"The highlights for me were most certainly the tutors and fabulous guest lecturers. Their enthusiasm, passion, insight and inspiration truly was infectious and made me more excited to be involved in this industry."
What were you doing before KLC and why did you decide to study at the school?
Before studying at KLC, I was working as a Sales Manager for an estate agent in west London. I have always had an interest in property and loved working in the industry; plus it was a people person job which I enjoyed. As much as I enjoyed my sales career, I always knew I wanted to do something more creative. I did a private residential redevelopment project which really gave me the confidence to follow my new career path. I saw the KLC Diploma course advertised and really loved the fact that it was a career-based course, this was important to me, as a career changer, that I would be ready for the industry as soon as I graduated.
Can you identify some of the highlights and challenges of your time at KLC?
The highlights for me were most certainly the tutors and fabulous guest lecturers. Their enthusiasm, passion, insight and inspiration truly was infectious and made me more excited to be involved in this industry. The friendships I made while at KLC also made the whole experience so positive. We still keep in touch socially but we now also have a great support network within the industry. The main challenge was the workload to begin with, it certainly is an intense time and there is a lot to learn; however, I loved it all and felt it prepared me well for a career in the industry.
How has your career evolved since graduating?
I set up my own business for a year following graduating from KLC, working on residential and commercial projects before a chance meeting with an Interior Designer I had actually sold a property to 8 years previously; upon which, she invited me to work alongside her at her company, Slightly Quirky. It is a fabulous company, as much as I love the design element of the job, I also enjoy being involved with the marketing, social media and running of the business. We were recently invited to guest as the House Doctor's in the Homes and Property section of the Metro (October 2017) and we have also recently been featured by online design magazines and blogs such as: Home World Design, Architecture Art Design, Apartment Therapy, The Lux Pad.
What kind of projects have you been working on recently?
We have been working on quite a mix of properties and styles which is great. We have recently completed an apartment in Whitehall, central London; an Eric Lyons mid-century Span house; a 4 storey Victorian house on Richmond Hill and are working on a substantial family home in Woking, Surrey as well as a Victorian apartment in Portobello Road, London. As the company name suggests, everything we do is 'slightly quirky' which means every project is entirely suited to our client and our work is always different.
We love the blend of the old and the new and are excited to source new, interesting materials for our clients. We are working on a fabulous house in Guildford, Surrey where we have used petrified moss from Iceland on an entire wall in their bathroom. We also design a lot of bespoke furniture for our clients which makes the scheme even more personal and interesting.
