Interview with Nermin Daoud
The Design You Always Dreamed Of
At Nermo Interiors, our goal is to enhance the way you live by making the most out of your space. We are artists and designers who are able to take your personality and transform it into well designed art. The result of our craft is exceptional luxury that is tailored and timeless. We are here to create a one-of-a-kind portrait of who you are, how you live, and what you love.
​
Flourish - Success - Be Happy
Debra Robinson:
I know that you moved to Canada over three years ago. What was life like before/since moving to Canada?
Nermin Daoud:
I grew up in a large, close and caring family with strong values. I had a happy childhood and had the opportunity to enjoy the best schools in my area of residence.
​
Learned the English language helped me to become a teacher and opened my life to multiple travel opportunities.
After majoring in the Faculty of Arts in Cairo, Egypt, I spent over 16 years gaining different cultural travel experiences. That's when I developed a great sensitivity to both graphic and musical arts.
These fundamentals sparked in me a great appreciation and passion for varied forms of design which. After having experienced and learnt about design concepts and trends in the context, I promptly visualized how I have so much to contribute in these areas in the Canadian context.
Why did you move to Canada?
Canada's world image is one of diversity and fairness… a welcoming to society to immigrants. Since my brother has already lived here for some time, I put this idea to the consideration of my parents, and they were very supportive.
Following my passion – interior design, I began studding and evaluating the best way for me to develop a new balance in design creations while amalgamating the different cultures that I have been exposed to.
How did you get started in the design business? Your inspiration?
I think it’s something inside me: as soon as I enter a room, I feel the overall space, its ambience, balance and my inner being immediately senses the opportunities to improve the space and make it more welcoming, enjoyable and cozy. This part of me questions the fixtures and other needs immediately. I ask myself a lot of questions. This little being inside me always signals and make me strive to make the best use of the original aesthetic, creating balance from details, wants, and the people themselves.
My ancestral Egyptian art and culture speaks to my soul and I find myself in need of a creative outlet. I think my exposure to different design & cultures pushes me to unleash the design beast in me!
What are your business credentials?
Upon my arrival in Canada and initial settling, I decided to respond to the design aspects of my passion and do it in a professional way. Having initiated formal education in the local environment, I promptly gained a great understanding of all those local views and trends by immersing myself in:
-
The Visual Design Program at Sheridan College
-
The Certified Aging-in-Place Specialist Program offered by the National Association of Home Builders
-
Design Program at Yorkville University.
All of this in parallel while working in the residential/commercial design environment.
Why do you love what you do?
I'm passionate about bringing clarity to people's wishes and helping them land their individual ideas, expressions intentions and to solve their design dilemmas together.
As a friend said to me one time:
"You create spaces one feels like enjoying."
I think that is a clear reflection of what other experience and I want people to feel in the spaces I create with them.
What separates you and your company from the competition?
At Nermo-Interiors our clients express to us the feel of warmth and a pleasing home environment after we’ve added our inspiration and personalized design: https://www.instagram.com/daoudnermin/
What one thing would you do with your business if you knew you couldn't fail?
[Laughing]… never thought about it since failure is not an option. I'm unafraid to take chances because my design creations are not only tailored to my personality, sensitivity and budget but also to those of my customers.
What significant changes have you seen take place in the design world over the years that you liked or disliked?
Ever evolving, the design industry has now 3D, AR/VR, AIP and various software and design tools and programs that I have learned to master for my customer's benefit. We use them along with traditional craft-artisans’ work stiles tools to achieve the best possible space visualization for customers. We always apply a decision-making process which is interactive with our clients, particularly when multiple points of view are in search for balance and harmony.
Naturally, our work incorporates sustainable materials helping to enhance space design elements.
What's the first thing you think about in the morning and the last thing at night?
Design creation!
At night I respond to inner impulses, meditating, considering and evaluating ideas to resolve the design issues at hand with new unique and creative visions.
In the morning I wake up excited to start implementing the new vision.
What are the challenges your industry needs to solve?
Strategic design and leadership… design solutions are increasingly being connected to economic, cultural and social factors with technology driving further changes in the field.
Firms need to focus more on design strategy now if they want success. The industry is calling for designers who are also leaders and strategists, offering tailor-made solutions and flexible ideas that overcome challenges like limited space or resource availability.
Easy access to information and growing environmental, health and sustainability concerns have led to some revolutionary changes in the design sector. Modern ‘smart’ buildings are designed to be intuitive, versatile and adaptable. Also, user-friendly and most importantly, health-and accessibly oriented.
The connection between interior design and health does go far beyond a building’s impact on your physical well-being. Designers need to consider not only physical but also emotional and mental health benefits of lighting, ventilation, building orientation, indoor air quality and various other factors.
Can you describe a funny or strange incident you've experienced in your business?
Contradictions between husbands and wives expressed when the other is out of earshot. Husbands generally want to please their wives… until it comes to spending money. In our job as Interior Designers, we find ourselves in the need to resolve this challenge and arrive to a happy compromise. In many other cases, it is the wife’s sensitivity who drives the fundamentals of the design and the husband assumes the supportive role motivated with pleasing her design desires.
What do you see as coming trends?
Technology is a trend that continues to advance the new concepts in interior design, particularly with Augmented Reality (AR) tools that help solving the well know “visualization problem” many home owners have when trying to understand the resulting design. Technology is introducing new apps that allow clients to view colours and imagine textures, furniture and proportions so as other elements of the planned new room of house space.
The use of 3D technology with animation is proving to be strong and healthy when considering modern design trend tools. Website apps are available to help customers visualize the combination of the different elements in the space.
You just finished the "Aging in Place" (AIP) with "Augmented Reality" (AR), a three-day program.
What did you hope to gain from this program?
As a result of my design experience, our society is experiencing a new trend: as opposed to turning into elder care facilities, more and more people prefer to stay at home as they age. I have heard about "aging in place" for more than a decade already on trips to Vienna, Austria and other places in Europe. This trend started the trend of making homes a safe and comfortable living experience for the aged and this trend is only lately transferring into the North America design context.
Augmented Reality (AR) tools also help customers visualize things easily, like mapping physical spaces and introducing interactive objects within. A very important plus is that customers are able to make purchasing decisions from anywhere.
You're fresh from the VR & AR World Conference & Expo (VRTO) that was held June 1-3, 2019 here in Toronto. Give me the highlights as it pertains to aging in place with AR?
VRTO is Canada's premiere immersive technologies event!
Mapping out physical spaces gives the elderly a "heads up" on the best layout for their needs. That's where AR/VR comes in. That's why VRTO is a solutions-focused symposium laying it out for everyone along with professional conferences to discuss.
Arts, culture, society, humanities, ethics and sciences all come together at VRTO through immersive technologies.
When participating in VRTO one can see how using these tools allows seniors to see their future personal surroundings and start the adaptation process as they are aging so they strengthen their decision in favor of aging in place.
Designers also use the same VRTO technology to assist in purchasing decisions for home improvements from anywhere that's convenient for clients.
Purchasing decisions from the comfort of the customer’s home is not just for the elderly. Home modifications for arthritis sufferers and traumatic accident victims can be viewed from anywhere at any time.
What is current availability for elderly housing? How is it changing in the next 5 years? What assistant incentives are there?
Demand continues to grow as baby boomers age. Building and design communities are more aware than ever of the growing housing challenges for the aged.
Money is, of course a very important factor. High rising costs and fixed incomes don't mix well.
Toronto Renovates and Peel Renovates Programs among others in the Greater Toronto Area help people resolve accessibility issues and to maintain their homes. CMHC downloaded these programs to be handled by the different municipalities. There are also non-profit organizations like the March of Dimes who also supports home owners confronting these types of expenditures.
Do you agree with Keram Malicki-Sanchez, VRTO Executive Director and Founder, that Toronto is an important hub on the world scene for tech innovation?
Total agreement. He was first to form a group like this in 2015.
Toronto has a special capacity to internalize design and technology concepts evolving from the multicultural backgrounds. It's a unique mosaic of cultures and traditions.
How do you see tech innovation proceeding in Canada?
Like other developed countries, Canada is uniquely positioned to help aging Canadians stay at home. Adding the beauty of design along with function is so important. Some examples are grab bars, dedicated spout locations for accessible shower, fondling seats, augmented illumination of accessible spaces, widened door openings, stairlift systems and other fixtures.
There's still lots of room for growth.
Given the fact that technology has not reached the degree of visualization customers would like to see, it is not being used in Canada as much its full potential – what can be done about that?
Technology is developing toward “What you see is what you get” visualizations that customers will love.
Private and education sectors need to team up to provide tools to inspire future designers in AEC.
Isn't it the fact that technology really only available to Canadians with money?
A higher awareness and demand is gradually bringing down costs to regular Canadians, so these tools are more and more benefiting the society as a whole.
What value do you think you gained from attending VRTO?
Multiple takeaways, but what stands out is its insight into how Aging in Place affects design concepts.
What advice would you give someone just starting out in the design business?
Identify your own unique design talents and design passions. Follow your aspirations. Persevere. Don't hesitate to explore and never give up on your concepts and dreams. Always do things with love from the depth of your heart. Customers are always sensitive and appreciative of your genuine intentions.
What's the one sentence you'd like people to use to describe the way you do business?
Inspirational, personalized, comfortable and trustworthy yet sophisticated and intuitive.
What other events would you like to attend? Any currently non-existent ones you'd like to see?
NeoCon in Canada.
I would like to see the NeoCon happening here in Canada. NeoCon is the largest commercial interiors show in North America and it is taking place at The Merchandise Mart in Chicago since 1969.
NeoCon remains the premier platform for connecting, learning and doing business in the industry. A three-day event attracting nearly 50,000 design professionals from the world-wide and showcasing more than 700 leading companies and organizations dedicated to interior design, materials, concepts and more.
I'd also like to attend the Milan Show in April for its elegance, simplicity, and new ideas. Certainly, there are other major shows happening in Dubai or China to which I would like to participate, learn from and also contribute to.
I'd also like to see a higher role of Microsoft in the AR world.
The games and design fields are big in Dubai. Snapchat has an app that allows the viewer to visualize with animals, something different and new every day. Let's do that with design!
Nermin Daoud: "I always go the extra mile on quality and caring. It's well worth it."
No job is too big or too small for Nermin. Small jobs can be just as challenging as big extensive projects.
You can contact Nermin Daoud here on LinkedIn or email
Still have a question about our services? Contact us now and we’ll get back to you ASAP.