Intro spection

Explore our latest ‘Made with Programa’ as Shona McElroy of SMAC Studio discusses “Introspection,” detailing the challenges, workflow, and the pivotal role Programa played from concept to completion.

Programa

Can you tell us about your journey into the design field and provide a little background on your studio’s practice?

Shona McElroy

I’ve been passionate about design from a young age, and my journey led me to found SMAC Studio. We focus on creating spaces that are not only aesthetically pleasing but also functional and emotionally resonant. Our practice has evolved to include residential, commercial, and mixed-use projects, but our core values have remained consistent: balance, harmony, and an unwavering attention to detail.

Programa

Could you describe the client for this project, the brief you were given, and the design outcomes you aimed to achieve?

Shona McElroy

The client is a young family living in the heart of Bondi Beach. They were eager for their home to be a peaceful retreat from the bustling streets and crowded beaches. In response, we aimed to craft a calm, coastal oasis catering to the daily needs of a family with young children.

The challenge in Bondi’s semi-duplex setup was creating a sense of space and brightness. Even at the entrance—walking in, you’re greeted by a double-height void that’s unexpected for a home this size. We’ve also incorporated curves throughout the design, making the place feel soft and welcoming, vital for a home with young kids. Take the 60mm-bullnose on the kitchen island, or the curves around the fireplace and stairs wrapped in a micro-cement wall to pull light through the property. It really invites you, hugs you.

Programa

What were the early stages of your design process like, including ideation, concept development, and drawing? How has Programa supported or enhanced these initial steps?

Shona McElroy

In the early stages, there’s a heavy focus on ideation and conceptual development. It’s crucial for us to present these initial concepts effectively to the client.

Programa’s Pinboards let us visualise and share space concepts easily. A simple alternative to spending hours on an InDesign layout, Pinboards enable us to quickly curate early concepts that capture the vibe and essence for each room. It’s sped up our planning, reducing back-and-forth and makes client conversations way smoother.

Programa

How does Programa assist you in sourcing materials and managing logistics for your projects? Can you share specific examples?

Shona McElroy

Honestly, Programa has become a crucial part of our design process. The Scheduling experience and integrating the Financial aspects solidified for me that this is a platform for us.

We also used Programa’s automatic calculations for trade discounts from within our Schedules, ensuring financial transparency and trust with all stakeholders. Staying on budget is essential for both us and the clients. For example, I copied over a tapware range from our library, already loaded with per-item pricing, and simply adjusted the quantities. In a matter of minutes, we saw that the original quote would have been around 60k, while the new spec, using the same items and quantities, was approximately 30k. Took me about 5 minutes, and before that would’ve taken me 4 hours and I probably would’ve got it wrong.

The Product Library has revolutionised how we manage our frequently used products. A solid database that’s visible to the entire team. We can add custom notes, attachments, and supplier details, making the specification process in Schedules super efficient. The categorised organisation and powerful search and filter tools have dramatically cut down the time it takes to find and specify the right product.

Programa

What prompted you to move your workflow to Programa, and what were your biggest challenges in sourcing, specification & logistics during your projects? How has Programa helped you overcome them?

Shona McElroy

Previously we were doing all of our scheduling in Excel, which created a magnitude of issues. So with Programa we were able to streamline our previous process, not only through version control, but we’re able to send out a live Schedule link to all stakeholders to make sure that everyone is up-to-date. It’s really solved any issues we’ve previously had.

Before Programa, logistics and sourcing were manual and chaotic. You’d spend hours trolling the internet, with no end. As you know there can be an over-saturation of information from both Pinterest & Instagram. So it’s nice to know Programa has curated a selection of brands, which we can immediately put into our Schedules. The Trade Portal not only serves as a reliable source for products from trusted brands but also gives you a solid platform for determining exactly what you want to include in your project. Say, in some cases it could be a trigger for an entire Schedule.

Even utilising Programa’s Procurement Hub we auto-sync all key dates from our Schedules, prioritising them so we know exactly what needs urgent attention. No more missed deadlines or payments, which is amazing. The platform has cut down on human error, allowing us to be completely confident in our delivery and the overall design.

Programa 

Can you provide insights into how Programa’s Client Dashboards have enhanced your client communication and collaboration with other stakeholders?

Shona McElroy

The Client Dashboard has been a revelation, it’s amazing. It allows us to directly present multiple options for items like tapware and pendant lights to clients. They can see the prices if they want to, the qualities, the alternative specs, and they feel in charge of their project, as well as us. I think it’s helped us cultivate great relationships between ourselves and our clients.

Everything is really transparent: clients can review, approve, decline, or comment on each product in real-time. This setup enables a two-way dialogue without being too overbearing, making all stakeholders feel included and fostering a collaborative relationship, which is an aspect we value highly at SMAC. The Client Approval side of things is really helpful, there’s so much back and forth. There’s so much that goes into these projects in terms of specifications, there are literally hundreds. So having them approve it virtually through their Client Dashboard is an easy way to streamline that process.

As for sharing capabilities, Programa has streamlined it brilliantly. Programa has been able to streamline the process of sharing information in that, you’ve got a link, the builder has it, they’ve got it up on their iPad, they don’t have to re-print things over and over and over again, they don’t have to ask us if they have the most up-to-date version of the Schedule. Which is better for the client, they get more time of us actually designing, then doing the backend work.

Programa

How has Programa influenced the final execution of your designs? Can you share examples where Programa significantly improved efficiency or outcomes, like in Introspection?

Shona McElroy

Programa has been able to give us more time to focus on design, less time being bogged down or worried about the changes. Introspection in particular was a bit of a moving specification project, the client was really involved (which was amazing), and she was going out and looking at all the final options. It make it really easy to update on the fly and everyone have access to a live updating Schedule.

This means there was no Revision A or Revision B to get stuck on. Having it all in real time made the entire process much easier. Time is important. This is a service based industry and time is money for us, and for the client, so having the platform free up so much more time to focus on the design process is invaluable.

Programa

If you were to recommend Programa to other designers or studios, how would you describe its most significant benefits during the project execution phase?

Shona McElroy

I’d highly recommend Programa to any interior design studio or architecture firm. It’s the ultimate time-saver. Investing time to learn the software is invaluable, especially for studios on a trial run. It minimises mistakes, fosters better communication between you, the client, and the builder, and most crucially, keeps your design vision intact from start to finish.

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