Go Design Group
Interview with Tammy McKay
Tammy MacKay the vivacious mother of two teenage sons, a one year old daughter and one more little girl that is due to join the family very soon also teaches Residential Interior Decorating at the University of Alberta while leading a professional team of 5 ladies at her company ‘ Design Group’. The west-end Edmonton based design company has just celebrated it’s fifth birthday and has experience in both residential and commercial applications. Tammy shared with Condo Living what some of her secrets to ensuring customer satisfaction with her clients.
What are you finding to the major needs and wants of your clients?
“Considering the demographic shift that is taking place amongst condo owners we are seeing a higher disposal income and for many owning a condo is becoming a prestige item. Many of our clients’ have two or more residences and find condo living more conducive to their busy lifestyles”
Globalization and the internet has created an awareness of better design to the masses. Clients are paying for smarter use of their square footage over the concept of larger spaces. Luxury is the top of the list for many condo buyers. The use of high-end materials- travertine, quartz, beautiful finishes that are also eco- friendly. Reclaimed wood is becoming very popular as is engineered woods over the use of solid wood for flooring. Another area we are finding a serious interest in is energy conservation and the purchases of higher end appliances.
“Clients are very smart and savvy, they want to be good citizens of the world and care for their planet”
What makes good design in your opinion?
Good design to me is about a holistic approach, not just does it look good but does it feel right- it has to feel right in order to work… design should be for all your senses—does it feel right.
When I design a place I want to include all the 5 senses in the space- the luxury feel again-especially in residential. I truly believe in tactile texture in my spaces.
How to you start a project and how to ensure each space feels fresh not a repeat of what you have done before?
“I start with the ‘Principles of Design’ and that is still what I do every time I design a space- I sit down and think what is the purpose for this space and what do I need to do—what is the concept I want to create for my client.”
The five ‘Principles of Design are’ colour, space, texture, light, and line.
You can never go wrong if you use and follow the rules of the ‘Principles of Design’- you can never go wrong- you can break them but you need to know what they are in order to break them correctly. So, yes, I always start with a piece of paper and write down the principles and in what order I am going to give them significance.
My clients are very savvy and design orientated so what I do is simply guide them through the process of what they want to ensure their vision is executed to the highest standards. Sometimes I do push them a bit and offer perhaps a more dramatic element then they originally thought about.
In my opinion light is the most important of all the design principles and I like to utilize lighting as one of the main proponents of my design. We are using much more layering in lighting then we have in the past. If you think about your favourite restaurant for example you will find it is the ambiance you actually like sometimes even over the food. It is how you feel while you are in the restaurant space and I think if people thought about it they would appreciate the ambiance of their favourite spaces is highly dependent on the lighting in those spaces.
We are now using on an average of 5 different light sources in rooms to achieve this layering of light and it makes a dramatic difference in the feel of the spaces once they are completed. I think the layering and the technical aspects of what professional designers are able to create is what separate them from the amateur decorators.
What do you consider to be the most important skills of a designer?
“My clients trust me, which is one of the most important elements in a successful venture. Perhaps when I am suggesting a crimson ceiling in the dining room my client may think that is too much- but if we carefully layer that element we will end up with a dramatic space, but my client needs to trust me in order to allow me to create a perfect space for them. We need to have excellent communication skills, empathy for our clients and they need to feel safe and secure when dealing with our staff.
Empathy, we need to feel what and why our clients want –it is not about us. It is about asking and discovering what our clients want to feel in their space. It is not so much about what they want to use as far as colours but more importantly how they want to feel in this space.
Interview with Tammy McKay
Tammy MacKay the vivacious mother of two teenage sons, a one year old daughter and one more little girl that is due to join the family very soon also teaches Residential Interior Decorating at the University of Alberta while leading a professional team of 5 ladies at her company ‘ Design Group’. The west-end Edmonton based design company has just celebrated it’s fifth birthday and has experience in both residential and commercial applications. Tammy shared with Condo Living what some of her secrets to ensuring customer satisfaction with her clients.
What are you finding to the major needs and wants of your clients?
“Considering the demographic shift that is taking place amongst condo owners we are seeing a higher disposal income and for many owning a condo is becoming a prestige item. Many of our clients’ have two or more residences and find condo living more conducive to their busy lifestyles”
Globalization and the internet has created an awareness of better design to the masses. Clients are paying for smarter use of their square footage over the concept of larger spaces. Luxury is the top of the list for many condo buyers. The use of high-end materials- travertine, quartz, beautiful finishes that are also eco- friendly. Reclaimed wood is becoming very popular as is engineered woods over the use of solid wood for flooring. Another area we are finding a serious interest in is energy conservation and the purchases of higher end appliances.
“Clients are very smart and savvy, they want to be good citizens of the world and care for their planet”
What makes good design in your opinion?
Good design to me is about a holistic approach, not just does it look good but does it feel right- it has to feel right in order to work… design should be for all your senses—does it feel right.
When I design a place I want to include all the 5 senses in the space- the luxury feel again-especially in residential. I truly believe in tactile texture in my spaces.
How to you start a project and how to ensure each space feels fresh not a repeat of what you have done before?
“I start with the ‘Principles of Design’ and that is still what I do every time I design a space- I sit down and think what is the purpose for this space and what do I need to do—what is the concept I want to create for my client.”
The five ‘Principles of Design are’ colour, space, texture, light, and line.
You can never go wrong if you use and follow the rules of the ‘Principles of Design’- you can never go wrong- you can break them but you need to know what they are in order to break them correctly. So, yes, I always start with a piece of paper and write down the principles and in what order I am going to give them significance.
My clients are very savvy and design orientated so what I do is simply guide them through the process of what they want to ensure their vision is executed to the highest standards. Sometimes I do push them a bit and offer perhaps a more dramatic element then they originally thought about.
In my opinion light is the most important of all the design principles and I like to utilize lighting as one of the main proponents of my design. We are using much more layering in lighting then we have in the past. If you think about your favourite restaurant for example you will find it is the ambiance you actually like sometimes even over the food. It is how you feel while you are in the restaurant space and I think if people thought about it they would appreciate the ambiance of their favourite spaces is highly dependent on the lighting in those spaces.
We are now using on an average of 5 different light sources in rooms to achieve this layering of light and it makes a dramatic difference in the feel of the spaces once they are completed. I think the layering and the technical aspects of what professional designers are able to create is what separate them from the amateur decorators.
What do you consider to be the most important skills of a designer?
“My clients trust me, which is one of the most important elements in a successful venture. Perhaps when I am suggesting a crimson ceiling in the dining room my client may think that is too much- but if we carefully layer that element we will end up with a dramatic space, but my client needs to trust me in order to allow me to create a perfect space for them. We need to have excellent communication skills, empathy for our clients and they need to feel safe and secure when dealing with our staff.
Empathy, we need to feel what and why our clients want –it is not about us. It is about asking and discovering what our clients want to feel in their space. It is not so much about what they want to use as far as colours but more importantly how they want to feel in this space.
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