ABOUT THE STUDIO
Jack Creasy Design is a Toronto studio working in Contemporary Traditionalism: traditional charm and modern sophistication, refined colour, tailored detail. We take on a small number of significant residential projects at a time and see each one through from first plan to the last piece styled.
We are a small team by design. Collaboration, curiosity and precision define how we work, and a touch of play keeps it enjoyable. Recent recognition includes House and Home Top 100 Designers and the Living Luxe Emerging Talent Award.
THE ROLE
This is the role where a designer is trusted to hold a project. You will resolve design problems without escalation, author the drawing set that goes out under our name, hold the client’s confidence week to week, and bring a project through construction and installation.
It works in two capacities, often at once. On your own projects you lead: you develop the design, author the documentation, run the client relationship, and carry the schedule. On our larger and more complex work, Jack sets the direction and you carry the delivery, translating that direction into fully resolved, buildable work and holding the standard on site. Both are held to the same standard. Supporting a project you did not originate is not the lesser assignment; on our most demanding work it is the harder one.
It is a senior craft and leadership role rather than a management role. You will still be drawing, detailing, sourcing, presenting and on site. What changes at this level is the weight of the judgment behind the work.
WHAT YOU WILL DO
Design
- Lead the design of residential projects from first concept through installation: space planning, architectural detailing, material and finish direction, furniture and lighting.
- On Principal led projects, translate the design direction into fully resolved work without diluting it, and raise the conflict early where the direction and the site, schedule or budget do not agree.
- Design custom furniture, lighting and joinery where a project calls for it, and take those pieces through drawing, maker review and installation.
- Present and defend design decisions with reasoning, to clients and internally.
Documentation and detailing
- Produce and own complete construction and millwork packages: plans, elevations, sections, details, finish schedules and specifications.
- Review and red line drawings from other members of the team before they are issued. At this level the responsibility is the set, not the sheet.
- Coordinate with architects, engineers, kitchen and millwork suppliers and lighting designers so the interior and base building documentation agree.
- Review shop drawings and submittals and issue written direction on them.
Furniture, finishes and procurement
- Source and specify furniture, fabrics, wallpapers, lighting, hardware and decorative finishes with a balanced view of beauty, durability, lead time and cost.
- Source antique, vintage and one of a kind pieces, and hold working relationships with dealers, galleries and auction houses.
- Coordinate workrooms and specialist trades: upholstery, drapery, decorative finishes, metalwork and custom joinery.
- Build and defend project furnishing budgets, and present the client with priced options rather than a single number.
- Validate purchase orders from the specification side before they are released. Procurement is managed by our COO in close coordination with the designer leading the project.
Site and installation
- Attend site through construction, review work against the documents, and identify issues before they become variations.
- Make field decisions within the approved design intent and budget, and record them.
- Own the deficiency list from the first walk through to final sign off.
- Plan and run installation: sequencing, logistics, styling, and the final quality review.
Clients, team and the studio
- Hold the client relationship on your projects. Lead design reviews, progress meetings and presentations, and speak for our decisions without the Principal in the room.
- Own the schedule on your projects, protect long lead procurement, and give early warning when a date is at risk rather than after it has passed.
- Review hours against fee at each phase gate and flag a project running ahead of its fee while there is still time to act.
- Set the standard for the designers working on your projects: brief the work, review it before it is issued, give direct feedback, and answer for the result.
- Build relationships with architects, builders, trades, showrooms and suppliers, and grow toward bringing work in as well as delivering it.
- Contribute to the studio’s public voice: project photography, editorial submissions, award entries, and social content where either the studio’s broader work or designer’s own work is the subject.
WHAT YOU WILL BRING
- Six to nine years of professional interior design experience, including at least four in high end residential, with a portfolio of completed projects taken from concept through installation.
- Experience holding a project independently: not only contributing to projects, but being the person accountable for one.
- A degree or diploma in Interior Design or an equivalent field.
- Advanced AutoCAD and strong SketchUp. Revit an asset. Real time rendering such as Enscape is preferred but not required.
- Working knowledge of Adobe Illustrator, Photoshop and InDesign, and of Canva. Experience with AI assisted design tools is welcome.
- Proven ability to develop complete design packages from concept through construction documentation.
- Deep knowledge of FF&E, soft furnishings, materials, and high end vendor and trade resources.
- Strong command of millwork detailing, construction methods and site coordination.
- Working knowledge of the Ontario Building Code as it applies to residential interiors, and sound judgment about when a matter belongs with a consultant.
- ARIDO registration or NCIDQ certification, complete or in progress, is preferred but not required.
- Excellent verbal and written communication, with substantial client facing experience.
- The ability to mentor, review and develop less experienced designers.
- Sound professional judgment: knowing what to decide, what to raise, and when. This is the thing that most distinguishes this role from the one below it.
- Calm, resourceful and good humoured under pressure. Installation weeks, site surprises and difficult conversations are part of the work.
- Highly organized, proactive, and confident working independently.
- A valid driver’s licence and access to a vehicle.
WHERE THIS LEADS
Our path runs Junior Interior Designer, Intermediate Interior Designer, Senior Interior Designer, Design Principal. Senior is the most senior delivery role in the studio and the level from which a designer progresses to Design Principal.
Progression is demonstrated by evidence rather than tenure. We look for design judgment trusted at concept stage, projects that finish on or ahead of fee for reasons you can explain, clients who ask for you by name, a designer you have visibly developed, and work you have brought in yourself. Origination carries the most weight: a Design Principal brings work in as well as delivering it.
HOW WE WORK
The studio is at 550 Front St. W. in Toronto. The role is studio based, with hybrid flexibility once you are established, and regular site attendance across the GTA. Some of our projects sit outside the city, including cottage work, so occasional travel is part of the job.
We run projects in Asana and procurement in Studio Designer. Our COO manages procurement and billing in close coordination with the designer leading each project, so the design work stays with the designers.
We also record who did what. Every project has a named design lead, named supporting and contributing designers, and a separate record of who brought the work in. It is entered when a project opens rather than reconstructed at the end, it is the record we use in reviews and progression conversations, and it is the record you can describe accurately for the rest of your career.
TO APPLY
Send your portfolio and resume to [email protected]. Portfolios may be a PDF or a link.
We read every submission and reply to each one. Thank you for your interest in the studio.
Pay: $80,000.00-$105,000.00 per year
Benefits:
- Dental care
- Extended health care
- Mileage reimbursement
- Paid time off
- Store discount
- Vision care
- Work from home
Ability to commute/relocate:
- Toronto, ON M5V 3N5: reliably commute or plan to relocate before starting work (required)
Application question(s):
- Own or regular access to a motor vehicle (ride-share or communal car sharing does not meet this requirement).
Experience:
- Interior Design: 6 years (required)
Licence/Certification:
- Driving Licence - Full G Class Ontario (required)
Willingness to travel:
Work Location: Hybrid remote in Toronto, ON M5V 3N5
