A day in the life...

It’s time to get a snippet into our Director Jo Raybould’s, typical day at the Needwood Living Design Studio based in Alrewas. Have a read through, does anything surprise you?

Everyday really is different for Jo; one day you’ll find her lost amongst fabrics, client briefs and mood boards, then the next she could be in back-to-back meetings with suppliers sourcing future stock and talking sales.

Jo starts her day at 9am. As she unlocks the door the calmness and silence of the shop welcomes her, along with the divine smell of the bay & rosemary diffusers! (If you know, you know!) First things first, turn the lamps on & put on some music – we’re all about ambience here at Needwood Living. Then it’s a quick sweep outside, along with putting out the signage, the mannequin, and of course the dog treats for our furry passers by... and done! Time for customers, a coffee and those never-ending emails!

By 10am, its time to start mapping out the day’s tasks. Alex will be on stock orders sourcing new homeware items, Laura is out on the shop floor creating the most gorgeous displays, and Jo is flicking through job cards to check what is being delivered or fitted in her clients homes. Today is a great day for our client Mrs Robinson. Her new sofa and cushions are being delivered and new curtains & pole fitted in her living room. Watch this space for some before & after shots.

As the afternoon approaches, its time for some more emails for Jo. She’s just received one from our gorgeous supplier Linwood about their new Copper Rose velvet curtains, from the Omega Collection. Definitely one we will be recommending for future schemes. And of course, time for some lunch too!

There’s lots of activity on the shop floor today so Jo breaks away from the Design Studio to go and help Laura with taking payments and wrapping customers items. Maybe something to do with the new A/W clothing lines that have just landed in the boutique area of the shops. There really are some gorgeous pieces!

By 2pm Jo has checked in with the teams over in Tutbury & Barton to ascertain stock levels, ready for Alex to place an order with our fab homeware supplier! It seems glasses, baskets, and faux plants have been flying off the shelves recently so she works with Alex to get a list together of new items. Along with ordering any new furniture on order for clients.

Before Jo knows it, it’s 3pm – a quick dash around the Design Studio to pull together some fabric samples, her mood board (that she’s been working on for the past 2 weeks) a quote list and her trusty pen & pad; ready for a brand-new pitch – this will be a great project to get stuck into if this well-known venue decide to go with Jo’s scheme & ideas.

It’s now 4.30pm. The meeting over-ran by 30 minutes; but that’s always the case isn’t it? The meeting went really well so it’s definitely time for a well-deserved coffee & biscuit. As Jo eats her biscuit, trying not to get crumbs on her laptop, she writes a follow-up email to this new potential client, hoping to hear back from them very soon.

As the end of the day approaches, she can hear Laura cleaning the shop, turning the music off and putting everything back in its place ready for tomorrow. The teams send Jo the sales from Tutbury & Barton and Jo begins to wrap things up in the Design Studio with Alex – what a great day for everyone! Jo does the final lock-up and the calmness and silence of the shops resumes... its one final smell of the bay & rosemary diffuser, and the door is shut until tomorrow.