b'blue skyReseneBirthday SuitResene ReseneTussock RougeReseneJandalReseneOracleReseneBotticelliResene ReseneAwash Tom ThumbBranching out left: Like a chameleon, Sarahs modular design concept, The UnderCover Bistro, is able to shift and change throughout the day and night. A carefully selected palette of Resene paint colours includingDesigning annual reports was not what I had signed up for. AndSarah recalls working late on a pitch and realising how muchto pack up my desk, and they armed me with a computer and How Sarah Straker-Williams advertisingResene Birthday Suit, Resene Rouge,back then, graphic design was all print-focused. the studios lighting affected her. I started noticing all the finishessent me home. Little did I know, Id be there for a number of Resene Tussock, Resene Jandal, Resene background influenced her decision to addTom Thumb, Resene Oracle, ReseneSarah quit and took a punt on an unpaid internship at Saatchiand materials, observing the joinery details and the impact mymonths. At home, it was busybut I had time to slow down and Botticelli and Resene Awash add energy&Saatchi.Underthementorshipofacoupleofadvertisingsurroundings had on me. I was hooked. On weekends in London,think, to once again look at the tiny details of life and the spaces interior design to her repertoire of skills. to the internal surfaces, with a viewlegends, she found this type of work better resonated with her.I began frequenting design shops. I loved the seasonal windows ofwe inhabit. I started listening to podcasts about people who are that the structure can be reused and F or the majority of industrialised history, workers have beenrepurposed into different forms. SarahShe spent the years that followed working as an Art Director inLiberty of London, sitting on the many chairs in The Conran Shopmore than one thing and being inspired by Antipodean design says the primary building material,New Zealand, London and Australia for big agencies like Ogilvyand checking out boutiques around Columbia Road. and architecture studios like Hecker Guthrie, Alexander & Co pressured to choose a single career path, train up and thenplywood, was selected for its sustainableLondon, DDB, M&C Saatchi and TEQUILA / TBWA. A few years later, Sarah moved to Sydney, got married andand Frost Design. I started designing solutions to fix our terrace stick with that decisionfor better or for worsefor thequalitiesand she was drawn toOnethingthatgoodagenciesunderstandishowmuchbecame a mother but found it a struggle to balance her demandingand quickly realised that, to do it properly, I needed to upskill. rest of their working lives. But in a quickly changing world whereResenes Environmental Choice- the spaces we inhabit matter; that if you create an inspiringcareer with home life. My husband and I have always strived toSo, I took a break from advertising and threw myself into being a technologyevolvesatbreakneckspeed,itsbecomefarmorecertified paints for the same reason. environment to work in, you make people want to be there and yoube super engaged parents and share the load. But being a mum instudent at Sydney Design School.common to have varied careers across a number of industriesmake them feel better. When people feel good, their productivityadvertising with two little boys was challenging, she says. Sarah caught the attention of the judges of the Resene Total rather than simply climbing up a single corporate ladder. Whileincreases and they create better work. Its cyclical. In some ways,On the eve of the Covid-19 pandemic, I was freelancing forColour Awards when she submitted a strong, environmentally-wehaveallheardstoriesoflawyersordoctorstradinglargethis was the beginning of my interior design education. an agency in Pyrmont, helping them work on a pitch. I was toldfocused concept coloured with a well-curated array of cheerful paychequesandstressfulhoursforlessdemandingworkand diminished remuneration, there are also the students who graduate to find out their dream job isnt what they expected it to be, workersabove and left: Resene Birthday Suit, who were made redundant, creatives who have broad interests andResene Rouge, Resene Tussock, Resene thosewhowanttochallengethemselveswithsomethingnew.Jandal, Resene Tom Thumb, Resene Oracle, But despite multi-disciplinary professionalssometimes calledResene Botticelli and Resene Awash are slashiesincreasing in number, those with a breadth of experienceused strategically to highlight and draw in different fields can still have a tricky time explaining to others howattention to the negative space created when The UnderCover Bistros structure the pieces of their personal puzzle fit together. is opened. Sarah strategically placed I always find it hard to answer when someone asks me what Icertain of at least one thing: she knew she wanted to bring designmade a great interior designer. I guess her abilities have rubbed offthese colours to transform sight lines and do for a living, says recent Sydney Design School graduate Sarahideas to life. While growing up in Christchurch with a paintingon both myself and my younger sister, who is an artist, she says. highlight the buildings changeable form. Straker-Williams. I am hoping that I can find or create a nichecontractor for a father and a real estate agent for a mother, SarahsAfter a gap year and a brief stint at Otago University, SarahThe transformative walls have the ability to where I fit and I have been experimenting with what that looks like. parents frequently bought, renovated and sold houses, and sheattendedChristchurchPolytechnicInstituteofTechnologydeliver different colour vignettes depending on where users stand and how they interact Sarah is a woman of many talents and hasnt had a traditionalbelieves that has had a significant influence on her. My mother, inwhere she trained to be a graphic designer then landed her firstwith the structure, opening up a rich and career path. But over the course of her journey, she has beenparticular, has always had great style and tasteand she would havejob in Wellington. Although I thought I would love it, I didnt.rewarding human experience for customers.28 blackwhitemag.com blackwhitemag.com 29'