a architectual designer
The early years of our lives are spent thinking about what we’d like to be when we grow up. We can be influenced by a number of things that surround us or perhaps those influences come from closer to home. In Annabel’s case, her family clearly played a pivotal role in her future. This is her story.
Her earliest memories of home life was always surrounded by building works. Her father worked in construction and converted a brick barn into their first family home. Both her grandfathers were involved in similar industries on the surveying and engineering front. Building, construction and design just ran in the family blood. So, it was inevitable really then that some element of this would rub off onto Annabel in terms of what she wanted to be in the future. That was an architect.
“an ideal client would either be a designer or an entrepreneur, somebody with a strong sense of style and self”
Her given choice in career sent her to Queen's University in Belfast to study for a BSC in Architecture. She completed part one and then studied for her Part 2 in London at the Metropolitan University. A week before she was due to hand in her part 2, Annabel had an Ischemic stroke, a clot in her brain stem. Her doctors were unable to find out the reasons behind her stroke but it could have been a combination of not enough sleep, high stress and a few other factors. After the stroke. Annabel spent the next 12 weeks or so in various acute stroke units & rehab centres, learning to eat and walk again. After she finished the rehab, it was time to head home to her parents place and the comfort of her family home. Shortly after some home comforts, Annabel’s partner Paul suggested they should head down to Falmouth for a break. She had her two sisters living & studying down here so the choice was simple.
Clearly the Cornish air worked well for Annabel as she then began to think about work. She was a little anxious about returning to the world of design so she eased her way back into work slowly. One of those roles she took on was to manage a local joinery company, which was a perfect opportunity to get back into those technicalities of design work. She loved the detailed work in joinery but she missed the real design of architecture. So after 18 months in the joinery business, self employment came calling. That was two years ago now.
Annabel now runs her own architectural design business based in Falmouth. I asked her who she sees as being an ideal client, “either a designer or an entrepreneur, somebody with a strong sense of style and self” was her reply. I visited Annabel at one of her clients properties. It was a multi functional retail space to some degree with examples of Annabel’s custom designs within. She surrounds herself with plans, colour charts and material related story boards that she had put together for her client. Her vision was coming together. Like most of us we had a best friend close by. In this case “shadow”, keeping an eye on things as they unfolded.
Thank you for letting me into your world Annabel.
