For the latest in our series of editorials focusing on Irish Women in Business, we’re talking to Denise O’Connor, the founder of architecture and interior design company Optimise Design.
Here, Denise, in her own words, tells us how she got started and what it was like being on Design Doctors…
I always wanted to be an architect, apart from a brief desire to be an air hostess after a flight to the States when I was six. It’s the only thing I ever wanted to be.
I worked in London for eight years after graduating and my last job there was with a company who combined architecture and interior design. Much of the work was for developers working on residential developments – we were involved in everything from the layouts of the apartments right down to the fit out of the sales and marketing suite. This was such a turning point for me because we were involved in advising the developer on what kind of customer was involved to creating the perfect environment for them to live in – it was all about the end user. I had always wanted to work for myself. My dad had his own business so it wasn’t something I was afraid of. It seemed like a natural progression to eventually have my own company. When I moved back to Dublin after having my first child I realized that there was a gap in the Irish market to offer a similar service to what I had been doing in London so Optimise Design was born.
In the beginning the aim was to replicate what I had been doing in London – designing great quality homes, advising on layout and interiors. The estate agents were often involved in advising the developers on the finishes and general concept for the scheme, there were architects who were working on the layouts and then interior designers that came in at the very end when radiators were in the wrong place for sofas and bedrooms were not working. The whole process was very disjointed and inevitably the properties suffered. We were involved right from the beginning. We considered how the furniture would work whilst planning the layouts so that the vision from building site to fully furnished home had one point of contact overseeing it every step of the way.
Shortly after we set up the business the market completely changed. The commercial work that we had been doing stopped and we had to change tack. We were well placed to do residential projects but we needed to differentiate ourselves from the increasing number of other architects that were moving into this area and competing. We realised how valuable having an architect’s input early on in a scheme was for people, but many people now felt that hiring an architect was a luxury that they could not afford. We decided to offer a one-off consultancy called Optimise Home which advised on layouts and gave architectural advice for a fixed fee. The service was so popular that we now carry out three a week. This service also allowed us to connect with a large variety of customer which helped to build the brand.
My working days are all quite different but a typical day might start with a call out first thing to meet new clients and discuss their projects. I tend to schedule my call outs first thing in the morning. I try to get as many phone calls as I can done while commuting as it means I am less distracted once I finally get to the office. The first thing I do is run through the day’s events with Barbara, our fantastic office manager. I spend the rest of the morning going through new enquiries and replying to emails. Lunch is often eaten at my desk. Myself and Catherine (Crowe) also try to use lunchtimes to catch up and exchange ideas for the business.
I like to spend the early part of the afternoon on research for my articles and features. I’m a total magpie when it comes to all aspects of my working life form collecting images to stockpiling ideas for writing. I draw inspiration from everywhere and anywhere from radio interviews to shop window displays. We tend to try to collaborate on our design projects and have group creative meetings where everyone can chip in on any of the early stages of the projects from pinning images to sketching ideas. It’s a great way to familiarize everyone on all of our jobs and keeps the process fun and fresh.
The afternoons are normally pretty full with meetings. At the moment we’re working on the plan for the roll out of Signature Collection, the paint collection that I developed for Dulux which is very exciting. I leave the office at about 5.30pm to be home as close to 6.00pm as possible. I do have the odd event to go to in the evening, usually the launch of a new product or collection, but I try to make it home before the boys go to bed.
I founded the company in 2007 and very shortly afterwards the economy and construction industry changed dramatically. Architects were suddenly viewed as a product of the boom. And people’s opinion towards them became very jaundiced. I saw this as an opportunity to change. There were so many things that I disagreed with in terms of how architects conduct their business. So I guess the biggest challenge has been adapting my business and brand to change the way the public view architecture and trying to get across the benefits of using an architect and illustrating how good design can be a life changing tool.
There have been lots of great moments but being asked to put a paint collection together for Dulux was wonderful. This is something that I have always wanted to do and it was a fantastic project to be involved in.
We were delighted to be asked to be part of Design Doctors because we are always open to trying new things. It’s been a whirlwind from start to finish and it’s a totally different world to what we were used to. It’s been wonderful and challenging at the same time. We’ve learnt a huge amount and it’s challenged us to think about design in a new way which is fantastic.
We realised very early on that connecting with our clients was a really powerful thing. Architects are seen as pretty unapproachable, we’ve even heard the word scary, so we have tried to break down the barriers as much as possible and make it really easy for people to feel comfortable to approach us. Communication is so important in any business but especially so with the design of people’s homes. We really need them to feel comfortable disclosing their hopes, woes and aspirations so that we can come up with a solution that delivers exactly what they need to make their home a joy to be in. Our motto is ‘Design That Starts With You’ – we start with the client and design from there.
Currently all of our clients are here in Ireland so now we are looking to expand into the UK. I worked there for many years and still have great contacts there. Our focus has been growing the business here in Ireland and I now feel we are ready to spread our wings.
For further details about Optimise Design, visit their website here. To suggest other great Irish women to feature in this series, please drop us a line to [email protected]
