Ola from Mardesign
This is Raquel; founder of Mardesign, interior architect, a proud mum to my beautiful daughter Madalena and a dog mama to Naya.
After qualifying as an architect in Portugal, I soon decided that I wanted to move to the far east to expose myself to new ways of thinking and working, learn more about inspiring design and architecture, and of course, find time for lots of travelling.
These experiences taught me how to work in extremely fast-paced projects, multidisciplinary practices dealing with contractors, architects, engineers, client-facing, all while being in a multicultural environment. This was an amazing experience that gave me the right knowledge and expertise to now work on any type of project across the world.
My mission with Mardesign is to work with property investors and developers that want to bring properties to the market that are design-lead, focused on the wellbeing of tenants and dedicated to elevating living experiences while generating a strong ROI.
Similarly, in Manila at the Belle Grande Hotel & Casino, I worked in various F&B areas, mass gaming rooms and private VIP areas from concept to tender. This was an extremely challenging project as it was all executed remotely which meant I had to conduct daily meetings with local teams in the Philippines from the other side of the world.
“In all our projects the principle is always the same: if it will make money I will invest money” — Gaming Client
Prime Residential Development, London Uk
Returning to Europe
After moving back to Europe, I worked for almost 4 years at the Four Season Hotel at 10 Trinity Square in London which is a foreign investment with over 300 keys and 40 serviced accommodation units.
Not only did this project include full specifications of hard finishes for the property, but I also lead the full tender process for joinery, furniture, artwork, decorative lighting specifications and procurement documentation. I also redesigned the 40 serviced accommodation layouts to better maximise the floor plan and, as this building is Grade II* listed, the design process was far more complex and challenging than typical projects.
Residential Development, London Uk
Prime Residential Development, London Uk
Revenue is always the key driver.
My aim is to always elevate clients' experience and make them feel that their money is an investment in themselves and well being.
By having all this experience I can improve my client's projects – whether they are small scale or large scale. My principles are always the same and are proven to be effective so that I can help HMO, SA, and BTL's investors improve their design and ROI.
BTL developement, Surrey UK
Check out what investors say.
‘‘Raquel has a talent for managing & delivering various interior design projects simultaneously.
As a Project Manager, I always knew that working with Raquel all aspects of design and the refurb were fully covered and delivered on time, even for the tightest timeframe possible! The interiors end result was always of superb quality and I would highly recommend working with Raquel if you are looking into uplift your property performance through interior design’’
— Nuno Leal. Galaxy Macau
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