Real Estate with Howard Drukarsh - Episode 23 featuring Suzanne Wilkinson

Real Estate with Howard Drukarsh

Suzanne Wilkinson, Principal at Figure3 design chats to Howard about the future of workplace and residential interior design, the effects of the pandemic on workspaces, and inclusive design.

Climbing the ranks from Senior Team Leader to Principal at one of Canada's leading independent interior design firms, Suzanne Wilkinson understands the power of design.

Working with some of the most prominent companies across North America over the past 20 years to design beautiful and engaging award-winning spaces in workplace, residential, hospitality, and retail, Suzanne is passionate about leading clients and the Figure3 team through a strategic design process starting with what is most important: a client’s core values.

Suzanne has fearlessly pushed the boundaries of design across numerous sectors, setting a higher standard among her industry peers, and inspiring those she mentors.

At Figure3, workplace design is where Suzanne set her foundation and became recognized in the industry for her talents. She took interest in the deeper understanding of what clients needed, not just in the present, but looking 5-10 years into their future. This was a very progressive approach and one that continued to impress clients and industry peers with every new, higher-profile project. This led Suzanne to begin embracing evidence-based design, which has brought a level of insight to the firm’s design process, making it that much more purposeful and setting Figure3 apart from its competition.

With her incredible vision, she has created new paths for Figure3 many times. When Figure3 won its first residential development project in 2010, Suzanne was chosen as the design lead. With no experience in the residential sector, it was a pivotal point for Suzanne, kickstarting her entrepreneurial spirit. With the success of this project and her fresh and disruptive approach to residential design, she led the firm to quickly gain work and the respect of some of the most prominent residential developers in North America. Her success in the multi-family sector is well known, and Figure3’s residential portfolio is now a significant and growing part of the firm’s business, including projects in San Francisco and Houston. With her sought-after designs in the booming multi-family sector, the company has now recently entered into the hospitality market.

Suzanne’s ability to design in any sector is truly impressive (even managing Figure3’s boutique retail design studio). Constantly raising the bar of spatial design, the young staff of 60+ designers at Figure3 all want to observe, work with and learn from Suzanne. Her caliber of design, her fearless ambition, her warm personality, and her ability to mentor are what continue to inspire and empower those around her, including her family and her three partners at the firm. Her influence touches every one of the dozens of design projects Figure3 completes each year and will continue as her intense commitment to how design can improve people’s lives remains unwavering.