Job Description: Associate Designer

About the role

Studio Ashby, a renowned interior design studio, is seeking an Associate Designer to join our talented team. Based in London, this Interior Designer / Architect position offers a unique opportunity to shape elegant, bespoke interiors for exceptional residential and commercial projects, both in the UK and globally. From concept to completion, you’ll work with a dynamic team, driving creative and technical excellence in every detail.

What We Do

Studio Ashby is known for creating soulful interiors that combine craftsmanship and contemporary sophistication. Our projects, ranging from grand apartments in St. Germain to elegant homes in Kensington, reflect a deep commitment to timeless design and client individuality. Explore more about us at our newly launched website—Studio Ashby—to get a feel for our projects, ethos, and approach.

As an Associate Designer, you will design and create engaging, insightful, and visually rich environments that explore the intersections of design, art, interiors, antiques, products, and global design culture. You will play a pivotal leadership role, overseeing senior, middleweight, and junior designers across multiple high-end residential and commercial projects, ensuring seamless delivery from concept through to completion. Reporting directly to the Directors, you will guide the team through all RIBA Stages and be responsible for the creative and technical direction of projects, from IA and FF&E design to final installation. This role demands a strong balance of leadership, project management skills, and creative flair. You will also mentor the design team, manage client relationships, and refine studio processes, ensuring the studio’s continued success in the luxury interiors sector.

What we’re looking for:

We are seeking a skilled Interior Designer / Architect with a passion for design excellence, strategic leadership, and a client-focused mindset. In this role, you will ensure that project teams are fully briefed and supported, taking ownership of the creative, technical, and managerial aspects of the design process, while maintaining the studio’s design integrity and quality. You will also be responsible for balancing workloads, leading project kick-off and wrap-up meetings, and troubleshooting challenges that arise during the design or implementation stages.

  • A highly creative individual with a passion for design excellence and craftsmanship, offering inspiration and expert knowledge. A leader with a keen ability to identify emerging influences in architecture, interiors, art, and travel.
  • Confident, loyal, trustworthy, and charming, capable of building strong relationships with clients, project architects, consultant teams, suppliers, contractors, and fabricators.
  • A proactive team player with excellent instincts, openness to feedback, and meticulous attention to detail.
  • Strong problem-solving skills, demonstrating tenacity in overcoming challenges.
  • Highly organised with excellent time management skills, able to work under pressure and meet deadlines across multiple projects.

The ideal candidate must:

  • Drive and inspire the design team, ensuring creative direction aligns with the studio’s vision and client needs across multiple projects.
  • Lead the creative process for each project, ensuring design solutions are both innovative and aligned with the studio’s vision.
  • Confidently lead client presentations, maintain strong client relationships, and guide them through the creative process.
  • Lead internal design team meetings, supporting both conceptual and technical design aspects.
  • Oversee designers across multiple projects, ensuring adherence to timelines and maintaining high standards of design quality.
  • Impeccable and concise communication and presentation skills, verbal and written. They must be fluent in spoken and written English. International project experience is desirable.

Role Responsibilities:

Creative and Design Leadership:

  • Oversee the design team’s workflow, ensuring that each project is delivered on time and on budget.
  • Ensure quality control by overseeing and monitoring output across all projects.
  • Set and maintain design standards and guide the development of technical documentation standards, establishing templates and processes to ensure high-quality, consistent project deliverables.
  • Lead project kick-off and wrap-up meetings, ensuring that milestones and deliverables are met and that projects are delivered on time and within budget.
  • Provide and oversee members of the team providing day-to-day liaison roles with project architects, consultants, contractors, sub-contractors, and other relevant personnel to facilitate effective project delivery.
  • Manage project documentation and ensure accuracy in revisions, while coordinating with consultants, contractors, and suppliers.
  • Respond effectively to complex questions and troubleshoot problems while working and switching between various projects, ensuring that projects remain on track.
  • Apply strategic thinking to projects, forecasting, identifying, and communicating risks, and bringing ideas and solutions to the table.
  • Oversee all aspects of the FF&E process, including specification, procurement, budgeting, logistics, and installation. Establish and manage programmes to meet deadlines, ensuring projects stay on track without compromising quality or vision.

Technical Detailing and Innovation:

  • Promote the use of innovative sustainable materials and suppliers, encouraging the design team to explore sustainability and push the boundaries of design.
  • Conduct regular reviews of design documentation and technical detailing, ensuring compliance with studio and industry standards.
  • Organise CPD (Continuing Professional Development) sessions, offering tutorials and learning opportunities.
  • Lead efforts to help the team refine their skills in technical drawing and IA detailing, ensuring consistency in project delivery.
  • Spearhead efforts to enhance technical documentation, establishing templates and processes to improve the quality and efficiency of the studio’s outputs.

Financial Management:

  • Support the Directors in developing fee proposals and monitor project profitability.
  • Regularly review timesheets to ensure projects are on track and align with original budgets and timelines.
  • Regularly monitor team progress and productivity, mentoring designers to foster a collaborative, high-functioning studio environment.
  • Foresee potential issues with scope movement, programme, or fees, negotiating additional fees when necessary.
  • Ensure that sales invoicing is correctly issued and reported to Directors and the financial manager, providing regular updates on project forecasting.

Team Support and Mentoring:

  • Lead team meetings and contribute to the studio’s evolving processes, standards, and overall culture.
  • Provide mentorship and support the design team by fostering an environment of continuous learning, professional growth, and awareness of new materials, suppliers, and design trends.
  • Foster a collaborative, motivated, and dynamic studio culture, working to ensure a positive and inspiring work environment.
  • Conduct annual performance reviews, regular appraisals, and address under performance constructively to support professional growth and foster strong team cohesion.
  • Play an active role in recruitment and team development.

This role offers a unique opportunity to step into a strategic leadership position within one of London’s respected high-end residential design studios. If you have a passion for luxury design, strong leadership skills, and a desire to deliver world-class projects, we would love to hear from you.

Please submit a CV, covering letter and portfolio in PDF format to careers@studioashby.com with the subject ‘Associate Designer’.