THE ITALBEC INTERVIEWS

What do you do?

I am an interior designer. When I first graduated from Dawson College in the late eighties, I started working in the field. All the architects used to design commercial spaces like shopping centers, public spaces and food markets. Once I started working for Camdi Design, they did retail projects. This was rare at that time because interior design had always been focused on residential properties. I was a junior designer and I learned how to plan and design all these little food concessions in the Faubourg Ste-Catherine, which was my first big retail project. I also learned everything about retail planning of common areas and food retailers. Then, we started designing a lot of shopping center renovations. From then on, my core business was shopping center design and supermarkets for most of my career.

How did you transition from working for someone to having your own business?

When I worked for Camdi, I was the partner with the smallest share of the company. Part of my responsibility was to bring in business. It was never foreign to me. I was committed to a long-term career at Camdi and really loved working there. When the recession hit in 1991; they had to restructure, and the restructuring didn’t suit me.

I had some business that I had developed and I ended up finishing the contracts under the Camdi banner and I charged my fees as a contractor. But then, all those clients kept coming back to me because they didn’t know anyone else at the company. They only knew me. So, they became my clients.

How old were you when you started as an interior designer?

I started designing at 20 years old. I worked nine years at Camdi Design. During that time, I learned a lot. I thank them for everything I’ve learned because they really formed me as a designer. I had peers that I worked with that today, are all very successful designers on their own. Then, I started my own business at 29 years old.

In your opinion, how has or will COVID impact interior design?

Well, that's a big question because there are so many different facets of interior design. In residential design, it has never been busier because a majority of people are focusing on their homes.

In the retail design world, it came to a screeching halt.

Because of COVID, people like online shopping. I truly believe that people still enjoy the experience of shopping in-store. Now, does that experience have to be good? Yes.

Are the middle-market shopping centers going to suffer? Yes. There is valuable property that will be redeveloped for other things. It will most likely be for residential use because it was already an over-saturated market. We were at this point already before COVID, where online shopping was starting to take place.

There will still be a place for retail stores. The cream of the crop is going to survive. What is happening in the industry now is that the real estate developers that own the properties of these big malls are starting to think about rezoning and redeveloping them for mixed use.

Are stores going to elevate the customer experience?

Absolutely. The trend is coming back to the idea where you have some type of entertainment, family activities and shopping mixed into one location. Now, we're also bringing back the mom and pop stores as pop-up shops.

What do you attribute this huge difference between a mall in Montreal vs Toronto?

First of all, you have to be in the right market. Toronto is one of the most affluent cities in North America; they have a lot of money. Montreal doesn't have anywhere near that amount of money.

We don't have the demographic and enough people with that amount of money to support the high-end retail.

Whereas the Yorkdale mall, it is probably in the top five shopping malls in North America. This mall makes more money per square foot; more than huge malls in the United-States. Toronto also gets North American brands coming in first.

Now, if we take The Bay, this is a company that just never addressed the experience of shopping, and it’s too big. The department store cannot be eight floors anymore, like what you have in downtown Montreal. It could be three floors and you really have to edit out all the miscellaneous merchandise. They have to decide who they want to be and really focus on what merchandise they want to sell.

What do you like best about what you do?

I love that there's a beginning and an end to every project. I also like that I can walk into the projects that we worked on in the past and experience what we've done.

Also, when we had really bad environments and we would turn them into really beautiful environments, the behavior of people changed, which is amazing!

What is your favorite type of project to do?

When I was young, I thought of becoming an architect instead of an interior designer. Then, I thought that it might be too technical for me, but I really loved big architectural space. That’s more my natural tendency to work with big spaces.

I've been in the supermarket business for a long time and I enjoy designing markets. I also love everything in the food retail realm. After all, I am a foodie!

What are your top projects that you loved doing?

We did a new concept for Metro supermarkets for about 8 years now; I just love that project.

I truly enjoyed renovating the Rockland Centre in 2006. I was the first person that put wood on columns in that way and it was so sexy. As soon as we did that design, everybody did it. We managed to make it look so elegant and timeless.

I also got the opportunity to design a shopping center in Qatar, located in the Middle East. I loved doing that project because I got to do all kinds of designs that I would never be able do here. We designed skylights that were shaped like prisms, white railings with plated metal and beautiful custom details; that was fun.

Do you forecast any changes in the way you're going to design a shopping center?

As result of COVID, I think it’s all about enhancing entire experience of going to a shopping center. Now, people are getting creative with customer service. For example, we can create a central desk where a customer can bring their items to return and the desk clerk will take care of the return. That way, the customer won’t have to wait in line in the store. Also, making better quality food in the food court, where people will actually enjoy eating the food. Everything is getting re-thought to make a better experience for the consumer.

What challenges did COVID bring you, not only an interior designer, but as an owner of a business?

My biggest challenges were the yo-yo factor of work, maintaining a certain level of business and not knowing when it was going to come back.

The thing that I thought would be challenging that turned out not to be was going from in office work, to working from home. In one week, my team and I were all set up because we already had a central server. All we had to do was install VPNs and we were able to work from home. The transition was almost seamless. If COVID happened five years ago, it would have been a completely different story because we didn't have the technology to allow us this cloud-based technology.

How did you find doing collaborative work when you were working from home?

I'm old school. For me, I found it hard because I had to be stuck to my computer screen to talk to my team. I found this very challenging but many members of our team enjoyed it. We managed to work really well together and they were great. They worked really hard at home and I never had to worry once about their work and productivity. I am so fortunate to work with such amazing people.

What's the biggest lesson you’ve learned in your career?

I'm not certain that people who go into this field today are that passionate about it. They may think that they love it, but it's a hard path and career. This design career has been democratized through every renovation show on TV.

If I could share one thing, it would be to make sure you love design. It should be your whole passion, because it takes a great deal of hard work. Also, be honest with yourself and see if you have any talent.

You will receive criticism of your design and it gets to the most inner level of your soul, because you give birth to this. When you’re a young designer, you take it very badly. As you mature as a designer, your philosophy is that there are many solutions to a design problem, and it is our job to find the solution that suits you and also suits your client. You have to work through it.

What do you attribute your success to?

I worked with great people over the years. I worked with a woman named Susan Reed for 25-30 years and she and I are a great team; she is so talented. If she wasn't part of my team, I don't think I would be as good.

I also have a really good team. I was able to select really nice people that complimented our team. That’s huge, because you cannot do it all by yourself. I always have a sense of intuition that I trust and works for me but one needs a strong team to make projects come to fruition. Also, I’ve had a nice relationship with my clients over the years.

What's one thing that people would be surprised to find out about you?

I’m a golf fanatic; I’m obsessed with golf. If I don't play enough, I get depressed. I am a member of a golf club where we’re not allowed cell phones on the golf course. It feels like a complete disconnect. I also love the beautiful environment and greenery.

What would be your advice for young designers?

Make sure you really love this field because it's really hard work. You don't realize how much hard work it takes until you start working in this business.

If you love the design world but you are not the most creative, work to your strengths. You might be the best project manager, or maybe you will be really good at the detailing of it. You’re going to have much more satisfaction in your work if you work towards your strengths.

Who do you admire most in your peers?

I admire anybody who's been able to be in the same industry for so long. It's a long haul. I'm going on my 37th year as a designer and 29 years with my own business!

Do you see any major changes happening because of COVID that will affect our industry in the next five years?

We're in for a rude awakening next year. People don't see it coming the way I do. I hate to be pessimistic but I see a big recession heading our way because the world, the supply chain and this burst of residential is coming to an end. Many people have spent their disposable money already. People who want to do projects must navigate the uncertainties such as supply chains, scheduling and costs. There are too many unknowns. COVID participated in that change because the supply chains got disrupted. We’re still feeling the effects of these changes and it’s going to affect us in the future.

What inspires you?

Seeing other beautiful things inspires me. The quality of work out there today is spectacular. As designers, we're always judging ourselves and seeing where we stand up against other designers. There's so much talent, so much brilliance and that inspires me.

Are there any cities that inspire you?

I’m a New York city girl; I love that city. My parents are from there and I grew up going there all the time. I also love Los Angeles, Rome and Paris. For me, Paris is not a design city as much as a beautiful city to simply enjoy. I also love going to London; you get that amazing vibe.

To learn more about Bess Pappas, President and Creative Director at Pappas Design Studio Inc., visit the website below: www.pdstudioinc.com