Ahead of International Women’s Day on Friday 8 March, we’d like to showcase the women that make Carr what it is across all sectors and disciplines. For our final article, we have Senior Interior Designer Maree Paraskevopoulos who reflects on her career so far within the residential interiors sector and what teachings she implements when guiding junior team members.
Reflecting on your interior design experience, what aspects of your profession do you enjoy most and why?
I get real joy out of the actual execution of the design. Being able to see the design go from a concept on paper to a successfully built outcome is all about the design and constructability. It’s the keyword ‘successfully’ that encompasses making a design plausible and well-rounded for the client and creating a home that stands the test of time.
You work within the residential interiors team. What initially drew you to that specific area of interior design?
Crafting homes for people has always been an interest of mine. ‘Home’ is a special place for me, more than anything, it has the most impact on my mental health – it’s my safe space. And so, I value the importance it plays in people’s lives as a personal haven or sanctuary.
How would you describe yourself as an interior designer? What do you bring to a special project?
I’m detail-focused. I enjoy the finer and more complex aspects of a project, which is necessary to deliver a project to the client’s brief. I bring a knowledge of how multi-residential interiors work and craft them expertly with justified design responses. There’s a fine line in residential interiors at commercial level so that is buildable but then still makes it feel like a home. I think I’m also good at communicating this process to clients so they feel informed every step of the project’s journey.
How important have female mentors/role models been throughout your career so far? Why is it vital to see female representation across the board?
It’s been incredibly important for me to have female mentors who have pushed me to be the most confident version of myself as a designer. Formal or informal, I’ve been able to lean on these women and learn how to pull upon my expertise and know that I have a voice that’s worth hearing in the room. Also, just being able to observe women in leadership positions in meetings or around the office has had a positive osmosis effect too.
As Senior Interior Designer, you are responsible for junior members of the team. How do you achieve an inclusive and supportive relationship with others at Carr?
The biggest factor is communication between everyone. You want to avoid a loss of information between leaders and teams about what is achievable and if the timeline is working. This means during projects, everyone gets a space to highlight their talents, which of course, helps produce an outcome that the entire team can be proud of and have personal investment in. I want junior designers to have a platform to learn and share opinions and feel safe doing it.
What moments can you share where you have experienced or witnessed solidarity between women in the workplace?
The leadership team at Carr is comprised of extremely talented women across multiple sectors. Every day we see these women encourage each other, support each other’s opinions, and provide safe spaces for the whole team to thrive. Because the proportion of female leaders at Carr is high, there hasn’t been one major moment of massive female solidarity. It happens every day!
This year’s IWD theme is ‘Count Her In’. What does this mean to you?
For me, it’s including voices from junior members to the top in discussions, whether it’s about a project, culture, or International Women’s Day. You need voices from women with kids, without kids, younger, older, and diverse backgrounds, and take advantage of the intersectionality of experiences and apply them to your work for a robust and holistic outcome.
Learn what inclusivity means and looks like to Architectural Graduate Viya Zhang.
