Interior Design in a Multidisciplinary Practice with Justin Parsons at BDP

In this Architecture Social CPD, Stephen Drew is joined by Justin Parsons, Design Director at BDP (Building Design Partnership), for a conversation of about 43 minutes on what interior design really means inside a multidisciplinary practice, and how retail and residential design are changing.

Who this is for

Interior designers and architects working in, or moving towards, multidisciplinary practice; architects who want to lean into interiors; retail and residential designers; and students or recent graduates preparing portfolios and interviews.

Learning outcomes

By the end of this session you will be able to:

1. Explain what a multidisciplinary practice is and how architects, interior designers, engineers and specialists collaborate under one roof.
2. Describe the distinct value an interior designer brings to a project team.
3. Identify how retail and hospitality environments are being repositioned as experiences and community destinations.
4. Apply a narrative-led approach to residential and commercial interiors.
5. Prepare a stronger graduate CV, portfolio and interview using practical, recruiter-informed guidance.
6. Assess where AI tools can support early design stages and where to apply caution.

What multidisciplinary practice actually means

BDP was founded in 1961 by Sir George Grenfell-Baines and brings architecture, interior design, structural and building services engineering, acoustics, lighting, masterplanning, urban design and sustainability into one integrated team. The London studio is around 450 people, with the head office in Manchester and further studios across the UK and internationally. Justin's point is simple: the best projects happen when these disciplines sit around the table together early and shape a creative concept as one team.

How interior design adds value alongside architects and engineers

Interior designers advise on materials, furniture, the customer journey and how people inhabit and read a building. They will often leave the external envelope to the architects, then lead the interior concept once you are through the front door, either aligning with the architectural idea or deliberately contrasting with it. Drawing on in-house lighting and wayfinding specialists is a real advantage, and Justin stresses that confidence in the unique contribution of interiors is essential.

An unconventional route into interiors

Justin came to interior design through art: an art foundation, then a degree at Middlesex, followed by international work in Japan and Brunei through the 1990s on projects ranging from hotels to golf clubs. That varied portfolio found a natural home at a broad, multidisciplinary practice. The wider lesson is that there is no single route into interior design.

Retail reinvented: from food courts to curated destinations

Traditional department-store anchors have come under pressure and are being repurposed. Food has moved from fast-food courts to curated offers spanning local, national and international tastes, and retail is increasingly about community, dwell time and experiences that run across the day and into the evening rather than a single shopping trip.

The IKEA city-centre model

BDP has a long relationship with Ingka, the IKEA retail group, across markets including Russia, China, France, Portugal and the UK. Justin describes the shift from large out-of-town warehouse formats to inner-city showroom stores, such as the scheme at the former Kings Mall in Hammersmith and a central London project, supported by faster home delivery and community-focused "meeting place" research.

Bringing narrative to residential interiors

A retail background brings a strong concept and narrative to residential schemes. At Grand Union, the history of the canal informed a muted palette with brick tones and black metalwork drawn from the barges. The principle is to design to a rooted narrative tied to history, place or likely buyers, rather than to passing trends.

Crossing sectors and disciplines

There is a healthy overlap between workplace and residential design: people work more from home, so homes gain co-working space, while offices borrow homely lounge and breakout settings. Justin notes that architects, theatre designers and furniture designers can all become strong interior designers if they fully commit to the discipline.

Advice for graduate CVs, portfolios and interviews

Include examples of your work, and add sketches that communicate your thinking rather than only polished CGI. Show plans, mood boards and a sense of materiality. List extracurricular work and interests as an insight into who you are. In interview, bring genuine energy, curiosity and an inquiring mind, and expect to settle into a larger practice over time with support rather than hitting the ground running.

AI in design: opportunity and caution

AI is improving quickly and has a clear place in fast, upfront concept work when used openly and creatively to explore a look and feel. Justin urges care over copyright, sourcing and regulation, drawing on cautionary lessons from other creative professions, while remaining genuinely interested in what the tools can do.

Key terms

• Multidisciplinary practice: a firm combining several built-environment disciplines, such as architecture, interiors, engineering, lighting, acoustics and urbanism, in one integrated team.
• Anchor (retail): a large store that draws footfall into a shopping centre.
• Meeting place document: community research that sets out the needs and character of a location to guide design.
• Narrative-led design: grounding an interior concept in a project's history, place or likely users rather than in current trends.
• Wayfinding: the graphics and signage that help people navigate a space.

Reflective prompts for your CPD record

1. Where in your current work could an interior, lighting or wayfinding specialist add value if they were involved earlier?
2. What is the underlying narrative of a project you are working on, and how is it expressed through materials and space?
3. Where could AI tools speed up your early concept work, and what safeguards would you put in place?

About the guest

Justin Parsons is a Design Director at BDP, based in the London studio, where he leads a team of retail and residential designers working in the UK and internationally. He studied interior design at Middlesex following an art foundation, and worked in Japan and across Asia during the 1990s, an experience that shaped a restrained, detail-led approach to materials and space. His work spans shopping centre refurbishments and extensions and large-scale retail and residential interiors. He is a Fellow of the RSA and a member of the Chartered Society of Designers, and he supports the next generation of designers through mentoring and links with universities.

Explore the practice in the BDP profile on the Architecture Social directory.