Our client, a growing workplace design and build business based in Bath, partnered with Modus Careers to support the expansion of its interior design team.

The business was seeking a Junior Interior Designer with existing commercial workplace experience, strong creative potential and the ability to thrive within a fast-paced, highly collaborative environment.

This was not a graduate-level opportunity. The brief required a designer with a minimum of two years’ industry experience, exposure to workplace projects and the confidence to contribute across the full design process, from concept development and space planning through to presentations and project delivery.

Alongside the technical requirements, cultural fit was equally important. Our client places significant value on curiosity, communication skills and a genuine passion for creating inspiring workplace environments.

The Challenge

The market for emerging workplace designers remains highly competitive, particularly for businesses seeking candidates who combine commercial experience with the right attitude and long-term potential.

The role was predominantly office-based in Bath, requiring candidates to be committed to an in-person, collaborative way of working. Experience within workplace design was essential, narrowing the available talent pool further.

Additionally, the interview process included a live design task and presentation, meaning candidates needed not only the right technical background but also the confidence to communicate their ideas effectively.

Our Approach

We worked closely with the client to gain a detailed understanding of the team’s structure, project pipeline, culture and long-term growth plans.

Rather than focusing solely on technical skills and software capabilities, we identified the behaviours and personal attributes most likely to drive success within the business.

Our search process included:

• Targeted headhunting across workplace design studios and adjacent sectors
• Detailed screening interviews to assess project experience, motivations and career aspirations
• Comprehensive interview preparation, including guidance on the design task and presentation expectations
• Regular communication with both client and candidate to ensure alignment throughout the process

Throughout the search, we acted as a consultative partner, providing honest feedback, managing expectations and delivering a positive experience for all parties.

The Outcome

Following a two-stage interview process, including a live design exercise and team meeting, we successfully placed a Junior Interior Designer who brought a blend of workplace, retail and hospitality experience, alongside a strong cultural fit and genuine enthusiasm for commercial interiors.

The process highlighted the importance of looking beyond technical skills alone. By understanding both the client’s ambitions and the candidate’s long-term motivations, we were able to deliver a successful appointment built for long-term success.

Junior Project Manager

Manufacturing & Retail Fit-Out
Haverhill, Suffolk

Some placements are about speed.
Others are about precision.

This one required both.

Our client, a long-established manufacturing and retail fit-out specialist based in Suffolk, approached us to support with an early career Junior Project Manager. Not a graduate in theory, but someone practical. Technically minded. Comfortable on the shop floor. Someone who understood how things are made before they are managed.

The brief was clear:

• Early career level, with genuine progression potential
• Strong technical manufacturing background
• Ideally exposure to wood, joinery or metalwork
• Organised, commercially aware and eager to learn
• Based full-time in Haverhill with scope to progress into site involvement

This was not a role for someone chasing a job title. It was for someone who wanted to build a career properly, learning under experienced Directors and Senior Project Managers within a business that has delivered retail environments for decades.

The challenge was balance.
Too junior, and they would struggle with pace.
Too senior, and they would be misaligned with the long-term development plan.

Through targeted search and detailed screening, we identified a candidate with hands-on manufacturing roots and a natural aptitude for project coordination. Someone who understood technical drawings, production realities and workshop pressures, yet had the communication style and ambition to step into project management.

The result:

• £40,000 starting salary
• Clear six-month review structure
• Defined pathway toward full Project Manager status
• Long-term growth within a stable, well-established manufacturing business

For our client, this meant securing a future leader who understands their operation from the ground up.
For the candidate, it meant stepping into a role with structure, mentorship and tangible progression.

Another thoughtful placement delivered.
Right person, right environment, right trajectory.

Some placements are about speed.
Some are about leverage.
This one was about alignment.

This placement began long before a role officially existed.

The candidate was a junior interior designer with a clear aesthetic eye and a strong sense of where she wanted her career to go. One studio in particular had always stood out to her. Not because of job titles or salaries, but because of the quality of their work, the tone of their interiors and the way they approached residential design. It was very much a long-term ambition rather than an active application.

When a vacancy later emerged at a globally respected, high-end residential interior design studio, the timing finally made sense.

At that point, I reintroduced the candidate to the studio, providing context around her experience, aspirations and why this environment was such a strong match. From there, my role was focused on guidance rather than gatekeeping. Preparing her for interviews, helping her articulate her strengths clearly and supporting her through each stage of the process with confidence and clarity.

It is important to be transparent. The candidate had previously reached out to the studio directly, prior to the role formally existing. For that reason, I chose not to charge a placement fee. This was not a commercial decision. It was a values-led one.

What mattered was the outcome.

The candidate secured the role, joining a studio she had long admired, in an environment where she can learn, grow and contribute meaningfully from day one. The studio gained a motivated junior designer who genuinely believes in their work and culture. Those are the placements that last.

From my perspective, this was still a win. Not every successful recruitment outcome needs to be transactional to be worthwhile. Supporting talented designers into the right studios, even when the commercial model flexes, is part of building long-term credibility and trust on both sides of the market.

Sometimes recruitment is about introductions.
Sometimes it is about timing.
Sometimes it is simply about doing the right thing and letting the result speak for itself.

This placement did exactly that.

Interior Designer Placement

Hospitality Design Studio

This appointment sat at the intersection of creativity and delivery.

Our client is a well-established, creatively driven hospitality design studio, known for shaping brand-led food and beverage environments that balance concept, narrative and real-world execution. With a growing pipeline of restaurant and hospitality projects, they needed an Interior Designer who could move fluidly between creative ideation and technical resolution.

The brief was clear. This was not a decorative role. They were looking for a designer who understood how hospitality spaces are imagined, developed and delivered, someone comfortable working at pace, collaborating across disciplines and contributing meaningfully to live projects.

The designer we placed brought exactly that balance. Strong conceptual thinking underpinned by solid technical knowledge, with hands-on experience across hospitality and food and beverage environments. Their portfolio demonstrated a confident design process, from early brand interpretation through to detailed drawing packages and on-site coordination.

Throughout the process, the focus was on alignment rather than speed. We spent time understanding the studio’s creative culture, the realities of their project workload and where this hire would sit within the wider team. Equally, we ensured the candidate was moving into an environment that would challenge them creatively while supporting their longer-term progression.

The result was a placement that felt natural on both sides. A designer stepping into a studio where their creativity is trusted and their technical input valued, and a client gaining a considered, dependable addition to their hospitality team.

Another example of how thoughtful recruitment, grounded in sector knowledge and honest conversations, leads to lasting outcomes rather than short-term fixes.

Interior Architect Appointment | Hospitality Design Studio

This appointment was about far more than filling a vacancy. Our client, a design studio specialising in hospitality environments, needed someone who could operate confidently at the intersection of creative intent and on-site delivery.

The brief centred on a senior interior architect capable of carrying projects from early design thinking through to technical resolution, coordination and handover. With a live national rollout programme in motion, this was a role demanding resilience, commercial awareness and a genuine understanding of how hospitality design behaves once it leaves the studio.

The search focused on designers who are comfortable being accountable. People who understand brand consistency but also thrive in the practical realities of live sites, tight programmes and real-world constraints. CGI-focused profiles were deliberately avoided in favour of problem solvers, technical thinkers and designers who value delivery as much as concept.

After a targeted search and detailed screening process, we successfully introduced an Interior Architect whose experience aligned precisely with the studio’s delivery-led culture. Their background in hospitality projects, contract administration and consultant coordination gave the client immediate confidence, while their design approach demonstrated a clear understanding of how brand, materiality and buildability intersect.

The result is a hire who has stepped into live projects quickly, taken ownership across multiple sites and strengthened the studio’s capability at the sharp end of delivery.

A considered appointment for a practice where design is expected to stand up on site, not just on paper.

Production CAD Designer

Design for Manufacture | Bespoke Fabrication | Hospitality Sector

Some hires are about filling a seat. Others are about protecting momentum.

This placement fell firmly into the second category.

Our client is a well-established manufacturing business operating at the intersection of design, fabrication and technical delivery. With a strong order book, long-standing client relationships and a reputation built on precision, they needed additional strength within their Production CAD function to support continued growth and maintain standards on live projects.

The brief was clear. This role was not front-end concept work. It required a Designer who understood design for manufacture, who could translate approved designs into accurate, build-ready fabrication drawings and who was comfortable working closely with factory teams, suppliers and internal stakeholders.

Finding that balance was the challenge.

Many candidates could model. Few truly understood how drawings land on the factory floor.

The successful hire brought solid experience in production-focused CAD, with a practical understanding of materials, tolerances and manufacturing constraints. They were confident working in SolidWorks, comfortable producing detailed fabrication information and, crucially, approached design with a problem-solving mindset rather than a purely aesthetic one.

Throughout the process, the emphasis was on alignment rather than speed. Cultural fit mattered just as much as technical competence. This is a business with a stable, long-tenured team and a collaborative working environment, so introducing the right personality was essential.

The result is a placement that strengthens the production team, eases pressure on existing designers and supports the business as it continues to scale.

A quiet hire. A meaningful one.