Liam is joined by interior design expert Gabriel to discuss how to add value to properties through interior design. Gabriel, who has years of experience in the field, shares a three-step system for adding value and discusses the importance of getting these steps right to appeal to the right tenants or guests and increase profit margins.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

BEST MOMENTS

“You can buy the best items, best furnishes out there, but you haven’t met the first two. You failed it.”

“It’s like putting a puzzle together. You’ve got to get that first piece of the jigsaw down and then everything else will follow suit.”

“Step number three, which is the cherry on the cake, is make the whole space and the whole area aesthetically pleasing.”

“Investing into a great interior designer at the start of any project… this can make the difference to your nightly rate that you’re charging.”

FULL TRANSCRIPT

Today I am here with interior design expert Gabrielle, he has been in the business for many, many, many, many years. He’s actually one of my personal interior designers, and we’re gonna really share with you how you can add 1000s of pounds in value. So Gabrielle Welcome to the show, it is awesome to have you with us. Really excited that you’re working with me on the AFL Kassar Marbella project where we’re building a multi million pound Villa out in Morro Bay, but look you in the studio today. You have a very simple three step system. What are those three steps?

First, I think it’s quite important in every project to understand people’s behavior,
like right, so step one is behavior. Step two is making sure that you meet the functionality of the space, right? Step three is to make it aesthetically pleasing.


Just before we get into that detail, do you want to just introduce yourself? How long have you been interior designer? Where did you study? Just just to give the audience a bit bit of context around how wonderful and brilliant you are?

Yeah, I’ve always had a passion like drawing things and have like, read the side of things. But then I ended up studying for eight years in design on a bunch of your design after that. And then how about 17 years experience and all types of renovation projects from entry level projects, to high high end projects as well. And now we are bringing that expertise to the the property industry as well.

So obviously, you have a lot of aspects which which you can put it into property, but also in the residential, hybrid. It’s safe to say that you know, a thing or two about interior design, you know, a thing or two about how to add value. And you certainly know the do’s and the don’ts. Now, a lot of people get interior design wrong. And they think it is just about staging a room with some nice pillows and some nice colors and a couple of lights. But in your own words, could you explain to the audience, what does interior design mean to you?


Just a few words, it’s it’s to understand people’s behavior and make functional spaces within a building that are pleasing. So it’s in exactly that order. So you can buy the best items, best furnishings out there, but you haven’t met the first two, you fell in. So the space has to flow? It has to find it has to be functional for that space not permitted. Use it and then you really don’t go to step two, before okay, meeting the first.

Okay, well, let’s do a deep dive now on step one. So step one is behavior. What do you mean by behavior? Give us a bit more of an insight. And let’s just use the project you’re doing with me at the moment, which is we’re building a multimillion pound Villa over in Marbella, which is going to be used for the assets for life retreats across the different verticals. How did we go through that step together? What does behavior mean? This is really, really important.

Yeah, as you remember, we had an initial conversation, and we started sharing ideas of how the space is gonna look like and so on and then I said. Okay, stop, let’s, let’s have a chat, as brief about it, who’s going to use it, how it’s gonna use it, and then what proportion so obviously, the, the space to sell the properties can be used for in various ways but very important is to call that design brief at earliest stage it just to understand who’s going to use it and how not all families are poor, they have the same needs as well. Okay and then understand is might be a couple might be just a single person, depending on the project we have. And then so important the projects is having that design brief, to take a lot of time for to go to understand the person, the family, the end consumer, without having that you can’t really go and then because ideally, you want to create the space that is going to suit the end user. So like obviously me and my wife and my kids of course, we can to spend time over in the villa, but predominantly, it’s being used for our high end clients, giving them a transformation. So that adds a different element and dynamic doesn’t it to the whole process from the start?


Yeah, we have a hybrid type of fuse, but it probably makes it a bit more complex, but ways we can just get get together because certain areas is still gonna be used in the same way. For example, like the bedrooms or bathrooms and so on. But obviously, there are certain areas communal area, which can be used in two different aspects. So obviously, having that aspect in mind, and then a lot of times you go through like, almost like a checklist and you have a set of priorities, then you will look at different areas, and then say, okay, the priority for this is that, so what you go with this mind, then you think, how often is gonna be used for this particular function? And then you go by that, how many times in a year how many times in a month from if you use for this, and then it’s almost like a checking a list and okay, and then if it is that critical function goes into the list of priorities, then you making sure that that’s, that’s the use for it? Mainly, right. But this is really important and Gabrielle spent a lot of time with me and have some sessions with my wife, Holly, as well. This is really important getting this step right, you get this step wrong, everything else doesn’t follow suit, it’s like putting a puzzle together, you’ve got to get that first piece of the jigsaw down, and then everything else will follow suit. Okay, step number two reminders, what is step two, Gabrielle is to have to have the functionality of the space map, and then going through every single detail, all the technical aspect, for example, when designing the kitchen, design, the bathrooms, designing all the areas and bedrooms, and so on. So it’s a bit of a reverse engineer, you’re thinking, Okay, what’s the budget for the project or was the layout hasn’t been used, and so on.

So we start designing all these these areas, which are quite technical, and making sure that a family of four needs, let’s say, the money the washing machine, dish, tumble dryer dishwasher, how many yoga, how many offerings are sought, then go into this design process, then you know exactly where everything’s gonna be positioned. Where you’re gonna have your PowerPoints where the lighting is gonna be, which soccer’s movie and so on. Depending on the size of the bed, that dictates the size of the beds, I come in as a song.


So functionality is really important, isn’t it? So when we spent a lot of time didn’t we looking at the functionality, because you know, we’re going to be having some times maybe 15 or 20 delegates, 25 delegates in the villa, it’s going to be as it looks like seven bedrooms, we want it to be sleeping around 14 people there were there were about 12 or 14 people. So it’s knowing to have single beds or double beds, or two double beds or two singles in a room, we then had to look at what we need to wash it, which means to tumble dryers to dishwashers that then changed the layout of the kitchen from the original architect. So it’s really important understanding those functionalities that as well plus the outside area, which we’ll use for presentation as well. Hidin a user can have a projector or need how many SOC is going to need are they going to be seated? Yeah, so it’s fortunately, we haven’t really spoke much about the roof terrace yet, but this roof terrace is going to be the mother of all roof terraces. This is really going to become a huge central point for our retreats. You know, with the electronic Ricola the projector, the screens, the barbecue, it’s going to be an incredible, incredible space. Step number three Gabrielle What’s that?


Step number three, which is the cherry on the cake is make the make the whole space and make the whole area aesthetically pleasing. So this is when it comes to choosing all the finishes all the materials, the lighting, and so on. So this goes down in being the last step, which is going from 2d, 3d, technical and all the way to finishes. So once you have the 3d set, it’s quite easy. It’s almost like dressing up. You have the the shape of the hull of the kitchen. It’s now just applying textures and materials throughout the for the flooring, the kitchens buttons on the same goes for the soft furnishings. So that’s for me, that’s the ECB when everything comes together. But that’s the last stage in the process. So make it aesthetically pleasing. Right.

Great, great. Hey look, three powerful steps there. And this can literally be the difference that makes the difference. You can then appeal to the right tenant type the right type of guests, you can then increase your gross development value, you can increase your profit margins. So investing into a great interior designer at the start of any project. Even if you’re doing a rent to rent serviced accommodation flat two bedrooms. This can make the difference to your nightly rate that you’re charging, hate GMOs, commercial conversions, new build projects. And if you look at some of the most successful property investors within the assets for life community, we are engaging great people like Gabrielle so Gabrielle, where can people find you? What’s your company name? What’s your web address? And how can people get in touch?
Yeah, the main thing the main place we’re gonna find us it will be our website which is our studio Ara studio, that color key there you can find me on Facebook as well Instagram and LinkedIn on my name, which is Gabriel Mica. We can put it down the notes and but the name of the company is Ara studio rd studio. Right.


The links are actually below the links are below. So click on those links, connect with Gabrielle check out his work. I’m really impressed with the work that we’re doing together. And Gabrielle can also be part of your Power team, helping you add 1000s of pounds to every single property Bill. Thanks for tuning in. And we’ll see you in the next series. Thank you.


You’re listening to the dealmaker podcast, hosted by multimillionaire property investor, entrepreneur and Guinness World Record holder Liam Ryan, discover how to start scale and grow your business become a better negotiator create more opportunity and to make massive profit so you can live the life of your dreams.

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