In this episode of the Build Hatch Podcast, we had the opportunity to hear from Adrian De Boucherville from After Dark Design.

In this episode we talk about:

• Adrian started out in industrial design and shares the inspiration for starting on this career path.
• Adrian grew up in a family of designers and problem solvers so, industrial design was a natural fit for him.
• After a few years in the industry, Adrian became bored and shares how working for ‘Argyle House’, in hospitality, led to the start of his adventure into restaurant and club refurbishments.
• Adrian then began to re-design and fit out other clubs and pubs around Newcastle.
• Rolling from one project into another, allowed Adrian to keep the same sub-contractors and keep the autonomy of the projects going.
• Quantifying budgets, working with heritage listed buildings and capturing the needs of a business.
• The value of good communication, compromise and loyalty.
• How Adrian uses his gut instinct and intuition to work out the costs of a project.
• The beginnings of After Dark Design.
• One of Adrian’s first projects was the ‘Meet Restaurant’.
• The differences between commercial and residential design.
• In commercial work, there is a lot more room for risky design which Adrian loves.
• Working for clients who trust Adrian’s creative flair and are willing to let him have freedom.
• Designing for the end-user and creating interactive spaces.
• Increasing the revenue of locations through layout and creative design.
• Outside of design, Adrian loves to ride his motorbike and is currently renovating his own home.
• Creating a client journey within a hair salon and having to pivot on location and parameters.
• Design, for Adrian, is more than just space – it’s the functionality and flow.
• Adrian’s hospitality experience has become a huge asset as he understands the needs of their patrons.
• How he has created profit for business’ by changing a layout.
• COVID’s impact on people’s thinking and adapting to change.  
• Adrian’s goal is to keep business’ trading. If that means creating a temporary kiosk, he will do it!
• According to Adrian, research is the key to overcoming any challenging project.
• Being able to lean on other trades for advice has been essential and Adrian sees the value in teamwork.

Sit back and enjoy this helpful interview with Adrian De Boucherville from After Dark Design.

Links:

Build Hatch

Follow @buildhatch on Instagram 

After Dark Design

Follow @afterdarkdesignau on Instagram