Studio Assistant

Max Buston Design is hiring a studio assistant to join its team in London. 

The successful candidate must be exceptionally talented, passionate and creative, as well as having a pinch of ambition. They will be ready to experience all the intricate parts of a design studio. The role has a high level of responsibility, but it will come with a lot of reward working in the London studio in leafy Richmond upon Thames. 

The studio has wide-reaching projects including townhouses and country homes in the UK and a chateau in France. The studio stands out for its strong use of colour and layering and its eclecticism. The successful candidate will work with Max’s signature look and help him transform our client’s homes. 

This is a full-time studio-based role in Richmond. Note – Max Buston Design also has a studio near Dartmouth. 

Your role You will play a central part to this fast-paced showroom and you will need to be limber to a wide array of changing tasks and responsibilities. 

The key responsibilities are: 

- maintaining excellent presentation of the showroom, display fabrics and samples library, including showroom supplies: printing, kitchen etc. 

- assisting in the showroom with clients and walk-in customers, as an ambassador to the company 

- prepare InDesign presentations and Photoshop visualisations 

- prepare AutoCAD detail drawings and joinery drawings - assisting in the creation of quotations and sales orders 

- raising of and tracking of orders from suppliers and clients 

- unpacking and inspection of goods delivered to the showroom or storage units and sending post/parcels. 

The role will report to the senior designer and secondly to the director from time to time. 

The role is aided by sophisticated project management and furniture management software. 

Skills required: 

- two to three years’ industry experience 

- at least a 2:1 degree in interior design/interior architecture or equivalent - good knowledge of materials and suppliers 

- ability to work with others and independently with your own initiative 

- excellent communication skills in both written and spoken English 

- proficiency in Microsoft Excel and databases 

- willing to travel if required 

- salary is dependent on experience

The culture at Max Buston Design is open and relaxed and follows a set of principles. These include the premise that client, company and staff all deserve equal respect to improve satisfaction, performance and personal wellbeing. This means we allow for some flexibility in the workplace, including a day working from home and some ability to choose working hours per day. 

We also practice the principle of radical transparency, which means we discuss issues openly and ahead of time and log them, so that we can constantly learn and improve as a team. We also aim to organise work to peoples’ natural abilities. 

A core principle is about personal development and the company allows for individual CPD time per month, as well as a small book or ticket allowance related to interior design. To help with personal development, Max is a BIID registered interior designer and facilitates regular one-to-one meetings. 

How to Apply

The application process has five stages 

Stage one: 

- applicants should submit a covering letter, CV, ‘all-in’ assessment and concise examples of their work to recruitment@maxbuston.com, with the subject line ‘MBD All-in Application’. The ‘all-in’ assessment must answer the following questions (in no more than 1000 words): 

a. What do you do to actively learn and increase your knowledge of interior design outside of normal work? 

b. To what extent are you willing to be ready and able to adapt to change and shift from different types of work with ease? Please provide examples. 

c. Provide an example of where your own sense of interior design style has changed/developed and why? 

d. Provide an example of a setback you have faced in your work and describe how that made you feel and what you did to overcome it? 

e. Do you prefer to work alone and set your own agenda or do you prefer working as part of a team on one part of a project? 

f. When sending your all in assessment, name it ‘First Name_Last Name_All in Assessment’

Stage two: 

- successful applicants will be invited to a short Zoom interview 

Stage three: 

- successful applicants at stage two will be given a skills test 

Stage four: 

- successful applicants at stage three will be invited for an in-person interview 

Stage five: 

- following a successful stage four interview, candidates will be offered a paid-for shadow day at Max Buston Design. If successful, an offer of employment will be made. 

We will only contact those candidates selected for stage 2 interviews. Stage four interviews will be held at 15 Richmond Hill.