Spring 2021

24 Dec20164 Sophisticated Designs with Caribbean Charm Operating on an island during the pandemic has presented significant challenges to the businesses that make their homes there. However, award winning interior design firm, HomeWork Design Studio, sheds some light on how it’s kept on delivering its excellent service in a time of tumult. Located on the twin islands of Trinidad and Tobago, HomeWork Design Studio is a full-service interior design and renovations studio that has cemented itself as a big name in its industry. It boasts being a member of the American Society of Interior Designers, as well as HGTV’s professional designer network. The studio enjoys working on both commercial and residential renovations for its clients and has earned a reputation for exceptional personalized service and sophisticated design. It was founded by Principal Designer Randall Waddell in 2008. Regarding how it approaches its customer service, Randall keeps four pillars at the heart of the business’ operations. Firstly, HomeWork Design Studio prides itself on a positive attitude. When a project presents challenges, Randall ensures that an optimistic and driven approach is kept in rising to meet them. Consequentially, clients are provided with peace of mind that the issue will be resolved with finesse and efficiency. Secondly, much value is placed on creatively solving problems. To HomeWork Design Studio, it is not just enough to overcome a challenge on a project site, but to go above and beyond to improve on it. Thirdly, the studio actively listens to clients’ wishes and adapts to their requests accordingly – even, and perhaps especially, when it conflicts with a pre-existing idea of that project. Interior design is a very personal and intimate process, as the designer is helping the client realise their own dream living space. Because of this, ideas can often start as esoteric or unformed, making patience and collaboration a cornerstone of the company. Lastly, HomeWork Design Studio remains transparent with deadlines and workloads throughout the time working with a client. All these elements together combine to build long-lasting trust between the studio and any client. Internally, HomeWork Design Studio has built up a team of the best local minds in the industry, from its tradespersons to finishing suppliers. Within the culture that the firm has created, it prizes open communication and transparency, just the same as with its clients. These elements allow the diverse group of specialties and personalities to gel effectively and get the job done. Of course, a company with such a tight knit and community-minded team encountered challenges when faced with the pandemic. ‘2020 has been one for the record books, and so far 2021 promises to be another roller coaster ride,’ said Randall. For the twin islands, it has been almost a year since the first initial shutdowns caused by Covid-19 – a time that will go down in infamy as a period of trials for sectors across the board. As it faced disruption to supply lines with regard to imported goods due to countries closing their borders, HomeWork Design Studio turned inward to make up the difference. In a sink or swim move where HomeWork Design Studio did indeed swim, it emphasized the support of local suppliers of materials and products more than ever. This is something it has seen as only a good thing in the long run, especially as this had to happen for most companies operating on the islands. The importance of buying local and bolstering local talent has only risen since. Whilst Homework Design Studio keeps abreast of global issues and the wider market it operates within, it finds that following the trends or fads of its sector is something it regards merely as inspiration. With trends in the interior design industry tending to be fickle - and HomeWork Design Studio prioritising ‘timeless aesthetic’ designs - using these as a guideline would be incongruous to the work it does for its clients. However, with the pandemic causing so many to turn towards interior design and finding the need to refit their home to suit a remote world in all aspects of life, HomeWork Design Studio is prioritising updating its designs to suit this new paradigm. As it moves forward into the future, the studio hopes to see yet more of the sustainable, comfortable levels of business it has cultivated over its years of work. With an excellent team and having found solutions for any supply issues the pandemic presented, Principal Designer Randall Waddell hopes to continue to showcase the best of Trinidad and Tobago to the international community. As a final word, Randall had this to say: ‘It has been an absolute honour to have been a recipient of this LUXlife Magazine 2021 Leading Designers Award. We know what winning such a prestigious award means, we have managed to hit the ground running, and we are looking forward to what this year will bring!’ Company: HomeWork Design Studio Contact: Randall Waddell Website: www.homeworktt.com