Kristen Nix designed a home in Midland, Texas at a distance, utilizing a soothing palette
Heather Rowland Photography
Working from home and socially distancing might be new and strange for many, but architects and designers have long had to overcome barriers of time and space as they work with clients that might be on the other side of the world, inaccessible, or otherwise physically unavailable.
“We traditionally rely on being face-to-face with clients and teams,” says Jeffrey Paine, FAIA, Founding Principal at Duda|Paine Architects in Durham, North Carolina.
“As architects and designers, having our office closed is a bit antithetical to how we prefer to work. Thankfully, our profession uses virtual technology and cloud resources in ways other industries perhaps haven’t yet embraced.
“As an international practice, we’ve worked with new clients via Webex and Microsoft Teams since before COVID-19-related social distancing and work-from-home policies were put in place. Thanks to this experience, we’ve gained the interpersonal skills required to build relationships across digital and web platforms. These skills include being comfortable on camera, speaking clearly, focused listening—which sometimes involves being patient with lag times in streaming—and staying attentive despite background distractions.”
An example of this is how interior designer Kristen Nix of Austin, Texas created a new home from the ground up without ever stepping foot in it.
“Midland, Texas, where this house was built, is not easy to get to from Austin, and budget constraints drove us to decide to do the entire project at a distance,” she says. “When working with a client from afar, great communication is essential. The client had a good eye and was willing to act as a liaison for measurements and on site samples.”
Nix gave herself a crash course in relevant technologies.
“I had to get really tech-y,” she says, “And learn some electronic technologies. They included Roomsketcher and Studio Designer to share design ideas with the client. For internal office use, we used Base Camp, a virtual project management software.”
She says that accurate architectural blueprints were vitally important to the project.
“And, I ordered two samples of everything. One was sent to the client and one was for me. Once received, we would send our storyboard, walking the client through a visual presentation via Google Slides. We’re both holding each sample of fabric, or whatever, as we walk through the shared screen presentation on Zoom.”
The result is a home furnished with the classic, simple shapes and the soothing palette Nix prefers.
“This is an anxious time,” she says. “Soft colors are more calming.”
Since her Midland project, Nix has headed up other interior design commissions from a distance.
“Midland project was a guinea pig. Since then, Corona virus has mandated two other remote projects, one a West Texas ranch and the other in Dallas.”
The single biggest challenge to working this way, Nix says, is to understand natural light and how it changes throughout the day. She relied on her client to virtually walk her through the spaces at different times of day and night.
“When I visited Midland to photograph the house, it was like seeing a child I’d never met,” she smiles. “I knew so many details – it was really exciting to experience them in person!”