Meet our Designers: Scott Richardson

Scott Richardson has been designing Perth homes for more than 15 years. His extensive experience and keen interest in architecture have led him to his current role as a Designer at Webb & Brown-Neaves.

“I’ve been in the construction industry for 15 years,” he said. “Before Webb & Brown-Neaves, I worked as a designer and draftsman for a few small practices. Working with smaller companies gave me a broad range of experience from day one.”

Scott watched his parents design and build their own house when he was young, sparking his keen interest in home design. “Something about it just resonated with me. I loved seeing how issues in the design and build were resolved, allowing the process to move forward.”

Scott hasn’t just worked on residential buildings, but also a range of others, from child-care centres to high-rise hotels. “My experience with commercial buildings has broadened my construction knowledge and allows me to approach each home design with alternative construction methods and materials,” he said.

Over a year since his first day as a Webb & Brown-Neaves Designer, Scott loves his role and the people he works with. “I love the people,” he said. “The WB office has such a fun, friendly atmosphere. Everyone is so good at what they do, which drives me to be better at my job.”

For a Webb & Brown-Neaves Designer, every home design is different, meaning challenges are often presented. Having an in-house design team makes for a smoother process, as our clients are able to communicate directly with their designer.

“Having an in-house design department means the clients get to meet face-to-face with the designers,” he said. “It’s great to meet the clients and get a feel for how they will use and live in their home. Having a team of talented designers means we can bounce ideas off each other. We’re constantly sharing new ideas and approaches to design.”

Scott doesn’t only have experience designing others’ homes, but also first-hand experience designing and building his own home. “Early on in my career I was lucky enough to design and build my own home,” he said.

“It was a modest 3-bedroom 2-bathroom house on a small block. I made a few little mistakes, but I learnt heaps. It was a valuable experience as I now understand how our clients can feel. Building can be a challenging and daunting process. Now I approach every home design as if it was my own.”

For Scott, the best part of the role is seeing his clients’ excitement when they see the finalised design of their future dream home. “The most satisfying part of my job is helping my clients’ dreams come to life,” he said.

“Often, they will have one feature of the house they can visualise but can’t picture the rest of the house. When you show them how that ‘hero’ item will work with the rest of the house they get really excited… it’s a pretty good feeling.”

Scott’s main tip for working with your designer is to have a clear idea of what you want before you begin the design process. “When sitting down with a designer, make sure you have a clear understanding of your wants and needs,” he said.

“People often get caught in the trap of thinking they need every room they see in a display home. Cutting out obsolete areas can allow you to make the areas you will spend the most time in larger or of a higher specification.”

This blog post is the intellectual property of Webb & Brown-Neaves and is being used on this site solely as a representation of my work.