have that ability to [00:11:00] communicate with one another or even collaborate with the other, the builders and the architect and the trades people and all of that, then you're going to have miscommunication and, things that the journey is going to be a lot harder and could end up costing you guys even more trying to rectify mistakes through that are caused through lack of communication and or mismanagement.
And now. Our goal with you guys was to have everything planned and well prepared before we got to site. We had, there's little tweaks that we can do along the way when it came to the joinery, but that was our aim, wasn't it? To have everything scheduled. Yeah, and James was very big on that too, being in the industry.
Your drawings were, there was no, everyone couldn't fully understand what you were after, where it was. To go what sizes we would have been working to and everything else and, M& L planned everything out and had it down there. Everyone could see it. And it ran [00:12:00] smoothly there was never any questions of, Never had to stall because something had to be Waited to stop and check something, it just flowed, and I think that's what made our year just so much easier, because we'd come in once a week, we'd meet with the builders.
And there was a few questions, and it's to be expected that we, in a lot of work, like you guys said earlier on, all the planning that MNL put in place, it just flowed very smoothly. It was great. Everything was done, and it was an option before it had to be done. It was really well planned out and thought of.
Everything was planned out and thought of well. Yeah, that's good. Thank you. And that alleviates a bit of the stress and the overwhelm on your part as well, which is what we really try to achieve, because there's nothing worse going into the construction phase of a, the building and then not having these questions [00:13:00] answered and then the builder attacking you daily.
I need this now and I need that now and then you've got to make choices. It really holds things up and it really makes that whole experience stressful. It's always going to have a certain amount of stress and there's always going to be changes that come about whether you change your mind because you've thought about something.
A little bit more and you go, okay, no, that's not what I need. Or if you might change your mind at the last minute, or maybe materials are held up. You've gotta be able to think on your feet and go, okay, I need to be a bit of flex. Bit flexible here. Yes. But at least in your mind, you've got it all planned out and set out at the beginning so that when or if that happens, you can adapt and you can then move, still move forward.
Confidently, knowing that the end result isn't going to be compromised by a rushed decision or, being forced to make a decision about something that, you could have avoided in the beginning if it was planned ahead. We've had two situations like that where, more [00:14:00] than two actually, where I, ran to Karen and she helped me spell the styrofoam that we'd chosen for the kitchen, all of a sudden was not available.
And I remember texting Karen going, Oh my goodness, having a complete meltdown and, the next day it was all sorted. She set me up to go, to a supplier to pick out a new stone. We worked out it was all going to tie in really well. In fact, we're actually happier with this stone than we were with the first choice.
The first choice was it was convenient at the time. It was the only showroom open on a Sunday when we could look and we chose it. But I'm much happier in fact with what we chose. And then it was wallpaper that went out of stock that again, I came to Karen and our outdoor tiles, that was another thing that was going to, was, there was going to be a delay and yeah, that's what I said to you.
I keep saying to you, it's okay, I've got you, we'll get this sorted, don't you stress, we're there, we're here for you. Yeah, these things happen all the time, ideally in a nice, perfect world, everything would be there, ready to go, and whatever, but [00:15:00] that flexibility is what, if we can educate our clients, To expect, that things are potentially going to, what's the word to, I was going to say stuff up, but it's not really stuff up, but, if things not go wrong, but things happen and you have to rethink.
Yeah, exactly. Okay, that's definitely a speed. Yeah, but they're out of everyone's control. Sorry, what was that, Michelle? I was just going to say those things are out of anyone's control, but then, we ended up with things that we actually preferred. In the end, so it's actually, I think some of those, yeah, yeah.
Yes. That happens a lot, quite often when we're working on a client's project, if there's something that we can't do so quickly, in a space that we've resolved, the spatial layout or whatever, and then we've told no, you can't do this for whatever reason. And then we go back to the drawing board, so to speak.
The same thing happens sometimes, sometimes you have to compromise and come up with, second best, but then quite often, sometimes it's enough to shift your way of [00:16:00] thinking and go, okay this, Actually this could work and it could actually work better than what we thought of before.
But that's the thing with design. Design is forever evolving and there's always a solution to a problem. And as designers, that's what we're there. We're there to solve the problems and come up with the concepts and yeah, we're problem solving. Yeah. So I think for Helen and I, and this will be our final question for you.
A lot of people see. designers as an additional cost and we're often cut out of projects because there's a lot has run out, a lot of money being spent and often we get cut out of the projects and that, that does happen. Do you feel like working with us that it added value to, to the end result?
Absolutely. Absolutely. We wouldn't have a house that looks the way it does without the, the support and help you offered us, really. It just, it would have looked okay, but it wouldn't have been wow, yeah, okay. Okay, we [00:17:00] probably would have done it okay before, but it certainly didn't look the way it does.
Yeah. Yeah. As you mentioned earlier on for the layout we had an idea and. Functionality and how it was going to work on a day to day basis. You, or Eminel really honed what we were after and gave us a better layout, better design which doesn't look bulky. It's everything blends in. And everything's more functional.
It's more functional. Like it's. Items aren't visible when the doors open, which is what we had and you guys hit it and then we could incorporate other elements of the build within the joinery moving and which made it a lot more practical that's where, your help for me. We can't say bang, you're queuing up really.
Oh, that's fine. Yeah, it's hard from our perspective to [00:18:00] try and educate people in, they don't know what they don't know. So when they cut costs in certain areas, it's totally understandable that they're doing that. But if every space is individual. Every client has individual need. There are generalizations, but to go through and not have somebody on your team that is experienced in this sort of thing that does it on a daily basis, that is seeing a lot of people and going through a lot of different issues, you eventually after your time and experience, we I guess it becomes a little bit second nature to us, the different options that we trial and and some things are repeated on certain clients and say, look, this really worked with, this client of ours and they're in a similar situation. What do you think? This is how we resolved it.
So you're constantly using that that falling back on that experience that you've had. Yeah. And the thing is, at the end of the day, it. What it does, what we can't tell our [00:19:00] clients, what they don't really get until they're in the middle of it is that actually saves you time and money in reconstruction because all of these things, any hold up in a project is going to cost a And if that's continuing throughout the whole process, You may as well have had a designer.
The cost of a designer is actually going to be a lot less than what adds on to the end of your project. But it's very hard to quantify that and get that across to people. And I think as someone not in this industry at all, what you initially imagine a designer does is purely aesthetic. But it's not just about what something looks like, it's about how it functions and how everything works together, before going into this, I would have thought it was just aesthetics and I thought, oh you can decorate a house yourself, but it's not about that's not really what you do. Yeah, I'm glad you said that because that's probably something we really struggle with and even with clients It's like we take on a client at the beginning like you said yourself [00:20:00] a lot of them don't understand But I think a lot more to it a lot of people we I mean we've spoken about this before We'll pull out the drawings which we went through with you guys and you understood that And obviously having Jamie in the construction industry, he would have appreciated, Oh, that's what M& L are going to do for us.
People that aren't in the industry, when we pull out the drawings, we'll often say, Who does your drawings? And we say, We do. So you've just explained that beautifully, Michelle. It's not just the aesthetics that we do. It's what we do. It's the functionality, it's the detail, the drawers, the handles, the, yeah, the size and shapes of cupboards in the kitchen and the butler's pantry and the powder room and it's just everything was covered.
As Jamie said earlier, and you both did, every space in your home, we detailed for you. Yep. Yeah. I'm really glad it was a good experience for you. Thank you so much for joining us today. And your project, if anyone is listening, wants to have a look, is on our Instagram. So you can find it there. It's the Coastal Contemporary at Connell's [00:21:00] Point.
So you can check it out there. But thanks again, guys, for joining us. And it was an absolute pleasure working with you. And I feel like we're good friends now. It was a wonderful experience working with you guys. So thank you. Karen. Thanks, Helen. very much. Appreciate your time. We really do. Oh, thank you a lot.
Oh, thank you. You have a wonderful, wonderful weekend in your beautiful new home with your gorgeous boys. Yes. We are loving spending time at home at the moment. I just said to David the other day, weekends when we have nothing and we can spend time in our home, I'm loving it. That's good. That's good.
It's really nice to hear. The perfect end result. That's really lovely to hear. To know that we've achieved what we've set out to achieve and our clients are happy, we know it's successful. Makes us happy. Absolutely. Thanks guys.
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