18th Dec 2024
Blueprint Interiors in 2024: Our best bits!
As 2024 comes to a close, we’re taking a moment to reflect on what has been an exciting (and busy!) year for our team!
Before we look back at the year, we need to start by saying a huge thank you to every one of our clients and partners. Working with such brilliant people is what keeps our team inspired, and we wouldn’t be where we are today without you.
We hope you enjoy reading this trip down memory lane as much as we enjoyed putting it together!
January
Upgrading WorkLife Central
We completed phase one of an upgrade to WorkLife Central, our own state of the art workspace, introducing the Gallery space to the office. (Phase 2 to be revealed in the new year so keep your eyes peeled!)
ESG Training
The team got together for an ESG and sustainability workshop led by Becky Valentine. Continuously improving our sustainability has been a key part of our growth this year, and this session left us inspired and motivated for the year ahead!
Safe Contractor Accreditation
We gained our Alcumus SafeContractor accreditation for another year, recognising the rigorous standards of health and safety management we uphold throughout all our projects.
February
A Blueprint for innovation
As part of the Leicestershire Innovation Festival, we joined forces with our partners at Steelcase, lecturer Lis Ku from De Montfort University, and some of the It’s Time For Change team to discuss the importance of joyful workplace environments.
BCO and Orangebox: Generation Playlist
Gemma and Min visited Birmingham to attend the British Council for Offices and Orangebox research event, Generation Playlist: Higher Education’s Impact on the Workforce. The event provided valuable insights into how new generations are redefining workspace design.
Steelcase Platinum Partner
We celebrated achieving Steelcase Platinum Partner for another year! As a Platinum Partner, we work with businesses across the Midlands and beyond to introduce Steelcase’s research-backed products into their workplaces.
Celebrating our team
Muhammad, our Accounts Apprentice, completed his level 3 AAT apprenticeship and moved on to level 4!
We also welcomed another member of the Blueprint extended family – Francesca’s adorable puppy, Lottie.
March
Caitlin joins the Team
Caitlin joined Blueprint as a Workplace Designer, adding another WELL Accredited Professional to our team! She uses her skills and expertise to help our clients understand the benefits that the WELL Building Standard brings to their teams.
Rebecca welcomed her baby into the world!
Rebecca, our Lead Project Designer & Wellbeing Specialist, had her baby boy Ezra!
Finalists at the East Midlands Leadership Awards
Chloe, our Creative Director, and Rachel, our Operations Director, were both shortlisted in the Company Leaders category of the Leadership Awards organised by the Business Desk. We had a fantastic night out at the event!
April
Visits from the Easter Bunny
April was a brilliant time at the Blueprint office! At the start of the month, the Easter bunny brought Lindt bunnies for the whole team.
Eid Celebrations
The team came for a brilliant Eid celebration! The meal was truly a team effort with food brought in from Hamzah and Muhammad’s mums, Sinead, Caitlin, Marinder and Claire.
Claire joins the team
We welcomed Claire to the Blueprint team as our Workplace Experience Manager and Mental First Aider! Claire ensures that things run smoothly at Worklife Central and supports the wider team in ensuring WELL Building Standards are met in-house and on-site.
May
Jed joins the team
The Blueprint team continued to grow, with award-winning designer Jed joining us as a Project Designer. With experience in sustainable and person-focused design, he’s been a brilliant addition to our team.
Clerkenwell Design Week
The design team returned to Clerkenwell Design Week for another insightful event full of workshops and talks.
Pink Tie Charity Ball
Rachel and Chloe attended the Pink Tie charity ball, an event raising money for vital cancer charities.
Kim welcomed her baby!
Our Head of Design, Kim, welcomed her baby boy Leo!
Team bonding
We got competitive in a supplier’s pub quiz and came third place overall! As you can see, Caitlin took the card tower challenge very seriously…
June
CAPS Ladies Day
Rachel, Chloe and guests from Gleeds attended the CAPs ladies day and had a brilliant time. The event raised over £7000 for Nottingham-based charity Footprints, supporting their work with children and families living with disabilities!
Introducing The Hideout
As part of our commitment to workplace wellbeing and mental health awareness, we introduced our very own relaxation space: The Hideout!
Visit from Lancaster Academy
We welcomed students from Lancaster Academy to Worklife Central as part of their READY programme, designed to prepare students for the world of work! We were impressed by the mood boards the students created and wouldn’t be surprised to see them joining our design team in the future!
July
Big changes at Blueprint
July was a huge month for the Blueprint team, as Rachel and Chloe completed their management buyout and founder Rob Day retired. We haven’t said goodbye to Rob yet, though, as he continues to support our team as a consultant!
Rachel’s charity walk for Lift
Rachel completed a charity walk up Snowdon for the Lift Industry’s Mental Health Charter.
Kate welcomed baby Margot!
Project Designer Kate welcomed her baby girl, Margot!
Nottingham Hot Property
We attended Nottingham Hot Property, the biggest annual property and construction charity concert! The event was celebrating its 20th anniversary and was a huge success (despite some rain!), raising £36,000 for the charity, Alex’s Wish.
August
Roythornes Nottingham New Office Reveal
We were over the moon to showcase Roythornes Nottingham’s new office in Nottingham City Centre! We worked closely with the team to design a workspace that showcased their company culture through a period of expansion. The office is a key part of Roythornes’ recruitment and retention strategy, supporting growth plans and improving the team’s working environment.
Lots to Celebrate!
We celebrated Chloe’s 40th birthday in the office!
We also celebrated Sinead completing her SSSTS (Site Supervisors’ Safety Training Scheme) course.
New branded wear for the team
We got some brilliant new Blueprint-branded clothes for the team.
We were also able to sponsor our very own Muhammad’s boxing gear – we’ll continue cheering him on as he keeps showing his strength in the ring!
September
CAPs Charity Golf Day
Chloe and Rachel had a wonderful time running the campervan refreshment station at the CaPs Charity Golf Day! The event raised over £8500 for local charities this year, and we’re already looking forward to next year.
Enterprising Women’s Awards
We had a brilliant time at the East Midlands Chamber Enterprising Women’s Awards, shortlisted for Small Business of the Year.
Rob’s 65th birthday and retirement party
We celebrated Rob’s birthday and retirement in the office – you can see Rob modelling his lovely retirement sash here.
Trips out of the office!
Andy, Andy and Jed attended the Gleeds treasure hunt around Nottingham, raising money for Footprints Conductive Education Centre charity.
Francesca and Claire also visited Lancaster School to support an interior design project.
October
Exciting times and celebrations!
October was a month full of fun for the Blueprint team. We had a social bonanza with suppliers in Nottingham, celebrated Hannah turning 30, and took part in our version of Bake Off!
We also welcomed Jed’s new puppy, Lando, to the Blueprint family.
Bricks Awards and Business Masters Awards
We were proud to sponsor the category of ‘Overall Winner’ at the East Midlands Business Link Bricks Awards. Andy had a great time giving the awards out!
Andy and John also attended the Business Masters awards, where Blueprint was shortlisted for Small Business of the Year. We had a brilliant evening catching up with colleagues and celebrating regional successes.
Rachel begins her CIMA Qualification
October wasn’t just about having fun – Rachel began her qualification with the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (CIMA).
November
Blackburn College
We were delighted to complete our project with Blackburn College, transforming their University Centre Library! This project was essential for Blackburn College’s student attraction and retention strategy, as well as to improve student satisfaction on campus.
John Tansur joins the team!
We welcomed John to the team as our Commercial Director. He brings over 25 years of commercial and culture experience to the team and we’re excited to see what we can achieve together.
Rob’s CEO Sleepout
Rob completed his second CEO sleepout, raising over £1000 for the charity. In total, the 2024 CEO Sleepout in Nottingham raised over £49,000 to fight homelessness in the Midlands and beyond.
More trips out the office!
Chloe, John and Andy attended the EMC Business Awards, sponsoring the Education and Business Partnership category. Andy, Andy, John and Rob also had a fantastic time attending Nottingham Rugby.
Caitlin and Min also attended dealer day at Steelcase – we always love being able to get together with our partners.
December
Nottingham City Business Club Christmas party
We loved attending the Nottingham City Business Club’s Christmas party. The evening was a brilliant chance to catch up with colleagues, partners, and celebrate our region.
Christmas celebrations!
December is the month of Christmas celebrations, and we’ve spent our time feeling very festive.
We began our celebrations with a festive evening being taught how to wrap Christmas presents – we’re fit to work in Santa’s workshop, now!
The whole team got together for our annual Christmas Party, which we celebrated with a meal out in Nottingham (and a few festive drinks!).
Finally, we enjoyed some festive jacket potatoes and took part in our Secret Santa gift exchange. It’s always great to end the year with some wholesome festive fun to get us in the holiday spirit!
See you in 2025!
Thank you for reading our 2024 wrap up! We hope you have a fantastic end to 2024 and can’t wait to see you next year!