Inspirational design and style has been an absolute joy and personal pursuit since I was young, and continued to guide me as I created and expanded my company.
At the beginning of my career I purchased property in interesting locations with challenging layouts that others struggled with. I found and worked with great people and I created solutions for the space, before submerging myself in the procurement of beautiful and provoking furnishings and lighting solutions. Buyers loved the idea of arriving on the day of their new property completion with just their personal belongings and no need to start trying to find or fit old furnishings into a new space that already looked and felt amazing.
This concept soon developed into larger acquisitions and projects to design and refurbish properties for a number of interesting celebrities, foreign dignitaries and even overseas royalty. The diversity in creating designs for both residential and commercial businesses has taken myself and my team across Europe, Dubai, America and Africa to name some of countries we have completed projects in.
Inspiring my team has been so incredibly important to me, and is achieved with drive and a commitment to continue to innovate, and in the creation of exceptional designs and experiences for our clients. This is done through constantly challenging what we do to create a life less ordinary for our clients and ensure they live and experience their space at another level of enjoyment. We hold regular team meetings and breakout sessions to create new features, designs and experience that are different and exceptional for each client. Constantly asking ourselves, where we can make a difference for a new client in their world of living and working.
Sure, there are similarities in our clients and their needs, but there are hugely individual differences also, that we ensure are expressed in our designs for them. Our work is to realise these individualities into living experiences within their habitat, that matter and endure the test of time. All this, whilst creating solutions to the external changes to our lives that the world tests us all with, such as the pandemic.
Our team’s enthusiasm to create innovative and meaningful design, is rooted at the very core of conceiving the look, feel and emotion that is right for those that engage our services. Gaining aspirational talented team members is crucial, as these new individuals are infectious to those that they join, and our existing team is infectious in nurturing their new creativity.
I believe in the diversification and growth of our company, as it is crucial to keep moving forward in a constantly changing world. Creating a greater experience for our clients, and also for the development and advancement of my treasured team. During the pandemic we challenged many ideas and ensuring our designs are aligned with the aspirations of our clients.
In doing so, I believe our team learnt along with the World, the incredible importance of humility, kindness and empathy to all those around us and what we could do to ensure we designed with the connecting of others in mind. Whether that be with our loved ones, friends or colleagues.
We are now designing and creating homes and properties, that are designed to help people to live and work with enhanced balance and wellness. Our new collection of properties has been developed, with living and working during restricted or challenging times at the heart of our designs. Each property is ergonomically designed, with multi-function areas, for video calls from huge mirrors that instantly open into monitors, and also allow for a bigger sense of closeness and connection of family, friends and work colleagues via video conferencing. This with ability to mirror your smart device or laptop on huge screens and audio systems for work. These discreet and interesting less obvious screens seamlessly allow for gaming and movies to relax in recreational times.
Our lounge areas, all encompass a level of comfort, flame fires, furnishings, wall features and textures that are comfortable to the touch and inspiring to the eye. All rooms featuring mood lighting highlighting features and areas to draw emotion too.
I believe in the incredible power of wellbeing and balance gained from mindful inspiring design, and we look to expand this experience through ‘The Collection by Antonio Grano’ of new properties that we are developing, and are coming soon.
My advice to budding entrepreneurs is to completely pursue what is true to you, retain your authenticity, passion and belief in what you seek to achieve in the world. Others may not instantly see or understand what you see. And that is OK, as it is then your role to ensure your target customers understand your products or services that you provide, and more importantly how they can solve a problem for them. Bring your vision to life, by finding a way to be seen, heard and enthusiastically understood by your prospective customers. Keep going and never give up, you’ll get there, I promise.
