So So Cushy is a Go Go!

From the bustling streets of London to the quiet moments of self-discovery, my journey in interior design has been anything but ordinary.

I inherited the artistic gene from my dad and have always been known as being a bit ‘good at drawing’. I never really knew what I wanted to do career-wise but knew it had to be something ‘arty’. I’m still not sure how I ended up being an interior designer. I mean, I know how, but I'm not sure of the why. During my time on my Arts Foundation course at Newcastle College, I was told I was good at visualising ideas in 3D, but I fancied theatre design (a natural progression maybe from my hobby as a dancer). I was advised to do a good interior design degree, so off I went to Nottingham Trent Poly in 1992 for the 4-year sandwich degree course. I had a blast, made good friends, worked hard in years 3 and 4, and did surprisingly well (surprising to me anyway) and ended up getting a junior designer position in London in the workplace design team. I stuck with this sector until my move back to Newcastle in 2004. I branched out into other sectors - bars, libraries, care, education - and did very well.

Early Career

I graduated in interior design in 1996 from Nottingham Trent University and went straight to London to work as a junior for a Corporate Workplace Design Team. I was the typical Northern lass down South, tolerating the requests to say 'Coca Cola' and 'Petrol'. It was the early days of CAD, and I experienced the transition from drawing board to computer-aided design, but what I really enjoyed was the problem-solving, 2-D design of space planning, getting 500 desks to fit nicely into a business park building. In terms of workplace models, open-plan offices were almost normal (for some sectors), and hotelling/hot desking was being talked about. This I found intriguing - the idea that you could influence not just someone's workplace but the culture of an organisation. This led me to a move to DEGW, the gurus of new ways of working and methodologies for defining strategic briefs. I learned a top-down, bottom-up approach to design, including taking the time to observe space uses which influences the way that I work today.

Independence Day

A move back up North was driven by the need for family support. As a new parent, London just seemed too hard. So I had to look for employment elsewhere. I'm not sure if Faulknerbrowns Architects chose me or I chose them, but I was pleased that of all the interviews I attended, they had actually heard of DEGW and were in fact implementing their methods (albeit incorrectly). Working for a big architecture firm was a baptism of fire. I had to 'learn' design all over again, new CAD programmes and working practices. I admit I struggled, spinning the plates of clients, family, workload, time, commuting, until they inevitably came crashing down and I decided to work for myself. After six years I needed a sense of freedom and autonomy away from the bounds of corporate culture and in 2012 I became autonomous and started working for myself.

The Interior Design Business

People believe interior design is a creative pursuit and looks quite good fun if you believe the way it is portrayed in various DIY/makeover TV shows. The main role of an interior designer is to translate your client's brief within the constraints of budget, regulations, building context, and timeframe. It's true to say that to have longevity you have to be good at business - and the business of interior rather than just the creative side is starting to become a feature on degree courses (I had a brief lecture on Contract Administration in my second year). Most designers will admit to 'winging' it when it comes to running their business.

There are three typical ways to make money: 1) fees based on consultancy services, 2) profit margins based on selling, delivery and installation of product and furniture, and 3) profit margins based on the construction of design schemes (design and build). The majority of designers, I think, stay in the low-risk 1 - either working for themselves or employed. This business model is hard. You can only sell your time and skill based on an hourly rate, which in theory goes up the more skilled you are. And you are always competing with cheaper and sometimes free services. You become a people-pleaser, working outside normal hours to get jobs done, saying yes when knowing you should say no, and being fearful of not being able to pay the bills. When you become an employer this fear and the responsibility become unhealthy. I felt I had done my thing for clients and now it was time to be my own client.

Joining the Support Group

I was always convinced that there was another way to sustain a business - to earn money whilst you sleep. I didn’t have the money to invest in stocks or bitcoin - so it was this idea of joining my interior design experience with my enjoyment of drawing to create something that would be fun and give me another means to earn money. I knew it would be hard work initially and I didn’t have a clue about selling online. I was also doing it on my own, scary in itself, so I joined a coaching/support small group led by Hello - Sarah Raad. The intent was to create a structure to make me accountable and to ensure that another project was not going to be shelved. The group was made up of an amazing eclectic mix of women all with their own dreams and talents. A group of creative business women wanting to do something more, and unashamedly earn money to be self-sustainable.

Birth of So So Cushy

I started the group with the intent of doing something completely different (see Nuts Mutts) and with persistence, encouragement and a lot of unpicking of needs and desires - So So Cushy was born. So for the last year I’ve been researching products, looking at print on demand, upskilling (learning about SEO and selling online). The biggest challenge was a) stop worrying about what other people think and b) resisting the temptation to shelve it and to revert back to the skills I knew I was good at. It was a lot of effort to silence the voice of my inner critic and learn to listen to my intuition.

I've poured my heart and soul into So So Cushy, and I’m excited to share this journey with you. Follow me on social media for the ups and downs of this adventure.