For many home-owners deciding to renovate their property in Mallorca, stress and worry are paramount. Who do we trust? How do we guarantee reliability? These are the types of questions that circle between friends on the island, who after discussion, will eventually settle on the name, Justine Knox. Interior designer, home-staging consultant and CEO of Knox Design. Her over twenty years of renovation work on the island has gained her unwavering reputation, where most of her clientele come solely from word-of-mouth. “The most effective form of marketing” we remark, as we meet Justine at one of her latest renovation projects in Cas Catalá. A beautiful home for a German couple, who following suit, were referred to Justine through friends of theirs.
We’re taken on a tour of the new home, which before renovation, had so much orange pine that Justine says it was more like a “Swiss chalet”. Now, after three months of hard-work, Justine and her team have turned the place into a luxury villa fitted with solar panels, new decking and high-tech entrance. As Justine shows us around, her team busily work around her, painting, mowing the lawn and adding the final touches. “This couple are due to fly-in next week, so it’s all on course” she says, side-stepping to double check the position of the TV. News that the couple were happy to stay in Germany throughout the renovation and leave all of the work to Justine, is testament to her clients trust in her. “With experience, you get to know what your clients want” she says, outlining the flowery “wild-card” wallpaper behind her. “I put my heart and soul into my projects. There’s no stress for my clients, they come straight off the plane and into their dream home.”
Not only is it Justine’s warm-hearted nature that has gained her a vast client network, but her on-point organisation skills too. Without much thought, she reels off ten different projects on the go, all of which have their own Whatsapp groups, spreadsheets and product lists. “If in five years’ time I get a client that wants to replace a vase, I can have that product number within minutes” she says, pointing to her phone. We pause for a moment, while one of the builders pops his head in with a question. Justine is quick to give him direction. Her ability to go from us, to her phone to the builder is astonishing. “I am a multi-tasker” she says smiling, before calling herself a good problem-solver too. “In this line of work, the trick is to always have a solution.” The problems, she says, her clients never need to know about. It is after all, why they put their trust in Justine Knox and her team.
Photos by Sara Savage