Confidence, Creativity and Clerkenwell: Ellie’s Design Journey So Far
We love bringing on great new talent at East On Projects, so here is the inspiring story of Ellie Pearson, who joined us just over a year ago.We caught up with Ellie for a chat recently:
Hi Ellie, you’ve been with the business for a year now as part of our graduate development programme and we thought it would be good to hear about how your career has progressed since starting your first role after graduating. But before we get into that, can you tell us more about what led you to joining East On Projects as a Junior Interior Design Architect?
I was always interested in design and then got into model making (which I still do in my free time) but I realised that, for me, model making might have been harder to get into, so I decided to lead with interior design at university.
You studied during the Covid lockdowns, how did this impact what you learned?
The main impact was on the practical side of things, as we did very few site visits and learning the fundamentals of a space was therefore very difficult. We were learning remotely and I had a steep learning curve when I went into the business, in some ways I think I have learned even more “on the job” in the last year!
Tell us about those first few weeks with the business and what your expectations were.
The exciting thing for me was physically working in the spaces; I’m on site all the time wearing full PPE. I’d been worried that I’d be involved in the design process from the office and that I might only be able to see projects at completion, but this just wasn’t the case, I’m pleased to say. I had assumed that I’d just be training initially but I found that I needed to learn whilst delivering a project.
I hadn’t expected that I would be managing the relationships with contractors, this wasn’t something that came up at university but now I know that the people we work with are crucial to every project!
How were you supported when you started with East On?
Fe, my line manager and Scott, my director, both trusted me from the start; they gave me confidence that I could use my design qualifications and also that I should be asking questions if I felt stuck. This meant that I was working directly on a design for a client project from day one – and it was a massive boost when they liked my designs!
How has this developed over the last year?
I have done so much practical work that I now understand the design side so much better; knowing the process behind each design has really focused my mind on how feasible it might be. I’ve just done my first major site survey for one of our most prestigious national clients and I’ve worked on the HR room for a major TV broadcaster – if you had told me when I was at university that I would be involved with these types of clients within a year, I wouldn’t have believed you!
Any surprises for you?
Yes! Clerkenwell Design Week! We definitely weren’t told about this at university…with my design hat on, this is such an exciting concept and I love the way you visit various showrooms to see amazing new products and get inspiration. But the highlight of last year’s CDW had to be the event where Gok Wan was the DJ, I loved it!
What does your second year hold for you?
I will definitely be running more projects myself; Scott has been very clear about how he sees my career progressing and he has a growth plan for me. The main thing is that I now have the confidence to see that for myself so I can’t wait to progress! Having that direct access to a director has been a real benefit of being in a medium sized business as I wouldn’t have had that at a larger company.
We all know about work/life balance, so how has this first year with East On impacted on you personally?
So many things! The one I never expected was that I can network! I didn’t even realise I’d need to do this… I guess that means that it has taught me so much about myself that I didn’t know: I’ve really had to come out of my shell on site and with clients and contractors. People and personalities are such a big part of working here.
But the biggest thing I have learned is that it is all about experience and being there.
Thanks Ellie! We can’t wait to see what the next 12 months will bring.
A selection of Ellie’s most recent designs are featured below: