Secrets of Our Success: Design Insights with Ellen Bishop

This week Downtown Design speaks to Ellen Bishop, Managing Partner of Bishop Design who gives us insight on how a successful business is based on maintaining strong client relationships.

Please tell us a little about the projects that Bishop Design is handling at the moment

At present we are handling a range of projects. Our residential projects can be anything from a villa in the Emirates Hills or Palm Jumeirah to a private villa in Bangalore and a four-storey penthouse in Mumbai, to name a few and can span modern and contemporary as well as ethnic design styles. The 10 F&B projects we currently have ongoing are ranging from an international lounge and club developed for the UAE, a signature Peruvian restaurant and all day dining restaurants to multiple roll-out venues such as California Pizza Kitchen, Fauchon Paris, Zafran and Bateel all based in the MENA region amongst others. We are also working on private offices in Business Bay, Index Tower as well as Sales Centers in Dubai and Abu Dhabi for Emaar.

We have seen Bishop Design grow successfully over the years, how do you continually strive to achieve this success?

We have always prided ourselves on being able to give our clients dedication and personal time throughout the design process. However, it is just as important for us to continue this commitment once the design is complete and the construction begin. We always want to ensure that our designs are executed in the manner that they are intended.

In addition, we endeavour to be as flexible and available as possible for our clients, both personally and as a company. We strive to remain cost effective throughout the entire design process to ensure that the execution remains within budget and ultimately always use our extensive expertise in order to obtain the absolute best end results for our clients.

Overall, we aim to continuously provide high-end timeless designs that represent the best possible quality whilst maintaining practicality and efficiency in every aspect. When we are able to do this in line with our client’s brief and vision, we know we have succeeded in what we set out to achieve.

As competition in the industry grows, what would you say are the top 3 reasons a prospective client should choose you to handle their project?

1. As we have never had any investor in Bishop Design LLC we have always had the personal freedom to run the business as we see fit. This means that we are able to hand pick the highest quality staff, expand the business in the directions that we wish to take it and ultimately mould the company to suit the needs of the niche market that we have been fortunate enough to inhabit.
2. Our designs are always high-end and unique yet take practical elements into consideration.
3. We stand by our clients every step of the way and don’t always stick to the scope of work agreed at the onset. If we feel that they would benefit from our additional assistance and services, we are more than happy to go that extra mile.

What do you believe is the true challenge in meeting client expectations while maintaining creative independence?

The true challenge is being honest with your client every step of the way. It is important to decide when to ‘take charge’ of the project in order to maintain the value of the expertise you have to offer and to decide where it is possible for the client to have more of a say. In order to gain your client’s trust and understanding for your designs it is crucial to be informative and to have solid reasoning behind your decisions. In terms of residential projects especially, being entrusted to design and create a home is an honour in itself and the client’s brief and requirements are often more important than in other sectors. However, being able to communicate honestly and prudently is the key to maintaining design independence and to ultimately achieve the best possible result.

As a fully established and growing business what is your advice to designers who are in the process of building their own design firms?

My advice would be to start small and grow your business slowly and carefully, avoid taking on more than you are capable of. Patience is virtue.

If you are looking for investors, it is important to choose carefully in order to ensure that you will be able to maintain a positive and prosperous relationship.

Lastly, it is always a good idea to invest in one, if not two, trained professionals with different backgrounds and experience than yourself that can assist to build your business. If you are lucky to find one or two key people to work with you from the start, offer them an incentive that makes them feel like this is ‘their baby’ (for example a small profit share) and hopefully you will see them take their responsibilities more seriously and become a permanent part of your set-up.

You must have encountered various challenging projects over the years, would you be able to give us insight into one of them that was successfully executed?

A 1391sqm private villa in Emirates Hills has been one of our most challenging projects that we have successfully executed due to the tight budget for a villa this size and the timelines required for the design and build.

 The villa was to be fully renovated and executed in a matter of 6 weeks in time for the Client’s 40th birthday. Luckily, we had worked with the client on numerous projects previously and therefore he was able give us a lot of freedom in terms of design without too much direction and also without us producing 3D renderings. In terms of materials and furniture available to us, we were restricted to sourcing locally available items and/or suppliers who had items in stock which was perhaps the most challenging part.

 This villa recently happened to win ‘World’s Best Interior Design Private Residence’ in the prestigious ‘International Property Award’ 2015 which made the whole experience even more rewarding.

About Ellen Bishop: Ellen Bishop is one of the Founders and Managing Partners of Bishop Design LLC. Ellen oversees the day to day running of the Company’s general Operations as well as the Design for the Residential Sectors along with the FF&E part of selected Hospitality Projects. Since landing in Dubai over 14 years ago, Ellen has been ambitious enough to start not one but two companies and then used her many years of experience to get Bishop Design LLC to the standard it is at today.

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