A new interior design firm has been taking advantage of the opportunities presented by the recession as companies move between new and old office space.Commercial Interiors Group (CIG) was formed by Darcy Robertson, design director and senior interior designer, and Melinda DeCosta, interior designer, following the closure of S.H.Y. Architecture last week, as exclusively reported in The Royal Gazette earlier this week.And the pair, who worked together at S.H.Y. Architecture, are still in the same building following their short move downstairs and offer the same services, while retaining the same client base.The interior design team was started by Cheryl Mackay in February 2004 to complement the architecture part of the business which had been in operation since the company’s inception more than 10 years ago.The firm itself was originally based at The Mount prior to moving across the way to the Hamma Galleries building and has always been on the outskirts of town.Mr Robertson said that the directors had been reassessing their business model and the market conditions over the past two years as a result of the impact of the economic downturn and in light of little or no improvement in the construction industry they decided to voluntarily wind up the company.He said that the directors Juan Smith, Simon Hodgson and David Yuhasz went their own ways but CIG is still working in collaboration with each of the three and all but one of the nine staff who worked at S.H.Y. Architecture having found work or set up in business, while the company meet all of its financial obligations before closing.“With the wind down of the company I had a lot of projects still on the books and new projects coming in and I started looking at all avenues as to how I could continue servicing those clients,” he said.“So I approached several different entities to see what was possible and eventually under Hamma Enterprises we were able to form as a support entity offering interior design services in the corporate, retail and hospitality fields.”“Basically we stopped work at S.H.Y. on Thursday and started at CIG on Friday, so we transferred our clients over to the new company.“How we operate and what we offer service wise has not changed it is just a new phone number, email and name.”Mr Robertson said that his clients’ response to the move had been very positive, despite coming as a surprise to some, and they were looking forward to continuing their business relationship with the new firm.Supported by a team of Computer-Aided Design technologists and Hamma Enterprises which does the administrative work and books, CIG has been able to focus on its core business of feasibility planning, space planning, design concepts, contract documents and fit outs.In the past Mr Robertson has done a number of big projects including Cafe Ten, Salon 27 and the new hair salon and spa at the Elbow Beach residence club, as well as the offices of reinsurance companies that have moved into 141 Front Street and the older space vacated by those firms that others have taken up.“On the interior design side it does look quite promising,” he said.“We are starting again as a new company but I believe that it is still a very lucrative market for Bermuda.“Even in a downturn when many companies downsize there is still a requirement for interior design services to make them fit into a smaller space and using their facility to its best effect.“The real skill is in working with a minimal budget which means that as a designer you have to become a lot more creative with your resources and materials.”Mr Robertson said that as an interior designer in Bermuda these days he needed to be able to turn his hand to almost everything from corporate offices and shops to restaurants and hair salons and even the King Edward VII Memorial hospital, as well as condominiums and private residences.He said that some of the biggest changes he had seen during his time in the industry ranged from clients becoming much more savvy about the quality and value of good interior design work to a greater teamwork between all service providers to complete projects.And while Mr Robertson has And while Mr Robertson has not been as busy as in previous years when he would sometimes have to refer prospective clients to other firms, he reckons that the design community can work together on big projects in the years ahead for the greater good.In the future he plans to expand the business and move into a more permanent space, perhaps in the same location where S.H.Y. Architecture was located, while tailoring the firm’s services to meet niche markets and to suit all tastes and budgets.Mr Yuhasz (pictured) said of S.H.Y. Architecture’s closure: “Although this was a very difficult decision the partners felt this was the best course of action to ensure all financial responsibilities were satisfied with suppliers and staff.“The directors of the company - after being in business for over 10 years - also determined that this action provided to them the transitional opportunity to follow other avenues of interest while continuing with existing clients individually.“We would like to thank all our clients and the many persons in the industry who we have had the pleasure to work with over these past years and the support they have provided these last 10 years have been dynamic for all of us - and we look forward to achieving same in the next decade.”For more information contact Commercial Interiors Group at 296-5884, email drobertson[AT]cig.bm or visit CIG on Facebook.