19 Q1 2022 BUILD This close-knit work environment maximises organisation and nurtures creativity, allowing her assistants to develop a unique professional identity of their own. Henrietta prides herself in mentoring younger and up-and-coming women designers with full knowledge that this may in turn mean she will lose them. In today’s world of design, one of the scarcest resources is originality and Southam only vouches for the best minds in that field. 2021 was a banner year for HS Design as it was shortlisted for four categories in both the International Design and Architecture Awards (best penthouse/apartment internationally; best kitchen under 100k pounds internationally; and best interior design scheme in Canada, which she won) and the International Hotel and Property Awards (best restaurant design in the Americas). However, it was and remains the variety of projects that really enthral the team. From a children’s day care to a 17th century country house, a yellow brick Tudor to a centre-hall art deco mansion, a small pub to an outdoor pavilion, HS Designs’ tenet of breathing another century of life into historical, commercial or institutional buildings has held strong. There is no space that should remain unloved in a world that is increasingly getting smaller. Henrietta’s professional goals would be to write a biographical book of her life as seen and lived through design, as well as collaborate with some of her favourite producers in the world of textile and wallpaper, lighting and furniture. Company: Henrietta Southam Design Contact: Henrietta Southam Email: [email protected] Website: www.henriettaoutham.com Dec21063 Dreamt. Drawn. Designed. Henrietta Southam Design (HS Design) has evolved organically since 1997 when its founder first started working in Miami, Florida. Today, based in the capital of Canada, Ottawa, HS Design is an internationally awarded boutique agency that works mostly in the residential and hospitality sectors. The firm has been recognised by BUILD magazine as Leading Full-Service Design Firm Specialising in Residential and Hospitality Projects, 2022 – Ottawa. Join us as we take a closer look. enrietta Southam Design works closely with handpicked contractors and architects, trades and sources, to ensure her philosophy of designing her client’s vision is faithfully served and finished, rather than imposing a more personal and recognisable look. HS Design’s motto would be “Timeless over Trend”, and her by-line is “Dreamt. Drawn. Designed.” Her clientele are themselves leaders in their respective fields and come to Henrietta via a robust word of mouth reputation. While functionality and adaptability to a client’s lifestyle leads the spatial configuration, her work is primarily known as exquisitely layered, aesthetically timeless, and finished to a polished gleam. HS Design does not advertise or approach clients. Recognised in print and media by her peers, HS Design is in the enviable position to pick who it works with, as Henrietta is designing her work as her legacy and looks for the projects that would be most transformative to her clients, as well as visually appealing for print. Interestingly, her multidisciplinary creative mind is also attracted to the more difficult projects, the ones with delicate spatial or restrictive financial constraints that give her team the sought-after feeling of achievement when they deliver. “What is unique about Henrietta is that her recognition of thoughtful/skilful design came well before the peak of online marketing platforms. HS Design has gained traction through word of mouth due to the competency of a single woman and her ability to collaborate with clients, tradespeople, product reps, artisans, and all others who make up the valuable moving parts that it takes to get a project done and to get it done right.” With so many moving parts, assistance is needed in the form of a small, intimate team to streamline the process of conceptual development and construction coordination. HS Design looks for proficiency in all technical areas of drafting, but hires women based on their innate understanding of beauty, which cannot be learned as much as engrained through a solid background in literature and history of art. Henrietta views her assistants as an extension of her mind: as many crayons as she has in her hands, her assistants are the ones who sharpen the picture. Henrietta Southam knows first-hand that a creative and critical mind is hard to come by as she will jump on the opportunity to bring such individuals onto her team. She looks to take in daring creatives who are rigorous in their practice, have a thorough understanding of spatial functionality, are not risk averse, and possess the ability to visualise the outcome. H
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