How build-to-rent developer Quintain Living partnered with Clippings to furnish 83 design-led flats and contemporary amenity spaces in London.
#CreatedwithClippings
Build-to-rent developer Quintain Living approaches each new development with the mentality of a start-up: eager to try new ways of working, one of the team’s core values is to keep on learning.
So when it came to finding a design concept for Beton, Quintain Living's latest BTR apartment building, the team was open to a new approach. “We wanted to try a different methodology,” explains Head of Mobilisation Jennie Fojtik, who is responsible for filling an empty building with modern flats and engaging amenity spaces for successful young professionals.
For Beton, the idea was to design furnished apartments that feature products from a variety of design brands instead of fitting them out with items from one main supplier. However, the team was looking for one procurement partner who could provide creative support for the selection of partner brands, consolidate deliveries from multiple brands and oversee the installation on-site — which it found in Clippings. By offering personal service as well as a platform that smoothes the entire specification progress, Clippings was able to support Quintain Living from inspiration to installation.
"Clippings could deliver from a design and vision perspective – and then take us right through end to end, too."
Jennie Fojtik, Head of Mobilisation
Every Quintain Living building has a distinct character, with Beton’s neighbouring blocks following a Scandi-style theme or industrial look. Jennie involved Clippings to define the look and feel of Beton. “Our starting point was: what’s the character? Then I pushed that question away to the interior designer and Clippings to see what they come back with.”
The result is a pop-art inspired interior scheme featuring black furniture with bold colour accents, balanced by an overall clean-lined aesthetic, to create a vibrant living environment.
Jennie introduced interior studio Fossey Arora to sales director Giorgia, who was Quintain Living’s main contact through all project stages, and procurement manager Ana from Clippings. Together, they translated the design vision into a detailed specification. Ana and Fossey Arora's team added product ideas to the project on the platform to create mood boards, while Jennie used the status function to approve products. They also used the board, Clippings mood board feature to collect product ideas, as a reference point in weekly catch-ups to discuss ideas.
Giorgia looked after Jennie’s team from start to finish of the project. In the planning phase, she was supported by procurement manager Ana who researched and suggested products for the final specification. When it came to the installation, Clippings project manager Inga joined on site.
Quintain Living used the platform to review products suggested by Fossey Arora and Clippings. Thanks to the Projects feature, it was easy to move from the creative stage to putting together the final spec and placing an order. “It was also useful for the asset tagging team as they could easily refer to the product names of the inventory”, says Jennie.
The Covid-19-crisis required the team to adapt quickly to the new situation. Installation fell into May, and the Clippings projects managers got up to speed with the new safety rules. They also had to coordinate with other companies that were still completing works in the building to ensure social distancing rules would be followed.
Quintain Living chose the consolidated delivery service of Clippings. That meant that all items were stored in our London warehouse. When there was a delay with completing the building in Wembley, Clippings could offer to hold off the delivery until everything was ready, avoiding the arrival of unwelcome packages.
When the site was ready, project managers Emilie and Inga joined the Quintain Living team on-site, coordinating with the installation partner and ensuring quality control of all deliveries. Installation took place during the pandemic and everyone on-site followed the strict health and safety measure including. Quintain Living could rely on Clippings to adjust quickly to the new situation and gladly further installation delays were avoided.
"The logistics team were excellent. Your guys were really particular about who they put on the project. You were thinking about our culture, what our priorities and worries were."
"Clippings is a procurement company, but so much more than that. The team has a can-do attitude. They were nimble and fast and open. Their attitude was ‘Okay, let’s go!' Quintain Living and Clippings were aligned in the sense that we both like to keep learning. We always ask ourselves: How can we do things better? That shared enthusiasm to bring a project to life was fantastic."
All photos by Quintain Living
Discover how working with Clippings can help you get great design into your spaces – and make the entire procurement process so much easier.
