All the buildings and spaces we inhabit are designed to serve a purpose and perform a function safely and efficiently. However, we also strive to create environments that are aesthetically pleasing and comfortable. Unfortunately, these two aspects, function and beauty, don’t always align the way they should in design. This is where Lina Mushcab comes in. As an Architecture and Design Consultant, she works to ensure that the commercial and living spaces we inhabit are both highly functional and beautiful. After graduating from King Faisal University at the top of her class, Mushcab worked for decades as a designer, Project Manager, and Certified Facility Manager until she found her calling in a field that perfect synchronizes her unique skills and expertise.
Design consultants like Mushcab are collaborators and creatives. Their role in the design process goes beyond deciding how a space will be organized or where furniture will be placed. They strive to bring balance to the materiality, practicality, and functionality of every aspect of a building or space. In this way, design consultants actually elevate the architectural design in terms of aesthetics and livability, while also ensuring that none of the primary requirements for safe and comfortable living are overlooked.
Mushcab’s experience ranges from private homes to governmental and commercial buildings. She has success stories from clients in the Middle East, Europe, and Asia. In England, she worked on a major refurbishment project at the Embassy of Saudi Arabia, outfitting the Saudi Arabian Cultural Bureau offices in Chiswick London. Other projects include a stunning private villa in Bahrain, a harmonious infusion of contemporary touches into traditional interior design, specifically designed to suit the hot, arid weather of the country, and a residential apartment in Norway that was transformed into a sleek, modern living space.
Mushcab’s project management background shows in her meticulous planning of each project. Her process is straight-forward and efficient to ensure that no aspect is overlooked. The first phase of the process is Pre-Design, a key step to make sure that all elements are planned out. During this phase, Mushcab focuses on creating a ‘Preliminary Project Brief’. Every client will have unique needs, so the project brief is a chance to personalize and organize the direction of the project. This step is crucial for clarifying the management and financial feasibility of the project as well. After procuring an architect, the next step is reviewing the designs during the Schematic Design phase. At this point, Mushcab creates a Functionality Design Review in which she carefully examines the function of the designs, the selection of materials, the suitability of the furniture, and the merit of the overall layout. After that, the design development and construction can begin to bring the client’s vision to life.
In this day and age, as things move faster and faster, it’s important to take time to consider the details. Our living, working, and leisure spaces are vastly important to our happiness, mental health, productivity, and wellness, a lesson we’ve certainly learned over the past year. This is why consultants like Mushcab are critical to the process. Much in the way every author needs an editor, designers and architects can also use a second eye to create the best possible outcome. From ensuring that a space is safe and easily navigated, to selecting the best color palette, Mushcab handles it all, reconsidering and elevating design to be more than just functional.