Commercial Interior Design: Paul Cuschieri Of Rebirth Design Studio On How To Design Office Spaces That People Love To Work In
Deliver an experience: Prioritise experiential design that takes the psychological impact of design choices into account. Elements like lighting, layout, and materials are all ingredients that, when put together, affect our productivity as well as our outlook on life for better or worse. It’s crucial to approach these from an experiential perspective to create a positive space that inspires, energises, and boosts enthusiasm and wellbeing.
As part of our series called “How To Design Office Spaces That People Love To Work In”, we had the pleasure of interviewing Paul Cuschieri.
Paul is a Founding Partner & Designer-Architect at Rebirth Design Studio, based in Malta and the UK, which he set up in 2019 and runs with co-founding partner and fellow interior designer, Malcolm Abela Sciberras. Over the years, Paul has demonstrated his expertise in architecture and interior design on various high-end projects, renovating and refurbishing prime properties with exceptional results. With his hyper awareness of clients’ needs and budgets, Paul is passionate about finding the best design solutions to bridge functionality, practicality, efficiency and sustainability with comfort, artistry and beauty, driving Rebirth to bring good design to everyone.
Thank you so much for joining us in this series! Before we dive in, our readers would love to learn a bit more about you. Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you started this career?
A stand-out moment that has stuck with me is the memory of a client’s reaction on first seeing the project we’d completed for him. While he was a nice man, his expectations were sky-high and everything about the project needed to be top-notch, so the pressure was on for us to create something truly special that would match his lofty vision. The property also happened to be a high-end residential apartment within a historical landmark in Malta, and is one we remain particularly proud of. So I was completely taken by surprise when we showed him around the newly finished property and he was, quite literally, awestruck. He kept slapping us on the back and going, “WOW guys, this is amazing! Great work!” I never imagined we would exceed his expectations of all people, and to this day I can still feel his handprint on my back!
It has been said that sometimes our mistakes can be our greatest teachers. Can you share a story about a mistake you made when you were first starting and a lesson you learned from that?
Early on, we made the mistake of assuming that, just because they too are professionals, other consultants would carefully read through and understand our design plans without any further explanation from us. We soon realised that lack of clear communication and follow-up meant that important design restrictions would be disregarded, which would in turn lead to issues on site, such as not making the necessary structural allowances for soffit heights. We’ve since learnt that it’s critical to hold consultants by the hand to make sure nothing gets missed. It’s not enough to just send them a plan and assume they will follow it.
Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?
“The most important step in any journey is not the first or the last one — it’s the next one.” I think I’d picked this up from a podcast and it just resonated. I share it with my team regularly — recently in relation to a big project we’re working on. It reminds me to stay focused on what’s next while also emphasising the importance of progress and of learning from each experience.
None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person who you are grateful towards who helped get you to where you are? Can you share a story about that?
I tend to disagree with this and have always chosen to work with friends — one of them being my business partner and Rebirth co-founder Malcolm. Friends have made work so much more enriching and I’m truly grateful for them, as well as for my family of course. I love working with friends because we get to share professional passions, which adds even more to our friendship, and we can also hold each other accountable while having each other’s back. There’s something special about building a professional relationship with friends, and I also make it a point to become friends with the new people I collaborate with through work.
What are some of the most interesting or exciting projects you are working on now? How do you think that might help people?
Right now we’re excited to be working on some residences for our clients, and as with every project we work on — whether it’s a home or an office — we always make it a point to focus on delivering a unique experience that will wow the end user of the space, beyond merely choosing the right colour or design. This could be through something dramatic, but it could also be very subtle, like expressing a client’s character in a space. As such, each project is a learning curve for us because we get so deep down and personal on our research that it’s an opportunity to reinvent ourselves every time.
At the moment we’re also designing our own office, which means that we need to keep both our team and our clients in mind. For the team, we want it to be the kind of space they will want to work in, and where they’ll forget all about Monday blues. For clients, we want to design a space that greets them with the best possible first impression, that gives them a taste of the fully immersive experiences our spaces deliver.
Thank you for that. Here is the main question of our discussion. What are your “Five Things You Should Do To Design Office Spaces That People Love To Work In” and why.
1 . Dialogue and research: Engage in dialogue with the end users of the space to understand their personal needs and preferences when interacting with the space. This could be through questionnaires to employees and clients who visit the office about what they like and what they don’t like in the existing setup, what works, and what can be improved. Thorough research ensures that the design caters to the specific requirements of the people who will be using the space daily, and not just those taking the decisions. For example if designing hot desks, think about who will be using them, how often, at what time of day, how they’ll be using them, whether they’ll need them for one-on-one meetings or larger conference meetings, etc.
2 . Establish a strong brief: Clearly define budgets, deadlines, and preferred style. This basic logistical information helps align expectations and keep the project on track, while ensuring that the design meets your target vision within the set parameters.
3 . Ensure versatility: Design spaces to be versatile and adaptable to changing needs and evolving trends. By incorporating flexible layouts, various desk combinations, task lighting, well placed power outlets, and air-conditioning units, your office can stay multi-functional to accommodate all its uses and changing activities over time. And don’t forget to go for harder-wearing durable materials that are better suited to office use.
4 . Deliver an experience: Prioritise experiential design that takes the psychological impact of design choices into account. Elements like lighting, layout, and materials are all ingredients that, when put together, affect our productivity as well as our outlook on life for better or worse. It’s crucial to approach these from an experiential perspective to create a positive space that inspires, energises, and boosts enthusiasm and wellbeing.
5 . Focus on the client journey: It’s pointless having a show-stopping boardroom if the passage leading to it is dark and cramped. Think about every move your clients or employees will make from the moment they walk through the door, and make sure that the physical journey round every corner and through every corridor — from reception to waiting room to boardroom — flows cohesively. That said, do invest in a good executive boardroom. It gives people a strong first impression and our clients have said that whenever they have important meetings with their own clients in a boardroom we’ve designed for them, they successfully close deals 90% of the time.
You are a person of great influence. If you could start a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger. :-)
I would set up a movement that champions children’s overall wellbeing. I firmly believe that investing in the next generation in any way we can — from education to mental health — could put us well on the way to solving some of our most pressing social problems.
We are very blessed that some of the biggest names in Business, VC funding, Sports, and Entertainment read this column. Is there a person in the world, or in the US whom you would love to have a private breakfast or lunch with, and why? He or she might see this, especially if we tag them :-)
Joe Manganiello. Besides being a great actor, he’s also a big fan of Dungeons & Dragons (like me). Discussing all things D&D over breakfast, lunch, dinner, or even a whole weekend (and perhaps visiting his famed D&D game room) would tick my top bucket list wish! :D
How can our readers further follow your work online?
Readers can follow me on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/paul-cuschieri-aa3335204/
And can also follow Rebirth online:
https://www.linkedin.com/company/rebirth-design-studio/
Thank you so much for joining us. This was very inspirational!
