Commercial flooring is about far more than choosing a colour and laying a product. In this episode of The Underlay, Matt and Michael dive into the world of commercial design and fit-outs with Devon Lofthouse, Senior Designer at Intermain, and Preanka Hassan, Clever Choice Flooring's NSW Commercial Manager.
Celebrating 25 years, Intermain operates across workplace design and construction, industrial projects, schools and other commercial environments, with its own in-house joinery facility adding another layer of creative freedom to the projects its team delivers.
Devon shares her journey from architecture into the fast-moving D&C world, why no two commercial briefs are ever the same, and what it takes to guide a project from the first conversation through to the final styling and handover. For Devon, good design means building layers, finding the element that sparks the creative direction, and developing everything around it into what she calls a "design lasagna".
The conversation also explores the relationship between designers and flooring suppliers. Preanka explains how Clever Choice works alongside designers to find products that not only match the creative vision, but also meet the technical requirements of commercial projects, from thickness and acoustic performance to slip ratings, fire testing and compliance.
And when an off-the-shelf solution isn't quite right? Michael explains how custom-made flooring can help meet specific commercial briefs.
One recurring theme runs through the episode: relationships.
Communication, trust, reliability and the ability to find solutions when the inevitable project curveball arrives can make all the difference.
It's an insightful look behind the scenes of commercial design, flooring specification and fit-outs, with plenty of laughs along the way.
And, of course, Devon and Preanka face the all-important Fast Five.
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