Curatorial House

After striking out as a freelance interior curator at the height of the pandemic, Tyler has delivered one of the year’s most stunning projects with Curatorial House.

Learn how Programa’s improved workflow and client communications tools helped make this a reality.

Before you found Programa, how would you manage your projects and product specification?

Before discovering Programa, I managed my projects and product specification entirely in Microsoft Excel.

Since utilising this software for the past two years, I quickly realised this was a laborious, error-prone and outdated practice to manage a small or large project. It’s a tremendous relief to know I will never have to create another Microsoft spreadsheet again, thanks to Programa!

It still amazes me that an all-encompassing platform like this hasn’t been available to the architecture and interior design industry sooner.

How did Programa help you communicate with your clients?

Programa has streamlined my communication not only with clients but also with all parties involved in a project, including builders, contractors, suppliers, delivery teams, and colleagues.

I’ve found that my commercial clients use the schedule links regularly to stay informed about product lead times and delivery dates.

Another time-saving communication tool is the “Get Bulk Quotes” feature. In the past, obtaining quotes for large projects was a very time-consuming process.

This tool is genius as it sends a blanket email to all suppliers in a schedule with the click of a button and includes the relevant product information required for quoting, along with images. Additionally, the ability to provide QR codes for building sites and installations has been well-received by all involved, as it enables quick access to project information, reducing phone calls and email communication. Every innovative feature of Programa ultimately saves time with communication during a project while presenting you in a highly professional and organised light.

Was there a particular reason you decided to move your workflow to Programa?

When working in Microsoft Excel, I was frequently concerned about creating errors that I was unaware of, from incorrect formulas and sums to accidentally deleting data.

For this reason, I never trusted that my spreadsheets were 100% error-free; no matter how often I carefully scanned the information, as a perfectionist, this was problematic and a waste of valuable time.

In addition, It was time-consuming and tedious setting up a spreadsheet for a large project, with so much formatting and data entry.

Managing spreadsheet version control was also a headache, as I was sharing or printing these for presentations.

I update my project schedules most days, which is a breeze due to the clean and intuitive interface.

The links to schedules look professional and organised; no more forgetting email attachments!

In the past, calculating product discounts and markups was confusing and, again, error-prone. Now I'm confident the figures are accurate with the auto-calculating tool in the schedules financial tab. Among the many brilliant features of this software, the two I can’t work without now are time tracking and Studio WIP; both have saved me so much time, and I can monitor this information in an instant, all in one place.

Drawing from my years of experience as an Interior Stylist, I knew it was vital to balance the scale and proportion of every object in every room.

The formal living room has over six meters of ceiling height. For this remarkable space, I specified the Sampei floor lamp designed by Davide Groppi at 4.4m, providing much-needed height variation; however, this slender light feature also needed to be balanced by another more solid object.

Australian sculptor Ben Sheers created a striking custom-commissioned floor sculpture for this space providing balance to the vertical elements. At three meters, it was craned into place; a rather tense moment as it swayed above neighbouring properties!

How did using Programa affect the end design?

Working with Programa on this project afforded me more time to focus on the creative and less on the administration, ensuring a well-considered and cohesive outcome.

I also firmly believe this software enabled me to deliver this project without a single mistake, as every detail is captured and easily reviewed. Overall, the client and their extended family are thrilled, and I know Programa was the foundation of the project’s success.

How did you end up in design?

From a young age, I’ve been passionate about the world of design; my primary interest growing up was anything related to architecture, interior and automotive design.

Although I studied Interior Design in New Zealand, my career took a different path than intended. I returned to Australia and worked as a creative professional in the fashion, interiors, property, furniture, and events industries, allowing a diverse range of passions and skill sets to develop exponentially.

I think any creative profession can be interlinked with another, especially if you have a sharp eye. I like the idea of not being restricted to one discipline as I’ve found my passions, proficiencies and curiosity continue to evolve over time.

As a result of the pandemic, I’ve been freelancing as an Interiors Curator for two and half years, an unexpected but positive outcome.

You’ve now established your own studio! How was that process?

The onset of the pandemic instantly impacted my previous role as Creative Director, as I was due to depart for the Milan Furniture Fair days before the announcement that the virus had spread to Milan of all places. From there, the economic impact of the pandemic soon depleted the company I worked for at the time, and hundreds of staff members, including myself, were stood down.

During this challenging period, an opportunity emerged to work on a prestigious five-level residence in Toorak, Melbourne. Which became my first freelance project. It took two and half years to complete, from curating over two hundred items of furniture, plus lighting, accessories and an extensive artwork collection, to the three demanding weeks it took to install and hand over.

Less than a year into the project, I finally decided to take a leap of faith and go out on my own. I was terrified by the unknown as I’d become accustomed to living in a professional comfort zone with a sense of security and a clear future. However, the personal effects of the pandemic triggered the memory that I never wanted to have anyone over me in a professional environment, so I thought it was now or never.

Freelancing has pros and cons, but the pros have outweighed the cons for me as I'm continuously learning, challenging myself and finding solutions, as opposed to becoming stagnant and complacent. Leading to growth on many levels, professionally and personally. However, I still have much to learn and value to add to future projects, so my principal goal is to keep advancing forward and not give up, no matter how daunting the obstacles may be.

Set your studio’s processes in stone with Programa, project management tools built by & for interior designers. Start free.

For brands and suppliers interested in showcasing their products on the Programa Trade Portal; Speak To Us about approving your brand on the Trade Portal and Register Your Brand