Loving your Bubble

Your product or service may be amazing, but how many clients are you losing because they don’t like the cover of your book?
By Nakita Ardern

“I have this funny little habit whenever I am out for a meal … I always have to go and check out the bathrooms!” says Rachel Tabb, Managing Director of Bubble Interiors, a Tauranga-based interior design practice specialising in hospitality, retail and office design.

“To me the state of these say a lot about the importance the cafe/bar/restaurant owners place on their customer’s overall dining experience. To some this might seem trivial, but for any business owner your customer’s experience in your premises can be the difference between them settling in and ordering another drink and dessert or leaving straight after their main, the difference between them returning or not, and recommending you to their friends or not.”

Rachel is often bemused by the number of business owners who believe that their clients wouldn’t want to see them ‘wasting’ money on their business premises, that it would make their clients think that they were paying too much for your product/services.

“If you wanted to sell your house would you choose an agent driving around in the latest 4×4 or one driving a banged up old Laser? Your business premises offer the first impression, the cover of the book, from which your clients make a judgement on your business.”

With a Bachelor of Design from Unitec, Rachel launched Bubble Interiors in 2010 with fellow honours graduate, Anja Lee.
After graduating Rachel stayed in Auckland were she worked for ASC Architects, Creative Spaces and most recently Jasmax, one of the leading architectural practices in New Zealand; while Anja relocated to Melbourne where she focused on large retail and hotel chains.
“I had mostly done commercial office design and at Jasmax I started specialising in workplace strategy, working with bigger corporate clients creating design briefs for environments to support and promote their brand and company culture,” Rachel explains.

In 2009 Rachel and Anja bumped into each other pushing buggies in a Tauranga shopping mall. Both had moved back to the Bay of Plenty to be closer to family and were keen to re-connect through their passion for design.
With the support of their families Bubble Interiors was born on the premise that the pair weren’t “cut out for full time motherhood” and wanted to utilise their creative genes in a business that was flexible around their families.

The business’s first completed project was the Sushi Time shop in the Bethlehem Town Centre.
“An Asian couple had moved up from Christchurch to escape the earthquakes and we were introduced through one of the local commercial leasing agents. We helped them look for a tenancy that would suit them best, then managed the whole process from design to documentation for the council, coordinating pricing and overseeing construction on site.”
Earlier this year the structure of the business changed with Rachel becoming sole owner and director of the company after Anja took maternity leave. Anja still works as a designer for the company, which Rachel says is a “testament to our friendship”.

The pair work from an office in Rachel’s home that she shares with her two daughters, Saskia (4) and Carys (2) and her husband, Kristian who is the Commercial Business Manager for Noel Leeming Group – Bay of Plenty/Waikato.
Throughout her self-employment journey Rachel’s biggest wake up call has been learning to spend time on the business as well as in the business.
“When you’re working for a large practice you get lovely jobs land on your desk and you’re able to just focus on design. With my own business I’ve fallen more into the business management side of things; networking and fronting the business then feeding that back into Anja, who does more of the design now along with a few contractors.”

Rachel is a strong believer of functional spaces that don’t just look good but that are also user friendly for the people occupying them.
“In these economic times people tend to see using a designer as an extra that they don’t have the money to pay for. It’s rewarding when someone does engage you and you’re able to provide them with ideas that they may not have been able to come up with on their own, so they can then see the value in paying a professional for advice.
“I’m excited that Tauranga is growing as a city, that people are open to us bringing our experience from Auckland and Melbourne to their businesses, and that people are learning that an environment can really support and promote their business’ brand.”
“Your environment is your bubble … reflecting you, your people and your brand.”
www.bubbleinteriors.co.nz
 
Rachel’s five top tips for an effective office:
1. Create a variety of work settings
A desk is great for computer-based tasks but, with so much mobile technology available now it is important to provide different areas to support day-to-day activities away from the work desk – especially in open plan environments: phonebooths for private calls, quiet rooms for concentrative work, library zones for reading/research/relaxing and breakout/café zones for interaction and collaboration.
2. Provide access to natural daylight
This has a huge impact on productivity and general wellbeing. Arrange your office so work areas are in close proximity to windows and natural light; and so the majority of staff have access to the natural light, long gone are the days of the large corner exec offices blocking every one else’s daylight.
3. Add greenery
As well as creating interest, plants help purify the air and lower levels of indoor contaminants to keep you feeling healthier, bonus!
4. Clear desk, clear mind
A lot of offices I see that are “tight on space” really just need a very good sort out and tidy up! If you haven’t any already then introduce good systems for filing and storage, then educate all your staff on using these systems, and support them with well designed, easily accessible filing, storage or library space.
5. Create some visual stimulation!
An office doesn’t need to be a 3D version of your business card. There are so many options available nowadays to easily inject some life and personality into boring flat-colour office walls: chalkboard paint in any colour, vinyl decals, and not only stock wallpapers, but the ability to turn any image into a full size wall graphic. So while front-of-house should support your desired business brand, there is no reason why you can’t have some fun and mix things up a bit in your staff room or work areas.