Making Space Work

Lizzi Hines has gusto. She’s not afraid, or at least doesn’t show her fear when it comes to taking risks, but they are for her, calculated risks. As the owner and director of Spaceworks - specialists in commercial, retail and hospitality fit-outs, Lizzi knows a thing or three about putting everything on the line. A thriving, award winning business is the result.

Lizzi has entrepreneurial blood running through her veins and that helped immensely when she started out as a junior at Spaceworks. She had been working there for just 16 months, when the existing owner put the company up for sale. Lizzi feared it might be sold to a large construction company and her biggest fear was that she might earn a junior’s wage for a number of years.

So, with a pinch of bold optimism, a dash of strong entrepreneurial genes and a whole heap of hard work, no money, a child and no assets, Lizzi set out to purchase Spaceworks.

“Purchasing Spaceworks was against my Lawyer’s and Accountant’s advice but I felt so strongly about the opportunity, I did everything in my power to make it happen. I worked closely with my bank manager and crunched the numbers over and over until finally he agreed,” says Hines.

Lizzi believes the key to getting it across the line was her research, perseverance and unorthodox solutions to very real challenges.

Lizzi’s Spaceworks was born in 2006 and in a short time became renowned nationally for its innovative and creative flair, priding itself in delivering results on time and on budget. “It seems like an easy enough formula to work to but we work hard to make this happen.”

Spaceworks not only survived the recession it almost breezed through it. While its competitors were waning, Lizzi set out to evolve the business and was quick to adapt and diversify to fluctuating market conditions.

Lizzi’s success has been based on her belief that working with space is an art and that good design is not a privilege, it should be for everyone. To support this, Lizzi and her team have created a number of guides, so that everyone has the access to the do’s and don’ts of space, design and relocation. The Spaceworks design blog, Design Aloud is a way to communicate their passion for good design to the world. The blog is a creative outlet for the Spaceworks team to talk about ‘what’s hot’ in the world of interior design, architecture and art.

www.spaceworks.co.nz

Lizzi’s office design tips which will invigorate and energise your employees

1. Make sure you plan your office so teams whom work together are adjacent or nearby. This ensures the best workflow.

2. Ensure you have the right lighting, not too bright and not too dark. Also make certain the light levels are consistent because bad lighting can cause headaches.

3. If you have an open plan office, make sure you have breakout spaces for people to complete work without disruption or simply for them to get away from their desk. A balance of spaces is important.

4. Ensure you have storage solutions for every employee. There is nothing quite like clutter to be discouraging for your employees.

5. Your office should reflect your culture and values. When staff enjoy where they work it is a great recruitment and retention strategy. Make sure your fit out energises people to work and encourages them to stay.